So you want to hold a virtual AGM (Annual general meeting), but don’t know how? This is the guide for you! It covers everything from choosing an online meeting software platform to inviting your shareholders.
Hosting a virtual/ hybrid AGM can be just as professional and informative as hosting a physical event. In fact, it can be more cost-efficient and safer for everyone to host a virtual event over an in-person meeting, especially if you have remote shareholders.
The purpose of a virtual AGM is to give your company’s stakeholders an opportunity to participate in the annual general meeting. This includes not only those who are unable to attend but also those that want more control over what happens within their investment period. A Virtual Annual General Meeting (or VAGM)
This guide will go over (jump links):
So let’s get into it!
A business’s interested shareholders typically convene for an annual general meeting (AGM) once a year, at which the directors of the firm present an annual report containing data on the company’s performance and strategy to investors.
A virtual AGM is a standard annual general meeting, but it takes place online. All the same rules and regulations apply as they do to any other Annual General Meeting (AGM).
Holding a Virtual Annual General Meeting can be beneficial for all kinds of reasons. For example:
There are different ways you can run your virtual AGM, but here are the 7 steps we recommend in hosting a successful virtual AGM:
Let’s go into detail about each step!
Before you can host a virtual Annual General Meeting, you have to plan it out. That means getting the right virtual events software and deciding on how your shareholders will access the meeting (i.e., are there any technical requirements they’ll need?).
Choose a date and time for your Annual General Meeting that fits into the schedule of most shareholders. If possible, try to make sure it’s on a weekday rather than on a weekend or holiday.
If you plan on live streaming the AGM, we recommend sharing the date at least 24 hours beforehand; this will give people a chance to watch the meeting and ask questions in advance.
You might also consider hosting two separate virtual meetings: one for shareholders who are able to attend in person and one for those who can’t.
An Annual General Meeting is typically held once a year, but you can hold one as often as needed.
Before deciding on the purpose of your meeting, make sure to set out clear objectives for what you hope to achieve through having an online event. Some reasons that people host virtual AGMs include:
Whichever reason your AGM falls under, be mindful that you don’t overdo it! A virtual AGM should be a supplement to in-person meetings and not the main focus of communication between you and your investors.
For this reason, it’s recommended that virtual AGMs are limited to one hour or less. This will ensure that people don’t lose interest halfway through!
Create an agenda and send it out to your investors ahead of time.
You can decide whether or not you want to share the full meeting agenda with all participants, but we recommend sharing at least some information that will give them context for what’s about to happen (i.e. a brief overview).
Be sure to include specific deadlines as well as a list of your shareholders in the agenda.
You might also want to include information on how they can participate through questions and comments.
Don’t forget, this is not only helpful for those who are able to attend in person but also for those who will be participating virtually!
Make sure that everyone is aware of any technical requirements for participating in the AGM. These could include:
It’s also a good idea to remind them of the time and date, even if they have it written down on their agenda.
If you’re live streaming your Annual General Meeting, make sure that everyone knows how they can get access (i.e. through a link). If some people are participating from home while others watch from an office.
Again, this will help ensure that all participants are able to participate!Â
Related topic: Custom URLs for your event
It’s recommended that you have some supplies available in case there are any questions. This will ensure that people can take notes effectively and capture all relevant information.
These could include:
Follow up after the Virtual AGM with a recap email to all participants. This could help you stay top of mind and ensure that people feel like they’re really part of your business.
Include some key takeaways from the meeting in this follow-up email, as well as any next steps for what will happen going forward (i.e. what you’ll be working on in the coming weeks).
We hope this guide was helpful for any business that is considering holding a Virtual AGM!
Hosting an AGM for your company is not as easy as it sounds. There are many steps that need to be taken in order to make the event a success, and if you’re looking for some advice on how to go about organizing one, we can help!
We are Ineventors and we can provide all of the details on what needs to happen before, during and after the meeting so that everything goes smoothly.
If this sounds like something you want more information on or see our virtual meeting software in action, feel free to contact us or request a free demo with your team!
Need some extra help? Reach out to Ineventors at any time!
We’d be happy to share our knowledge and give you a free demo of our platform!
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