There are some things that are helpful to know about Zoom to help you manage your customers' expectations and your workload for the event.
You can view the Small Hybrid Meeting Discovery Checklist but also read through the following helpful tips.
In this article:
Pro Tips
Pro tips are key advice from the VES team to help your event run smoothly and manage customer expectations and the amount of work different Zoom features cause for the venue team. Consider the points below to prevent unexpected work or causing disruption to event execution.
In the event lifecycle, it is possible to mismanage customer expectations, causing customer dissatisfaction and extra work for the team during the running of the event. Check out these gotchas before talking with your customer.
Pre-meeting gotchas
Can I give out the Zoom account details to the customer/client?
You CANNOT give out Zoom account details to the customer/client. With those details, they would be able to view the PII (Personally Identifiable Information) of other customers' events.
Can I use a single Zoom account for both a meeting and webinar happening at the same time?
It is Encore policy to use one Zoom account per meeting or webinar. You should not use a single Zoom account for a meeting and a webinar happening at the same time.
Choose the right product
Difference between Zoom meeting and Zoom Webinar
- Zoom Meetings are like sitting around a boardroom table.
- Webinars are like presenting in a large auditorium.
- Breakouts are not available in a webinar.
- The Q&A function is not available in a meeting
Can the customer/client create polling questions themselves?
The customer cannot create polling questions as this must be done in the web interface which required the Zoom account credentials which we are NEVER ALLOWED TO PROVIDE TO THE CUSTOMER.
A host or co-host CAN launch questions that have already been created in the account.
Registration
-
Enabling registration will generate a new link for participants.
- Participants need to click the link, register and then they will receive a meeting link from Zoom by email.
- Reporting - customers will often want regular updates on who has registered - Do you have time?
- Automatic approval - all registrants are automatically approved.
- Manual approval - Manual approval is possible but not recommended as the venue team will have to approve participants as the client is not allowed access to the account - Do you have time?
- Pre-loading of participants is possible but not recommended as the users will need to log in using the email that was pre-loaded, often this will cause a number of users to have difficulties in the event.
Authentication
If authentication is enabled, participants will need to log in with a registered Zoom account and use a desktop or mobile app (not web browser).
Display participants' names in the recording
This is not recommended, many people don't rename themselves in a Zoom meeting so you may get unusual names showing up in a recording if you don't take this into account.
The names will be burned into the video, they cannot be removed.
- chillinachos67
- mywifesname
- myhusbandsname
Pre-meeting helpful hints
Update Zoom
ALWAYS update zoom to make sure you are running at the most up-to-date version. ALWAYS mention this to clients as well. If someone is running on an older version certain features may not work or work incorrectly (and yes, we know that it may be beyond their control because of corporate IT policies).
Turn a meeting into a webinar and vice versa
You can turn a meeting into a webinar and vice versa, it pops up at the bottom after it is created. You just click it and it converts it to the other. You will need to check that your settings are appropriate when you switch.
Meeting Duration
- If you set the exact time, you will get warnings as the meeting time draws to a close. This can help the meeting and prompt people to wrap up or can cause concern that the meeting will just cut off (which it won't).
- If you have the meeting set to 24 hours and it is running then someone can't start a meeting and end yours. You also won't get warnings if the meeting runs over.
Scheduling rehearsals
Rehearsals are often scheduled the day before the event. Licenses are provided two working days before the event.
It is best not to schedule your rehearsals more than a week in advance of the event or Zoom Operator and the client will probably forget the show details or the requirements will change.
Account Settings
- Almost all the changes you will be making in Account Settings should be done before the start of the meeting.
- Making account changes after the meeting has started will require you to end the meeting FOR EVERYONE and restart it for the changes to take effect.
- All the participants will have to join the meeting again.
- This is confusing and disruptive for the users, especially in a Webinar.
Webinar Q&A
Do we allow Q&A?
If allowed, don't allow anonymity so if you get a bad actor you can see who they are (if they used a real email login).
If someone posts something rude in the Q&A, only the presenters / panelists can see this till it is answered. The general attendees will not see it....so don't answer it.
In-meeting
What happens if I make account settings changes after an event has started?
- For the changes to take effect, you will have to restart the meeting and all the participants will have to leave and rejoin the meeting.
Waiting Room
The waiting room is a useful feature to keep people out of the meeting till you are ready.
- Check your settings and adjust any in-meeting settings before you let people in.
- You can remove someone from the meeting to the waiting room if they are misbehaving without actually booting them from the meeting.
In-meeting Controls
There are many in-meeting controls that let you control what participants can and can't do as well as how various features of the meeting or webinar behave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some frequently asked questions from our conversations with venues.
Which link can I share with the client?
Do not share the account details with the customer.
Depending on your Zoom requirements you will share one of the following links with the end customer:
- Meeting Link
- Meeting Registration Link
- Webinar Link
- Webinar Registration Link
Do I need more than one link or will one be enough?
It depends. You generally need one link for each meeting or webinar that you want to run. If you have a multi-day event then you don't necessarily need a link for each day but it depends on what the customer wants to achieve.
Common requests:
- Meeting Link
- Webinar Link
- Meeting + Webinar Link - meeting link as a tool for managing presenters, webinar for the attendees
- Multiple Meeting links - one per breakout
Can we provide numbers for attendees to call in?
Zoom has standard numbers, the caller will need to enter the meeting ID and passcode. The numbers can be copied from the invitation section of the meeting in the account.
Can we add registration?
Yes, but you need to appreciate what this involves:
- Different Link to the users
- Things needing venue to do because it needs account access
- Regular registration reports
- Approval if enabled (not recommended)
- Pre-load attendees (not recommended)
How can we remove nonverbals and turn off attendee mics, cameras?
- Meeting and webinar reactions are switched off by default in the account
- Mics and cameras, use the security section of in-meeting controls
Who do I speak to about testing?
If you have no one to test with then the Support Center team can help you by joining a Zoom meeting to confirm if what you are sending can be seen by the team.
Can the client host the meeting?
Yes, the client can host the meeting but you must not give them the account details. Join them in the meeting and make them the host.
How can we set up the client as the host of the meeting?
Join them in the meeting and make them the host.
Who assists virtual attendees?
On-site team at the venue.
How do we create and assign breakout rooms without knowing who will attend prior to the event?
You can create breakout rooms before the meeting and move people into them automatically (and randomly) or manually during the meeting.
Can we stream the Zoom meeting/webinar to Facebook or YouTube?
Encore recommends that we stream from and to Encore-provided solutions.
Yes, but we don't recommend it or support it. Facebook and Youtube have automatic tools that may cut off your stream if they detect copyright content.
You can stream from Zoom but it is not recommended because it puts a "Powered by Zoom" logo in the corner of the stream which can't be removed.
How do we record locally?
Use this how-to Enabling and starting a local recording.
What is the process for giving clients their recordings?
Local recording - give the client the recording on a USB or upload it to your OneDrive and give the client a password-protected link. OneDrive downloads can be slow.
Cloud recording - See the article Access, Review and share Zoom Cloud Recordings. Check that the recording is appropriate then send the link to the client.
Editing - Cloud recordings are raw, unedited footage in one or more views (e.g. speaker / gallery)
Can the passcode be removed from the shared record links?
No
How long until the recording link expires?
60 days
Can we pull attendee/registrant list?
Yes, you need the account login details.
Do not provide the account login details to the client.
Can we pull the chat report or transcript?
Yes, you need the account login details.
Do not provide the account login details to the client.
Who do I reach out to for post edits?
Request Creative services by submitting a request/quote through Compass and link to Smartsheet making sure to choose “Creative services”.
Check out Creative Menu Solutions on Encore Connect.
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