Tips for a successful event

A guide with easy steps for hosting successful events.

You no longer have to sit quietly on large conference calls as one person tries to have a conversation with everyone else. You can move around your event, effortlessly moving between groups and have individual conversations as if you were all together physically. As a host, you've spent time in rooms and are on your way to becoming an expert host; however, for many of your guests, this will be a brand-new experience. As with any new and exciting technology, some of your guests will need to acclimate to how a room works. Below is helpful information that you as a host can use and share with your guests so that everyone can be prepared for your meeting. Following the advice below will set you and your socials up for success!

Supported Browsers

Scoot is available on Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Firefox. Rooms also require that users be on the most up-to-date versions of their browsers. Luckily, these browsers have automatic upgrades, which means that users should not be prompted to upgrade very often. For help on updating your browser, please reference this article.

Network Conditions

We've all experienced poor quality and dropped calls at some point on a web conference call. The truth is that sharing audio and video over the internet means that bandwidth and network conditions will have an impact on quality. To create the optimal conditions for your meeting, follow the guidelines below.

• Make sure you're on strong wifi. Bandwidth requirements depend on the number of users you're connecting within your event. The more users you're interacting with the more bandwidth is required to share their video and audio with you. 

• Network Firewalls that block UDP connections can result in overall poor quality or inability to join. UDP is a type of internet protocol that provides for the optimal transport of video and audio media. Some company networks block these connections by default. If you suspect that your company is blocking these types of connections, please reach out to your IT department.
• VPNs can also lead to overall poor quality. Depending on your bandwidth speeds, VPNs can restrict the bandwidth and increase latency as your video and audio have further to travel to reach your colleagues. If possible, do not use the platform while on your VPN.

Device Performance

Like network conditions, another major contributor to overall performance is the type of device that you use. Older machines (often greater than 4 years old) may struggle to keep up in a room. To set you and your guests up for success, please follow the recommendations below:

• Close all other applications and tabs. This will let your browser have access to most of the resources it needs. Plus, a room isn't a typical work meeting where you want to multitask with the million other items on your plate! Close those applications and start connecting with your colleagues.
• Plug in your machine. With any resource-intensive application, your machine is going to start consuming battery life. Save the frantic search for your cord and plug in at the start.

Groups

Within rooms, groups are created naturally and organically as you move closer to other individuals. Groups are indicated by a ring showing around each person's bubble and the view will adjust automatically so that everyone can see each other at once. Below is a picture of the our team in a group!

Groups can be configured to have a limit of 2-20 people. If you go over the maximum limit, you will se a warning telling you to spread out for a better experience. We do this because the more individuals involved in a big conversation, the less engaging the conversation becomes. You can only effectively communicate with a small group of people before it quickly becomes like every other web conferencing call with a screen full of unengaged and quiet squares. 

Audio

Audio behaves differently in rooms than it does in other applications. Below are a few things you can do to increase your audio experience:

• Use headphones with a mic. While accessing a meeting without headphones will work, in almost every case, using a set of headphones with a mic will provide a better experience. Most headphones have better quality mics and are closer to your voice which does impact the audio quality. Wearing headphones will usually result in your being heard better by your colleagues and eliminates the potential for echo or feedback.

• Use your audio controls. You have control over the volume of the background music as well as the ability to mute other users. Muting other users only mutes them for you. If someone is nearby and talking loudly, you can mute them by hovering over their bubble. This can be helpful in eliminating a distracting voice nearby while you engage in your conversation.
• Move over. Just like in real life, if there is someone talking loudly in the group next to you, move to the other side of the group or ask the group to move over. Rooms dynamically adjust in size, so even in large Rooms, there is enough space for everyone to spread out. 

Managing a Scootaverse

Depending on your subscription plan, you may be able to host or coordinate multiple rooms at the same time. A common use case for this is hosting a company party or event to which the whole company is invited, which means more than 300 people will be attending. The success of this event will depend largely on your preparation as a host. A couple of helpful hints that we've seen contribute to success:

• Do a practice run. Before you invite the whole company, make sure you do a practice run. We recommend getting familiar with having multiple Rooms open at once and having one large social so that you can see how people will acclimate and will likely identify any network or resource challenges before your event.
• Train a couple of team members as super users. Having some of your team members become familiar and experts in navigating rooms will make it easier for you. Your super users can act as guides in the room and provide any coaching to your guests as needed. We've seen this be very successful, especially in encouraging people to spread out and avoid bunching together.
• Communicate a plan to your guests about whom to reach out to with questions or issues. This is another area where super users can help field questions in case one of your guests is having trouble getting in or moving around. As a host, you'll want to focus on entertaining and moving around the room. Without the help of other super users, it's possible you may end up spending more time out of the Room than in it.
• Let your guests know what to expect. Demo with them ahead of the event and ask them to sign up in advance and create a room.

Refresh

Finally, as a browser-based application, the tried and true approach to resolving browser issues is to simply refresh the page. If something appears to not be working optimally, please try refreshing the page and rejoining the social.