At Kuorum we've been helping associations, professional associations, sports clubs, cooperatives and other organizations organize successful hybrid assemblies for over 10 years. We know how complex these events can be. That’s why we’re sharing a few practical tips to help you achieve better results with less effort.
Design a clear and simple process
Communication with your attendees is key. Many of them don’t have the time—or the motivation—to read through all the event information. So it's important to keep things concise and highlight the essentials: the date and location of the assembly, along with clear instructions at each stage of the process.
Avoid long emails full of legal jargon. Leave those details for attached documents and focus on writing short, simple messages with a clear call to action. It may seem complicated at first, but things get easier if you start by drafting a basic outline of the full process leading up to the day of the event.
While many of our clients use different terminology, most follow a process that includes some or all of these phases:
- Initial notice: A common mistake is trying to include all the information in the first message. At this point, it’s enough to share the timeline and what’s required to confirm attendance or delegate a vote.
- Confirmation, proxy and/or early voting period: the key at this stage is to have a technology that allows you to centralize all this information in a single platform.
- Pre-event reminder: this second message is sent in the days prior to the assembly. It is here where it makes the most sense to explain the details of access to the event, both in person and online.
- Access control: this is often one of the most stressful moments. Choose technology that allows you to track quorum in real time and delegate in-person check-in tasks to your team.
- Start of the meeting: managing speaking turns in the room and via videoconference is critical. “Webinar” features on tools like Zoom, Teams, or Chime offer optimal control for this.
- Voting: make sure your voting tool integrates smoothly with your video platform and automatically consolidates both online and in-person results in real time.
Choose the right technology
One of the biggest challenges when organizing a hybrid assembly is selecting the right online voting and videoconferencing technologies. There are many options available, each with its own features and benefits. Here are some factors to consider when choosing the right technologies for a hybrid assembly:
- Compatibility: ensure that the online voting and videoconferencing technologies you choose are compatible with the devices and platforms your attendees will use.
- Security: choose technologies that offer high security measures to protect the integrity of the voting process.
- Ease of use: the technologies you employ should be easy for attendees to use, with clear instructions and simple interfaces.
- Scalability: if you expect a large number of attendees for the hybrid assembly, make sure it is able to support the load and provide a seamless experience for all attendees.
Test and simulate before the big day
A good hybrid assembly cannot be improvised. Once the tools have been selected and the processes have been defined, it is essential to test them beforehand:
- Simulates the entire process with team members or people outside the organization.
- Check that the access links are working properly.
- Make sure that the emails arrive in the inboxes and not in spam.
- Perform voting and videoconferencing tests, including opening ballot boxes and calculating quorum.
A realistic simulation will help you detect errors and arrive at the day of the event with peace of mind and control.
Support your attendees effectively
During the event, questions or technical issues may arise - especially for online participants. Effective support can be the difference between a smooth experience and a frustrating one.
- Prepare a FAQ section in previous mailings.
- Enable a support channel (phone, WhatsApp or chat) active during the assembly.
- It has well-coordinated on-site and remote support staff.
The voter or assembly member experience should be smooth, inclusive and frictionless.
Evaluate and improve after every event
Once the assembly is over, don’t just move on. Run a quick debrief with your team and, if possible, gather feedback from participants. Ask:
- Were there any particularly confusing stages?
- Did the access and voting work smoothly?
- Were the planned times respected?
- What would you improve for the next assembly?
This post-event analysis will help you continuously improve and optimize your internal processes.
Are you organizing a hybrid assembly and need help? Contact us and tell us about your case. We are here to help you.
