Every Hybrid Venue is Different

Since we began supporting Hybrid Meetings 2 years ago, we have supported dozens of hybrid meetings. Here’s seven venues:

• A community clubhouse (SHE)
• A (huge) meeting room (Jenkins)
• A small conference Room (LHR)
• A restaurant (Venice Cafe)
• A bar (doors closed for the duration of the meeting) (AL)
• A research library (FHC)
• An assembly hall (VFW)

Each Venue Is Unique!

The Community Clubhouse

This was our first paid gig, and it ran for several months. We used our equipment with a simple tripod and a wired conference microphone. We connected to their large, wall-mounted TV set. Once, when their Internet connection failed, we connected to Zoom through a cell-phone. We have a cable that still has pieces of tape attached.

A (Huge) Meeting Room

At this venue, we used the customer’s equipment. We had to tape the cables to the floor after we set up the equipment. We mounted a second camera on top of the TV so the in-room audience could chat-chat with the online attendees after the meeting was over. The organization also had a conference microphone with two small microphones that could be stretched out across the front of the room.

A Small Conference Room

This is another venue with customer-owned equipment. The tilt-and-pan camera is mounted on a tripod and placed in the front of the room. Since there was no foot traffic there, we simply laid the cables across a row of chairs.

The Restaurant

We showed up at the Cafe with our equipment. The tables were arranged in a U-shape. We put a camera on a tripod across the table focusing on the center of attention. We positioned a 2nd camera so the whole in-room audience could be in the frame. Throughout the meeting, we switched between the two cameras as the focus of the event changed.

A Bar

The bar venue was truly a challenge because of the shape of the room. The room looked like a “V”, with the commander’s table positioned in the middle. Each “leg” of the room had its own TV. We used both TVs, pinned the cables to the ceiling, and then connected them to our HDMI splitter. (FYI, it was a business meeting. No alcohol was served, and the doors were closed to keep out the other patrons visiting the other end of the building.)

The Research Library

In the research center, we put a camera on a short tripod in the far corner, on top of a filing cabinet. By this time we had acquired a wireless Bluetooth conference microphone. The leader was savvy enough to hand-carry the microphone whenever she moved from one area of the room to another.

An Assembly Hall

Finally, the setup in the Assembly Hall venue has changed over the last 1-1/2 years. They started with webcams on tripods (they too own the equipment). At first, we taped the cables to the floor, then changed the tape to heavy door mats. Finally, we moved the cables to the ceilings. This spring we exchanged the tripods for a ceiling mount. We are discussing whether or not to permanently install the cables in the ceiling.

Summary

Half of the organizations (3) bought their own equipment based on our recommendations. We provided the equipment for the others. One organization has a shopping list in hand (April 2023).

The venues all had common elements (webcam, microphone, etc.) and we were provided an area for “admin central.”

However, each setup was unique. We used our experience to find the most effective configuration for that venue.