How to Host a Web Seminar
With new technology, the Internet and the trend toward globalization, hosting a web seminar is a cost-effective way to hold meetings, train new employees or introduce and market new products and services. In the past, holding meetings and presentations involved finding, booking and renting a space, and travel expenses. But Web seminars can cost less and may allow you to communicate with those who would have otherwise been unreachable.
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Instructions
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Choose a service provider. Using a Web conference host is less expensive and easier than buying all the equipment and software yourself. Unless you plan to hold Web seminars on a regular basis, consider finding a company that specializes in hosting Web seminars.
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Schedule the seminar with all time zones in mind. If some participants are overseas, keep in mind that they may have to get up in the middle of the night to attend your Web seminar.
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Plan your agenda. The purpose of the seminar will help you to determine the best way to run it. Knowing your agenda is important when deciding if you need to have a short presentation with a Q & A session after, or if it's a fully interactive "meeting" amongst all participants.
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Practice using the tools and software. You don't want to fumble around with slides and video during the actual seminar.
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Create a welcome slide--when participants log in, they will know they are in the right place. You can do this with PowerPoint. You can also use a photo if there is a featured speaker for the seminar.
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Log in early. If there are any problems with the hosting company or software, or other technical issues, you can clear these up before the seminar begins.
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Engage your participants in the seminar. Keeping them focused and on track will ensure a more successful Web seminar. Keep your agenda handy. If you notice the conversation going off on a tangent, find a way to tie it back in to the purpose of the meeting.
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Record the seminar for people who are not able to attend at the scheduled time. The Web conference hosting company may provide this option. If not, they will be able to instruct you how to do it.
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Follow-up with the participants after the Web seminar. Finding out what they liked and didn't like can make your next seminar more successful.
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Tips & Warnings
Have a budget, but don't let price be your only guide. Some Web seminar hosting companies offer polling capabilities or can provide targeted email lists geared toward your market.
Think about paying for a meeting consultant the first time. The meeting consultant can train you to run your Web seminar more successfully. Some Web seminar hosting companies have a meeting consultant on staff.
