LIST OF EQUIPMENT NEEDED TO HOST A HYBRID MEETING IN SOUTH AFRICA

Hybrid meetings combine virtual interactions with live interactions. These are the kinds of meetings that feature both in-person attendees and virtual remote attendees. Hybrid meetings have since risen in popularity in the last few years, mainly due to Covid-19 and the increase in remote working. They are beneficial in the sense that they allow you to interact with a wide range of people, who can connect from anywhere in the world and those who are attending in person can still experience the atmosphere of being around people. South Africa is known as a global hub for businesses in Africa, subjecting it to many hybrid meetings being hosted to connect with the global world. Hybrid meetings need good quality equipment for them to be successful, the following blog post will list equipment needed to host a hybrid meeting in South Africa.

Equipment needed to host a hybrid meeting in South Africa

Audio Speakers

It’s always best to have good audio speakers for your hybrid meetings. Speakers are one of the most important equipment needed to host a hybrid meeting. Clear pronunciation of words is important for other attendees to hear what you are communicating. As an organiser of the hybrid meeting, you have to make sure that both your on-site and virtual attendees are able to hear each other properly through their speakers and that their voice is enunciated clearly. You need to make sure that your speakers are of good quality, and that they don’t pick up background noises and instead relay your voice clearly.

Microphones and audio mixers

Next on the list of equipment needed to host a hybrid meeting in South Africa, are microphones and audio mixers. If you are hosting a large conference, the speaker’s voice might not be loud enough to carry throughout the big conference, in this case you will need microphones. Each individual can either have their own set or the conference room may put microphones in dedicated sections, for participants to use when they want to speak. The audio from the individual microphones is then fused together into one singular channel, with the help of the mixer, this audio then feeds straight into laptops and desktops.

Headphones

The next piece of equipment needed to host a hybrid meeting are headphones. Headphones are mostly recommended for really large meetings and mostly for in-person guests. They provide better listening experience and help with engagement and concentration. In this instance, you could plug in several audio sources and feed the audio to several speakers or headphones at once using a mixer.

Line-in and Line-out cables

These are used to connect mixers, microphones and headphones. You need to make sure that you have the right cables, with the correct configuration to fit your equipment. Make sure that this is planned ahead, that way the meeting would not be interrupted.

Pop filters

Fifth on the list of equipment needed to host a hybrid meeting in South Africa are pop filters. Pop filters are mostly used by those attending remotely. They are used to decrease plosives and audio fluctuations during virtual calls.

Camera

It is important to have a camera that has USB and HDMI capabilities, that way you can be able to stream the video feed. A high-quality camera or a DSLR camera often works best and displays great visual effects for your online attendees. Those attending virtually only need a good-quality webcam and good lighting and they are good to go. 

Secondary cameras might also be needed if this is a large conference meeting. In this instance, each individual camera is able to capture every angle and cover every individual person who will be addressing the meeting.

Video Switcher

A video switcher is another important piece of equipment needed to host a hybrid meeting. It is needed so that you are able to cover multiple angles of your hybrid meeting. This also helps with streaming audio and video from different sources in the meeting room. 

Projector, Whiteboard and graphic tablets

Projectors are good for any hybrid meeting, as they help make the meeting interactive and engaging when presenting. Projectors make it easy to present information and share it with your whole team. Your on-site attendees can use whiteboards for presentations. While virtual attendees may need to use digital whiteboards or graphic tablets to get their presentations across to those who are on-site.

Lighting

Ring lights

This is both used by on-site attendees and virtual attendees. Virtual attendees can get mini-detachable ring lights to put on their desks during the hybrid meeting. Lighting helps to illuminate the meeting room making it more clearer and visible.

Bounce lights

Bounce lights make it possible for light to be spread across the room evenly. This can be done with a strong light source, which can be deliberately placed to bounce off the walls of the meeting room. Virtual attendees must make sure that they are not in front or behind a hard light source so that their picture won’t be blown out.

Soft ceiling lights

Soft ceiling lights are recommended for hybrid meetings, unlike hard or strong lights which tend to spread the light unevenly and sometimes produce poor lighting.

Hybrid Event Platform

A hybrid event platform can be used to get your attendees to interact at different stages of the hybrid meeting. It can be used for networking through chat features. Can be used to create break-out rooms, for Q and A and quizzes to enhance interaction and even used to run polls.

Internet Connection

You cannot host a successful meeting without a good internet connection. This goes for both in-person attendees and virtual attendees. No one wants to attend a hybrid meeting with constant buffering, so make sure that your internet connection is strong and stable.

Power

With all these electrical equipment used, in order to have a successful hybrid meeting, you need electricity. Without electricity, there is no meeting at all. South Africa has an ongoing power shortage, to reduce that power shortage, electricity goes off at different times of the day, in different locations. This is called load-shedding. Hybrid meetings have to take load-shedding into account when scheduling a meeting. Having a power source such as a generator can come in handy. Also have all your devices charged and ready for use for a hybrid meeting in order to get around load-shedding.  

Conference Equipment Rental Solutions

Conference Equipment Rental Solutions is the agency to go to for hybrid meeting equipment for hire. We offer the best quality equipment for your hybrid meetings. The following are the equipment that we offer, microphones, headphones, laptops, mixers, HD cameras and speakers. We also offer a zoom license for those who wish to have their meeting running longer than 40 minutes. We are able to deliver the equipment to you, set it up for you, and have a technician on-site for any technical problems you might have during the meeting. The equipment is then packed right after the meeting and returned for you, leaving you worry-free. For more information on our hybrid equipment for hire, please contact our friendly staff at 012 348 3134 or send an email at  info@conference-equipment.co.za.