Townhall Meetings, also referred to as “All-Hands,” can be an effective tool for large corporations to communicate with their employees, build trust and transparency, and improve employee engagement. They provide an opportunity for executives to communicate with employees directly, update them on company developments, and answer questions.
In March, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced most townhall meetings to switch from in-person to virtual. Now that the pandemic has subsided, many organizations have decided to continue hosting these meetings virtually or with a hybrid approach for a variety of reasons. In this post, we’ll explain why more and more organizations have decided to stick with the virtual townhall meetings.
1) Virtual Townhalls are more cost effective
Virtual town hall meetings eliminate the need for travel and venue costs, making them a more cost-effective option for organizations. When you consider transportation (flights, Uber, etc.), hotels, catering, and all of the other miscellaneous costs, virtual town hall meetings offer a flexible and cost-effective way for organizations to communicate with stakeholders, while still allowing for meaningful interaction and engagement. One of our clients wound up saving over $250,000/year by moving all of their townhall meetings to virtual.
2) Improved Attendance
The pandemic changed they way many professionals viewed traveling for work. Being able to attend meetings virtually had many of us questioning why we’d ever choose to fly around the country for meetings when we could be just as productive attending it from home. Because virtual town hall meetings can be attended from anywhere with an internet connection, making it easier for more people to participate, especially those who may not be able to attend in-person due to distance or mobility issues.
3) Increased Engagement
Many executives that we work with have noticed a remarkable difference in the amount of engagement that occurs in virtual townhall meetings versus in-person. Some people have discovered that they are more comfortable engaging from the comfort of their own homes, and when you are able to add in interactive features such as polls, Q&A sessions, and live chat, you can increase participant engagement and interaction.
If your organization is considering taking a virtual approach to your next townhall meeting, we’d love to chat. We work with a variety of businesses all over the globe and help them with the overall architecture that is required to produce a virtual or hybrid townhall meeting.
