While it is crucial to know what a virtual annual general meeting is, understanding how to host a successful one is more important. In the given scenario where every other organization is going online with their annual meets, ensuring yours stands apart is crucial.
Since AGMs have been a critical part of an organization’s structure, you would want to put in your best efforts. It is a platform where the employees and the shareholders come together on a single platform, maintaining the impression gets more crucial.
Here in this blog, we will take you through the meaning of AGMs and what all you can do to make your virtual AGMs stand apart. Take a look:
What is a Virtual AGM?
As you might have understood it by the name, annual general meetups are hosted by the organizations annually. The intent of such meetings is to bring together all the employees, shareholders, and investors of the company on the same platform. Companies host AGMs to discuss and set the company’s tone of moving forward. Apart from discussing goals and objectives, the members present in the meeting talk about the organization’s performance in the past year.
Along with this, other objectives of virtual AGMs include:
● Examine and evaluate the company and all employees’ performance.
● Plan further strategies.
● Discuss how the company performed financially, and the next targets.
● Get a new board of directors.
Virtual AGMs are simply the meetings that are conducted over the internet using a virtual AGM platform. It was due to the outbreak of the pandemic that the organizations were compelled to enter the virtual space and host online AGMs. Apart from the medium, there isn’t much of a difference between both the formats.
To conduct a smooth and seamless virtual AGM, here are a few expert tips that you can consider:
1. Pick the Right Virtual AGM Platform:
The virtual town hall meeting platform that you will choose for your AGM is nothing but its venue, make sure to get your hands on the best option available. Start looking for a web solution when there are a few months for the meeting, so that you have enough time in hand, and you don’t come to any conclusion in a hurry. Remember, it might cause you the success of your virtual AGM; trust us, it is the last thing you would want to happen. Hence, don’t compromise with the quality just for the sake of a few bucks.
There are a few features that you should look for in a virtual AGM solution, like:
● Security
● Audience Engagement Tools
● User-Friendly Interface
● Multi-device accessibility
2. Send Event Guidelines to the Attendees Beforehand:
It is another significant tip that you can implement to ensure the smooth execution of your event. While you are sending the meeting invites, don’t forget to attach detailed meeting guidelines to avoid last minute chaos.
Remember to include the below mentioned points in the guidelines:
● Conduct in the meeting room.
● How the employees can raise their queries.
● When should the attendees keep their microphones on mute and their cameras on?
● Role of each member present in the meeting.
● POC for the meeting, along with their contact information.
● Itinerary of the meeting.
● Time and Date according to the required Time Zones.
● Dress Code, if applicable.
3. Schedule Your AGM Carefully:
This is probably the most crucial tip the organizers should take into account in order to make sure their virtual meeting is a smooth sail. Before selecting an appropriate date and time, make sure you go through the calendar once so that your meeting date doesn’t clash with any other significant event. Also, if your company is spread over different time zones, don’t forget to consider different time zones. Though it might get a bit challenging, try to schedule the meet during the working hours.
4. You Can Never Go Wrong With Rehearsals:
We understand that you are hosting virtual AGMs for quite a long time now; we would still suggest you to have a few practice sessions before the meeting. It won’t only help you get your hands used to the virtual AGM platform, but will also help you understand it by yourself. You can invite the directors and leadership over for the rehearsal session so that even they get to explore the web solution.
5. Preparation is the Key:
They say ‘Practice makes a man perfect’, and they say it right. Even if it is an in-house event, remember you will have your investors and shareholders in it. The last thing you would want is things going wrong. Hence, prepare for the event. Go through the event, and prepare yourself. Consider how the attendees will join, how you would interact with them, and other things.
6. Keep the Attendees Engaged:
One reason people still prefer in-person events over the web experience is they come with more engagement and interaction opportunities. To make sure your attendees enjoy the virtual experience, keep them hooked to the screens. And that you can do is by including engaging features and activities. Make use of features like live chat, gamification, live polls, breakout rooms, etc. to keep the attendees engaged.
7. Ensure the AGM Remains Confidential:
One thing that you won’t want even in your worst nightmare is the breach of privacy. The points and things discussed in a virtual AGM are sensitive for the company. To make sure everything remains confidential, get your hands on a secure town hall meeting platform that comes with high-end encryption and privacy measures.
8. Don’t Neglect the Technicalities:
While you are preparing for the AGM, don’t forget to keep the technicalities in check. Make sure your internet connection is working properly, also, always have a backup plan ready, in case things go wrong. Also, ensure that the equipment you use is working properly.
During the meeting, make sure you connect with a LAN cable instead of a Wi-Fi connection, so that the video quality doesn't get affected. Also, attend the meeting from a quiet and clean place, disruption in the background won’t leave a good impression on others.
With this blog, we assure you that your AGM is going to be nothing but the best. Happy organizing!
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