How To Host Virtual Panel Discussions
The biggest highlight of many virtual film premieres, whether at a festival, an independent film premiere, or a new web series, is the panel discussion with creators behind the content. To put it in context of how much the audience values the experiences with great content, when we screened This Little Light Of Mine, the people paid for the Q&A, even though the content was publicly available for free.
Understanding the value of panel discussions, there is also the opportunity for a lot to go wrong. We’ve seen a variety of situations such as:
- The person traveling through a mountain range and connection keeps dropping.
- Try to do panel discussions while on the subway.
- People interrupting in the background in a public place like Panera Bread
- Common mic and camera not working problems
And the list goes on. Problems that occur during panel discussions make the experience for the attendees less enjoyable. We are going to go over best practices around hosting panels.
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Golden Rule
Convey this one golden rule to the panelist. Treat the virtual panel discussion like it’s an important job interview. Would they take the same steps and precautions to ensure the panel works as they would for an important job?
1) Use A Laptop Or Wifi Connection
Insist that panelists do not join on mobile phones but use a laptop. Mobile phones have a wider range of potential issues ranging from the hardware and audio/video quality to spotty connection issues.
Video technology can also be resource-intensive with the hardware. If they have many apps open on their phone, this can cause lag for the video software. Laptops tend not to have these problems, with the exception of people having too many tabs open in their browser.
If they are dead set on using their mobile phones, then strongly insist they have a wifi connection. Do not rely on 3G/4G/5G connections. Refer back to the golden rule, treat this similar an important job interview.
2) Test Their Devices
Before the event, make sure to have everyone doing a panel to test their devices with the video technology. If it’s Zoom call, test to make sure the Zoom works with them. At BingeWave, they can be invited as a panelist and login ahead of the screening to test our virtual panel technology. If they have mic and camera issues, this is the time to resolve those issues.
3) A Rehearsal
Once their device is working, ask for a test run 1 on 1 or with multiple panelists simultaneously for a rehearsal. Their devices be tested before the rehearsal to optimize the rehearsal time.
The goal of the rehearsal is to make sure everyone understands the format of the virtual panel. Who will be asking questions, should they mute themselves or turn off their cameras when not talking, how much time will they have to talk, etc. Allow them to ask all their questions and fully understand what’s expected of their participation.
The Event
Having everyone test their technology and doing small rehearsals will save you a lot of time and headspace (anxiety) during the event. People will be better prepared, which will be an improved experience for the attendees.
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