What to Consider When Choosing a Web Conference Provider

Posted by Amit Rathee on Tue, Jan 22, 2013 @ 09:32 AM

When you choose web conferencing instead of holding a conference in person, you can increase your attendance and make things easier and more cost-effective for your attendees and your company. However, you aren’t as likely to hold a successful online conference on your own and as such, will need to find a quality, reliable web conference provider that won’t cost too much to help you. Before you settle for the first provider you encounter, evaluate several to help you make the right choice.When you choose web conferencing instead of holding a conference in person, you can increase your attendance and make things easier and more cost-effective for your attendees and your company. However, you aren’t as likely to hold a successful online conference on your own and as such, will need to find a quality, reliable web conference provider that won’t cost too much to help you. Before you settle for the first provider you encounter, evaluate several to help you make the right choice.

Your Participants

The first thing you need to think about when choosing a web conference provider is who is most likely to attend your conference. If your audience will be made up of people who aren’t technologically-savvy or a mix of experience levels, you need to find a provider that is easy to use for everyone. It is also important to find a provider that is willing to provide customer support both before and during your conference for you and your attendees to ensure everyone gets the experience they expect.

Streaming Technology

The type of content you will show your attendees will have an impact on the web conference provider you choose. For instance, most providers allow you to show a PowerPoint presentation as part of your conference. However, there are others that can also help you integrate audio and video, as well as a variety of graphics, into your conference. This can help you provide a quality experience to your audience.

Engage Your Audience

Your audience is more likely to enjoy your conference if you are able to engage them and keep them interested throughout the presentation. Choosing a web conference provider that can provide you with a variety of features including polls, chat rooms and surveys, will show the audience  you care about what they think. Some providers even provide you with tools that allow your attendees to share files and documents with each other and you to better enhance the experience.

Attendance Levels

How many people will attend your conference will play a major role in the conference provider you choose. When you are expecting a certain number of attendees, the worst thing that can happen is to find your chosen provider won’t allow you to reach that number. Another problem is choosing a provider that isn’t capable of handling a larger audience, causing your whole conference to shut down. This can result in rescheduling your conference or settling for a smaller audience. Therefore, you need to make sure you choose a reliable provider that will be able to handle your expected attendance levels.

The success of your web conference relies heavily upon the web conference provider you choose. When you consider all these factors, you will be sure to choose the best provider for the job to maximize your impact.

Tags: web conferencing, web conferencing tips, Conference Provider, conferencing

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