COVID-19 has disrupted the status quo of AGMs. But at GOCON, we move with the times.

Tailored solutions for your company’s AGM’s, Profit Disclosure Announcements, Virtual business meetings and any other events.

The business meetings or events industry was hit hard by the covid-19 pandemic, with a large proportion of business meetings, business events as well as annual general meetings (AGM) being canceled or postponed until later this year. 

After the initial shock that all companies and organizations experienced the issue by canceling their business meetings or events, they can’t decide how to communicate with the investors, shareholders, and even with the staff or board members right way, here comes the question: what is next?

The answer is, business meetings & events will continue to happen, but in a different way, in a digital way. Business events, business meetings, annual general meetings (AGM) still can be held on a digital platform.

Interest over time: Numbers represent search interest relative to the highest point on the chart for the given region and time – Google Trends

To understand the increasing popularity of virtual events, meetings around the world you have to take a look at the google trends graph, below. By input the following keywords “virtual business events, virtual business meetings, virtual annual general meeting (AGM)” you will get the graph. 

Interest by region: See in which location your term was most popular during the specified time frame. – Google Trends

As you can see from the graph up, the almost vertical increase in the curve in march 2020 is a clear indication that virtual events will be one of the new trends in the business events, business meetings industry. 

Bellow, there are few common benefits for all virtual business events or meetings 

• Bring together a wider audience 
• Cutting off event production costs 
• Easier to measure, easier to count

Why GOCON ?

Adapting to the new COVID-19 reality, companies across the globe increasingly move their annual general meetings (AGM) online. With many solutions available to choose from, picking the best virtual AGM platform that meets the needs of your organization might be difficult. To help you navigate the decision-making process, here are points to consider when selecting a virtual or electronic AGM solution.

• Cost

For many companies considering virtual AGMs, the price of the solution will most likely be one of the biggest determiners.

While many factors make up the price of a solution, the cost of an online AGM platform is usually dependent on the number of features and meeting capacity. So, before you start looking for an AGM platform vendor, analyze what features and meeting capacity you’ll need.

GOCON offer customers to choose a baseline tailored package that align with your requirements. Furthermore, customization is available and tailored solutions help avoid a situation where you pay for features that later won’t be used, resulting in excess costs.

• Features

GOCON Virtual AGM solution aid in effective management of debate and discussion through an appropriate set of features.

While different company types will have unique needs for their AGMs, there are AGM features that are universally useful.

Agenda & Voting. The voting feature is crucial for making decisions and storing a compliant record of the voting.

Q&A: An intuitive Q&A feature facilitates shareholder engagement. The question platform—where the participants have adequate time to formulate their questions and review the answers—should be available before, during, and after the meeting.

User list: An interactive user list makes it easier to track attendance for record-keeping.

Reporting and data exports: Compiling polls and minutes of proceedings helps keep records available for internal and external audits.

Digital administration of proxies: The management of proxy forms and voting rights improve administrative tasks and delivers a seamless meeting experience.

Meeting roles: Delegation of in-meeting roles ensures the meeting is organized.

• Security 

To prevent unauthorized third parties from accessing the meeting, an GoCON online AGM platform has state of the art and robust security measures. Backed by regular third-party testing to screen for vulnerabilities, the best virtual AGM platform remains secure at all times.

The below are must-have features that keep the proceedings secure:

• Two-factor authentication
• Secure cloud environment for data storage
• Tools detecting and preventing intrusion

• Support

Having external tech support during and before the meeting ensures that any technical issues can be resolved promptly. Furthermore, easily available tech support reduces possible time loss caused by fixing disruptions.

Tech support should also be easily available for attendees in case they would like to troubleshoot ahead of the meeting.

GOCON provides full support during the setup period earlier to the event dates, including on-site support on the day of the AGM.

• Compliance

The rules governing annual general meetings are strict and different for every country and region. For example, bylaws specify requirements to be met by organisations looking to hold a virtual AGM. Therefore, it’s important to check what kind of communication qualifies as being viable for an online AGM. Usually, the technology should allow participants to communicate simultaneously and instantaneously with each other.

Look for solutions that adhere to regulations governing annual general meetings in your region and country.

To ensure transparency and facilitate auditioning, consider solutions that employ detailed summary reports, data exports, and real-time display of voting results and Q&A sessions.

• Meeting Capacity

Depending on the number of shareholders, our solution is capable enough to accommodate them all.

When picking our GOCON virtual AGM solution, we would like to ensure that the platform is ready to fully host all members regardless of how many actually will attend.

GOCON Platform Increases Participation

GOCON Virtual AGM platform facilitates the conduction of shareholder meetings. For some organizations, the adoption of new technology has become a necessity, even among companies that have been reluctant to embrace digitalization. Some companies are reporting a double or even triple increase in AGM participation after switching to online meetings. Therefore, a secure, convenient, and reliable AGM platform is critical to conduct the meeting successfully. 

For the best virtual AGM experience, GOCON offers companies a fast, seamless, and secure platform for their virtual meeting needs. Find out more information or schedule a product demonstration on demand.

Some Unique features GOCON offers for the Virtual AGM platform.

• Stellar performance
• Rich features for hosts
• Easy access for shareholders
• Multilevel user 
• No download requirement
• Hybrid planform supported 
• Responsive & mobile-friendly 
• High participant bandwidth
• Can be used in a Desktop and Mobile web browser
• Real-time metrics
• Custom branding 
• Easy to use
• Accessible and simple
• Mobile friendly
• Easy to use
• Competitive pricing
• No participant limits

Our Success Stories:

Grameenphone ltd., Bangladesh’s largest cellular network company, held a virtual AGM on 21st April 2020. It is the first time in history the company has moved its annual general meeting (AGM) to a digital platform with the solution GOCON AGM.