INTRODUCTION
Even as society opens up again, some forms of business will still be conducted online. In fact, we expect many seminars, conferences, lectures and symposia to take place online for at least the next year.
We recently hosted a business recognition gala on Airmeet. This platform is designed to host the aforementioned events, and in our opinion, handles online networking better than most of the alternatives.
Here’s how to use Airmeet to host your next online event.
HOW TO SET UP AN ACCOUNT
All you need is an email address to get started. It’s after that point that is less straightforward. Airmeet has multiple price points. You can pay for one-time use, but it will be less expensive on a per-event basis if you purchase a yearly plan. Up to 100 registrations per event costs $99/month, and up to 1,000 registrations per event costs $599/month. There is also a free plan with limited features but still allows you to have up to 100 registrations, and there is an enterprise plan.
Thus, you’ll need to figure out how many events you plan on hosting in a year, and how many attendees you estimate will attend each event, to determine what package to purchase.
HOW TO NETWORK
As mentioned, Airmeet has a good networking setup by mimicking real-life networking. Attendees can move from virtual table to table by clicking on an empty chair and only chat with the people “sitting” at each table. That avoids having everyone on the screen at once.
Attendees can see who’s at each table, and hence the incentive for people to work the room. You as the host can limit the number of “seats” at each table, and you can put a logo (e.g. a sponsor’s) on top of each table.
You also can set up speed networking in an area above the table. Anyone who leaves the tables and goes into this area will get assigned a one-on-one meeting with someone else for a limited time.
Airmeet also has virtual booths for expos.
HOW TO PRESENT
When it’s time for a speaker to present, the entire networking session ends, and attendees can only see the speaker(s). All of this is controlled in an area known as Backstage. Here, you can talk with other hosts and speakers, and the audience won’t hear you until you make the presentation live. At that point, whoever is on the screen will be the one that’s seen by the attendees.
The host has the ability to completely hide, meaning they are muted, their camera is off and they are hidden from view. This hidden host can still see and hear the presentation, and they can still use the chatbox.
From backstage, you also can play video files that you previously uploaded, and you can launch presentation slides/files. Currently, there is no option to play music files.
You can conduct Q&A in a few ways. The first is to simply use the chatbox, and it’s the easiest way (note: the host has the ability to delete messages in the chatbox). You also can use a Q&A feature. The other is to give someone in the audience a virtual mic, which turns on their video and allows them to ask their question live.
Another thing to note is that you can live stream your presentation to YouTube and Facebook.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
Like other platforms, Airmeet will provide complimentary live (online) training to use their software. We recommend creating a few test events to familiarize yourself with the features and the controls.