Page 17 - Nov/Dec 2020 Vol 38 No 5
P. 17
recipient just clicks the link or phone management or product announcements, another target/person at another
number your host has given you …and company all-hands meetings, public table (tablehopping can continue
it works from your iPad, phone or laptop meetings such as boards and city until the keynote speaker begins their
that you might have with you. councils, customer conferences, concerts presentation, etc.)
and even religious gatherings.
A guest blogger for Zoom, Courtney Somewhat like Zoom, there’s a Chat
Mohl, recently wrote that Zoom meetings Google Meet: A Little Simpler, And An function, Q&A for the speakers, etc.
in the midst of a construction area… Hour Long Platform The participant also can visit multiple
amid pneumatic hammers, sanders, “rooms” during the conference.
skip loaders, wheelbarrows, graders and Fast Company’s online blog recently
hard hats…are “taking place right in the cited Google Meet as another free, Prior to the meeting, participants can
middle of the dust and bustle of the work simple platform, but with slightly longer upload either a headshot of themselves
site.” She says the current COVID-19 meeting times than Zoom (an hour for (to represent themselves at the table),
health situation “throws a spotlight on Google Meet, versus 40 minutes for the or they can choose to have their
Zoom’s innovation” and its efficiency in basic free Zoom). table participants see a “live shot” of
connecting scattered, remotely located themselves in front of the computer.
teams in real time. If you’re a fan of using Google
Calendars, Fast Company says you’ll Organizations such as the East
Public Works on-the-fly meetings, love Google Meet, because you can easily Tennessee Economic Council, Innov865
impromptu walkthrough remote send out scheduled meetings to a large Alliance, Knoxville Entrepreneur Center
inspections on the site (with project number of people via Google Calendar, and Knoxville Technology Council
managers off site), or with architects and begin impromptu meetings can be (KTEC), have been utilizing Lunchpool
housed across the city (or with other sent directly from Gmail. for events.
stakeholders in another state), can occur Gatherly
at a moment’s notice while minimizing It has security features such as complex
the risk of “being there in person” meeting codes, in-transit encryption, and Another event platform, Atlanta-based
in close contact during these social protections against phishing and account Gatherly, also is gaining traction. The
distancing times. hijacking. company, spawned out of Georgia Tech,
focuses on a somewhat similar platform
Mohl’s blog says the Zoom usage Other Platforms Simulating Conferences to Lunchpool that allows individuals to
minimizes some of the travel expenses Zoom isn’t the only player that navigate a virtual conference center and
associated with a construction project, meet individual attendees along the way.
and that supervisors “may even view companies have turned to in replacing
risk aversion and travel savings as some branch-type meetings or annual The entrepreneurial website
complementary birds of a feather.” conferences. Early in the pandemic, Hypepotamus.com recently featured
When to do Zoom Meetings? entrepreneurial companies began Gatherly as a solid alternative to events
configuring ways to simulate a cancelled in 2020. Gatherly co-founder
In the world of Zoom, the Meetings conference hall or banquet room, Christopher Cherian told Hypepotamus
Function is for connecting a group in order to mimic holding a virtual that people “are itching to go back to
of people for two-way discussion or conference all online. Here’s two that we in-person events because they’re tired of
collaboration, like for team meetings, know about: staring at ‘conferences’ that are essentially
equipment demos, online learning and endless videos.”
trainings and during office hours. The Lunchpool
Meetings concept allows all participants Lunchpool is powered by the Remo Like Lunchpool, the Gatherly team
to interact, sharing with each other and also builds customized convention floors
the host. platform (and entrepreneur Alex Abell). for virtual attendees to explore and
When to Instead Choose Zoom Webinars? This customizable platform is popular in gather, where they can “meet” for side
the East Tennessee area putting on “real video conversations and jump between
Zoom’s Webinars Function is for life” conferences with virtual breakout rooms to meet new speakers, “mimicking
presenting to a large audience where the sessions, lunchtables and multiple rooms. what conference attendees would do
host wants control over the experience. in-person naturally during an event.”
Audience members can join without Abell and his team create, and then Attendees can ‘walk’ around booths to
their audio or video turned on, and the staff/troubleshoot virtual conferences meet the companies or groups manning
host controlling the meeting may state tailored to each organization’s needs. those “booths.”
“up front” that participants’ cameras and Abell said Lunchpool has hosted virtual Get Out Your Crystal Ball
microphones will be disabled during the non-profit fundraising luncheons,
webinar. networking events with talented It’s unknown when we’ll all “get back
presenters, engaging speaker panels, live to normal” or what even will be our
In this scenario, clearly the focus is on Q&As, happy hour socials “and more. “new normal” for meetings, conferences
the presenter, or a group of panelists. The If you can dream it up, we can make it and events. Until then, new virtual
audience simply joins to listen and learn happen.” innovations continue to develop, with
(and then might be “enabled” to type or new software platforms attempting to
ask questions at the end). For example, conference participants meet our needs for “those personal
can click a link to join various available connections.”
Zoom webinars are best for very large round “tables” just like in a banquet
internal or external events such as: hall or honors luncheon. Participants It’s still not like a handshake, though…
can network there for a focused period
of time or “table hop” when they see
View online at tnpublicworks.com 17
