Running an event

Plan your event

If you have decided to hold an event, use this template for initial planning:

Platform: Online

Different platforms are better suited to different meeting types and delivery methods.

Virtual meetings

• Microsoft Teams Meetings and Zoom Meetings are built to enable general or collaborative team meetings where the primary goal is meeting ‘face-to-face’ with attendees, open group discussion with voice and video enabled, or presenting slides, documents or a virtual whiteboard for viewing or collaboration
• For a meeting that includes discussion, consider standard Zoom or Teams meetings; for meetings that involve a lecture style or education focus, especially for large numbers, use Zoom or Teams webinar.

Webinars and training seminars

Microsoft Webinars or Zoom Meetings / Webinars are best suited to meetings that are primarily intended to:

• have a presenter or series of presenters and an audience
• include moderated interaction where the audience can provide feedback or questions – e.g. using chat, Q&A and polling options
• may require attendee registration

However, if the webinar is more complex, you may consider a paid virtual meeting or event service such as Cvent. This may be suitable if you:

• would like a more professional looking interface for the event
• have high profile presenters
• have a large number of presenters in disparate locations or requiring additional support
• need production assistance for moderation of presentations, videos, Q&A
• would like an all-purpose solution for marketing and registrations (e.g. an event website)
• require technical support

Online or hybrid conferences

For a large conference or virtual event, you would probably consider using a paid service. However, Microsoft Teams Live Events is also an option.

These types of events are primarily broadcast events, i.e. a set of presenters for a very large audience where interaction is minimal (e.g. Q&A) and collaboration is not required.

Tips for hosting online events

• Keep the event as short as possible.
• For large groups and where time is short, have participants introduce themselves via the chat function.
• If your internet is ‘unstable’, try turning off your video to reduce the bandwidth.
• Offer as much pre-work as possible before the meeting, with pre-reading and submission of discussion points to aid in discussion and collaboration.
• Nominate a facilitator to facilitate discussions, just as you would for a face-to-face meeting. Facilitation of discussion can be more difficult online; facilitators may need to call on participants to start the conversation.
• Make use of the ‘break out’ rooms function to aid discussion.
• If you have guest speakers, develop an instruction sheet for them specifically for your meeting, this should include the basics such as how to share slides, but also how you are managing facilitation and discussion. Organise a test run for presenters before the event.
• Make sure presenters are able to use their camera/mic.
• Make sure they know how to ‘control’ the slides.
• Have a Plan B if the technology stops working.
• Discuss how Q&A will be managed during the live session. Chat is fine for smaller events, however Teams Q&A or Slido may be preferred for larger events where there is the ability to moderate questions.
• Let the presenters and attendees know the session will be recorded.

Platform: Face to face meeting

If your meeting will be face to face, here is a list of what you may need.

Program

When creating the agenda, consider:

• Introduction, housekeeping and Acknowledgement of Country (Note: In some circumstances you may consider a Welcome to Country. Read more advice from the National Indigenous Australians Agency)
• Who will speak and for how long
• Who will introduce them
• Facilitation if necessary
• Allow time for breaks
• If online, limit to 60-75 minutes and allow plenty of time for questions
• Consider a moderator for questions

Invitation

You can advertise the event via Eventbrite or similar platform, or email.

Don’t forget to include:

• Purpose of the meeting
• Key speakers (with short bio if necessary) – make sure you have their permission
• Time
• Location (including registration links)
• Reminders
• Set up confirmation email and reminders for 2 days prior to the event and 2 hours prior to the event. If online, ensure the link is prominent.
• Ensure the invite is sent to all presenters (especially if online so they have the link to join)
• Promote via your communications channels – can include website, email, newsletter, social media. Ask your networks for help to promote.

Slides

• Request slides at least 1 day before the event
• If online, include as a single slide deck
• Create holding slides for introduction and Q&A

Evaluation

You can send a survey (using an online tool such as SurveyMonkey) to seek feedback from participants. This can be fed into the event process for continuous improvement.

More from the CERI User Guide

This chapter of the User Guide is one in a series available from The Australian Prevention Partnership Centre website. It was prepared by members of the Collaboration for Enhanced Research Impact (CERI) Coordinating Group to provide practical tips on knowledge mobilisation and science communication for researchers working in the prevention of chronic disease.

CERI User Guide

About CERI

The Collaboration for Enhanced Research Impact (CERI) is a joint initiative between the Prevention Centre and several NHMRC Centres of Research Excellence, established in June 2020 to enhance the profile and impact of chronic disease prevention in Australia. We are working together to find alignment in the policy and practice implications of our work and to develop shared communications across our various projects and participating centres.

Read more about CERI