Due to doctors’ and medical professionals’ busy schedules, they often prefer to present or access the event online. To accommodate this switch, we are starting to see a trend towards more medical events accepting a hybrid structure.
GoRemote is a medical event specialist, successfully managing hundreds of remote speakers during medical congresses and important internal events. We have worked with academics, clinicians and other professionals for medical organisations, including EASL – for The International Liver Conference and other smaller meet-ups such as this Mono-bleeding event.
For event management and production teams involved with medical organisations, we have developed a range of tools and processes to ensure that their remote speakers are prepared in advance and confident to deliver their sessions. They are easy to use, designed to ensure your remote speakers get the best experience, as well as helping your production work more effectively. Here we share some advice for managing remote speakers at medical events.
GoRemote’s efficiency and professionalism in delivering a high-quality service did not go unnoticed and was very much valued by all.
Claire, EASL Events Manager
Get the timings right
If it’s likely that your remote speakers are logging in from different parts of the world, it’s important to align your schedules with theirs and communicate timings to work out which would be best for them. Active medical professionals or professors might prefer presenting after their surgical rounds, lecture times or surgery hours are completed.
Developing an interactive calendar and sending out invitations early will help your speakers to plan when they can be available online. With medical professionals, sometimes scheduling changes can’t be helped, so you need a system with the flexibility to move slots around or swap to recorded presentations if the speaker isn’t available on the day. There may also be speakers who can’t make the physical event and need a rapid turnaround to present online.
GoRemote has a wide range of experience and skills in coping with schedule changes and helping to keep events running smoothly. We have developed an easy booking system for online speakers to easily schedule and change briefing sessions before the event. In addition, sending calendar invites for event sessions ensures there are no mix-ups for the session, particularly when speakers are in different time zones.
Communication
Medical professionals are busy and haven’t time to reply or sift through a stack of event emails. Keep communications simple and concise and clearly highlight any actions they should take.
GoRemote has developed our communications scheduling tools that ensure all speakers have the information they need before the event. It’s also set up to send out reminders for actions that haven’t been completed so that everyone is ready before the event. Having the information in a single point, such as an email that is delivered at the right time before the event helps. In addition, clear help documentation and pdfs can be a really useful tool to distribute ahead of the event.
Pre-event briefings
Your speakers might fall into two/three categories which will determine the type of briefing they need:
- One-to-one briefing: Reserved for your VIP speakers, your keynote or special guests might require a short, personal Zoom call to go through the platform and check they are set up for their presentation. This includes not only the technical aspects but briefing how the event will run and answering their questions clearly.
- Small group sessions: You may arrange short sessions for groups, i.e. for a panel discussion; you may want all the speakers to be briefed together on the software and platform used for the panel sessions. This is particularly useful for them to discuss key topics they might explore, as well as to meet each other in a space they can talk more freely.
- Pre-event webinars: For the majority of your speakers, attending a short webinar to talk through the platform will be sufficient. Back this up with materials such as slides or a document to ensure all bases are covered. Webinars can be recorded so that they can be watched by those who can’t make a briefing session. This has proved an effective way to reach your speakers in one go.
Checks
In addition to briefings, it’s vital that your speakers have the correct technical set-up for the day. Your speakers will be presenting remotely from hospitals, clinics, offices, or homes. Hospitals in particular can have a number of restrictions on the network which can lead to issues depending on the platform you are using. It can be difficult to fix problems if they happen immediately before a session, impacting the running time and causing issues for your events team.
GoRemote has developed a robust checking system that advises speakers on their set-up, including audio, network, picture and lighting, to offer a better presentation experience.
Checkr is a simple-to-use 3-minute, browser-based check-up speakers can undertake that identifies issues and provides expert advice on improvements. Our team reviews each submission, giving them a score and highlighting areas for improvement. Speakers can use this feedback to improve their setup, and your event team has access to the detailed data and information. Using Checkr, we have found that risk for the team, the unpreparedness of speakers and lower-quality video production is significantly reduced on the day, making for a better experience all around. Try Checkr for yourself here.
Anyone looking at organising a virtual or hybrid event should work with GoRemote, if you want a smooth production!
Devi, Chief Operating Officer ESOT
On the day
It’s essential that events teams know when the speakers have checked in and where they are at all times. With onsite talks, this is easy to track, but with remote speakers, it can be more challenging to ascertain whether they are online and whether they have done their final checks and are ready to go.
GoRemote provides Virtual Stage Managers who can manage every part of this process. We believe for the best results you should try to give your online speakers a similar level or support as they would expect on site – and this is what our team excel at. We have a system of tools and processes for onboarding that ensures we know where everyone is prepared and ready to step onto their virtual stage. In relation to VIPs, we are there every step of the way, making them feel looked after. Our team can be scalable depending on what you need.
I’m very happy with the services provided by GoRemote on this project and would highly recommend them to any event organiser who has a substantial number of virtual speakers to manage”
Jonathan, Event Production Manager (BioPharma internal event)
Our expertise
We offer dedicated services to guide remote speakers from first contact right the way through to their presentation. Making event preparation and management less stressful, with reduced risk and more efficiency – ensuring great production values while ensuring the speaker feels completely looked after and support. We maintain excellent relationships between the speaker, GoRemote and events production teams.
Contact us below for the best remote speaker management for your next medical event.
