With the number of conferences and presentations that occur in today’s business world, it is virtually impossible for people to attend them all.  In addition, conflicting schedules coupled with daunting flight and hotel prices significantly limit the number of conferences that people can physically attend, creating the need for some sort of remote capability. However, how does one host a seminar or conference virtually for thousands of people over the web?  How can people receive the same information and experience if they cannot attend the event in person?

Tools such as GoToWebinar™ and NetMeeting allow users to hold a conference call and display the presenter’s computer screen in real-time, which enables participants to follow along over the web.  Many organizations are often slow to adopt this technology because it takes staff with more technical expertise to host an on-line meeting for hundreds or thousands of attendees. We had the opportunity to meet with a company that understands the hurdles these organizations face and have developed solutions that make it simple to host virtual meetings and provide on-line education.

This unique distance learning service, called SeminarWeb, incorporates all the features and functionality of GoToWebinar while providing additional tools and customization only available through SeminarWeb.  While they do partner with GoToWebinar™ for live on-line programs, the SeminarWeb service is a fully-managed meeting solution, meaning they handle all aspects of the technology.  Lisa Krabbenhoft of SeminarWeb discusses some of the differences between the standard meeting tools and SeminarWeb: “What really sets us apart is the fact that we are a completely managed solution.  Sure, you can go directly to providers such as GoToMeeting, but you would still need to have someone managing registrations, handling certificates of attendance, and training speakers.  We offer all of that for our client.”

Back to the Basics: How does it work?

This kind of managed solution works by creating a portal “that will mimic the look of their website so most users won’t actually know that they’ve navigated away from the clients’ website,” explains Krabbenhoft.  The system is completely managed by SeminarWeb.  Therefore, when the clients’ attendees use the site, they do not have any anxiety about using a program that they do not understand or working with a company they may not recognize.  From there, the client can display live presentations on the site and also “On Demand” recorded presentations, allowing participants with time conflicts to review the presentation on their own schedule.

For example, if a meeting planner hosts a large-scale presentation and only half of the people invited can physically attend, there are two options.  If distance is the only problem, participants can log on to the portal and view the presentation, either live from the onsite event or at a later date and time. Participants see the speaker’s presentation, which can be anything from a PowerPoint slide show to a demonstration of software, in live time. Because the web seminar is combined with a professionally moderated conference call, participants have the opportunity to pose questions directly to the speaker and receive an immediate answer. 

However, if the scheduled time of the presentation is the problem, then the user has access to the recorded presentation. The participants see the synchronized video and PowerPoint slides, and can also click ahead in the slides and throughout other tabs within the site.  Additionally, the client can list other documents and links, in a variety of formats – Excel, PowerPoint, PDFs, MP3s, etc. – under a tab called ‘Other Resources’ so that the virtual attendee has access to all relevant information in one place.

Additional Features

Additional customizations that are available for both Live and On Demand include monitors of user participation, such as questionnaires or quizzes, and time limit requirements.  For On Demand, the client can choose to add a question-and-answer section that will post after the presentation.  Additionally, if attendees are viewing the presentation for the first time and do not have time to finish viewing, SeminarWeb saves their place so they are able to log in and out without losing their spot.  The presentation remains available on the portal as long as the client wishes.

This tool almost replicates the experience of being at a live meeting or conference.  SeminarWeb hosts the website, manages all technicalities and prepares for each meeting according to the client’s specific requirements.  This tool is a full-service solution for offering meetings and conferences online.  Krabbenhoft emphasizes this point by reiterating that, “Once clients decide to work with us they don’t have to do much other than say ‘here’s the date’ and ‘here’s what we’re going to do’ and we handle the rest.”