Technological advancements keep any industry fresh, and the meetings and events industry is no exception. Historically speaking, the general look and feel of today’s meeting technology has improved significantly over the last few years, especially with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.
While meetings historically took place in one location, conference calling enabled participation from anywhere with a phone line. The advent of video conferencing and telepresence technology meant not only could meetings be broadcast to those not in physical attendance, but video could be shared, providing the feeling of “being there” as compared to phone-only participation.
Ben Raelbrook, senior vice president of global enterprise sales at Engageli, says as mobile technology advanced, video participation was no longer limited to desktop computers hardwired to the internet, and anyone with a smartphone or tablet could participate. “These innovations enabled easier video conferencing, and while they usually included some sort of Q&A function or chat feature, they weren’t primarily engagement driven,” Raelbrook says.
New platforms continue to push meeting technology forward, and natively include features and functionality that drive engagement and build community, while offering the flexibility and accessibility to accommodate a 50-person onboarding session or a 500-person town hall meeting or conference. “Table seating allows small groups to dynamically interact even within large event settings, and multiple communication and quiz/polling features allow quick presenter feedback, messages to other users or public questions to all attendees,” Raelbrook says.
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