It is true that face-to-face meetings and presentations are sometimes necessary, but there can be no doubt that the world is becoming more virtually connected.
Solutions can be provided over a public cloud based system or a private cloud that sits on your private network; offering complete data privacy.
So, what are the benefits of virtual meetings and how can you take advantage of them?
Variety of meetings
Virtual meeting technology allows for a variety of meeting types. These include traditional catch-up meetings, document reviews, sales presentations, interactions with clients, training sessions, seminars?. The list of uses is restricted only to the number of reasons you need to communicate. Meetings can be between 2 people or streamed to an unlimited number of participants, and any number in between.
Virtual meetings are cost effective
The most obvious cost saving comes from not needing to travel. There is a cost saving in terms of people not physically travelling and therefore no need to buy travel tickets, pay for fuel or overnight stays and there is no vehicle value depreciation. There is also a saving in terms of participants time, which ultimately must be paid for. A smaller meeting space is also required as there are less people in one location, saving on rent, heating, lighting, furniture etc.
Virtual meetings are not geographically restricted
Those people who cannot attend in person due to being field based or not living near to where the meeting is taking, place can still attend. This allows more people to attend and allows those holding the meeting to expand their audience. Not being geographically restricted also means meetings can be held more frequently and at shorter notice.
Increased attendance
As well as being inclusive of those who cannot attend due to geographical restrictions, attendance is also increased by allowing those who cannot afford or are physically unable to attend. This is true for formal meetings as well as seminars and presentations that can be live streamed. Town hall meetings, for example, can have a live link pre-sent to an email list inviting virtual attendance and participation.
Increased user participation
Having more attendees will increase participation, but participation also increases in the form of live chat during virtual meetings. This provides feedback as well as allowing the presenter to interact with those not physically present. There are also those who do not feel comfortable voicing opinions face-to-face, but are happier to do so over video, or by live chat.
Part 2 will be posted next week…