Key types of events

Know your event 

Knowing the characteristics and benefits of different kinds of events and meetings – in person, hybrid or digital – helps you to make informed decisions that cater to the diverse needs and preferences of your audience.

This knowledge ensures that events and meetings are designed to maximise engagement, inclusivity, and accessibility, enhancing the overall experience for all participants. 

When is a meeting or event ‘formal’ or ‘structured’?  

Understanding when a meeting or event is ‘formal’ or ‘structured’ and when it’s not, will help you determine how best to approach inclusion and accessibility.  

Formal or structured events usually follow a defined agenda, with clear objectives, scheduled activities, and often a more formal tone. These events are designed to maximise productivity, ensure everyone stays on topic, and achieve specific goals within a set timeframe.  

Here are a few key characteristics of a formal event or meeting: 

• Structured agenda. They follow a detailed, pre-planned schedule outlining specific topics, activities, and timelines. 
• Dress code. Participants are often expected to adhere to a specific dress code, such as business attire or formal wear. 
• Official tone. The atmosphere is professional and respectful, with formal language and behavior being the norm. 
• Invitation-only: Attendance is usually by invitation, and participants are often required to RSVP. 
• Location. These events are often held in formal settings such as conference centers, banquet halls, or pre-booked meeting spaces and offices. 
• Purpose and objectives. They have clear, defined goals, such as decision-making, celebrating achievements, or disseminating important information. 
• Roles and responsibilities. Specific roles (e.g., host, speaker, moderator) and responsibilities are assigned to ensure smooth proceedings. 
• Documentation. Formal records, such as minutes, agendas, and official reports, are maintained and circulated. 
• Timing. Adherence to start and end times, as well as time allocated for each agenda item, is observed.  

Formal event characteristics by Lienkie Diedericks

Internal events or meetings 

Formal or structured events can be internal or external. Those attending internal are usually internal to your practice or company and could include colleagues, board members, volunteers and trustees. 

Examples of formal/structured internal events and meetings include: 

• Practice or company summer/Christmas parties  
• Board meetings 
• Quarterly/yearly business meetings 
• Annual performance review meetings 
• Strategic planning sessions 
• Project kick-off meetings 
• Departmental meetings 
• Training and compliance workshops 
• Budget review meetings 
• Internal audits 

External events or meetings 

External structured or formal meetings and events are open to people from outside or external your organisation, such as members of the public or specific invited guests and speakers. 

External events are often more complex and time-consuming than internal events. As such, it is crucial to plan an inclusive and accessible event well ahead of time.  

Early preparation allows organisers to consider and address the diverse needs of all potential attendees. This proactive approach facilitates the arrangement of necessary accommodations, such as booking sign language interpreters, ensuring venue accessibility, and providing clear, accessible communication about the event. It also allows ample time for attendees to make personal arrangements, such as organising transport or arranging for carers.  

Examples of formal or structured external meetings and events include: 

• Public consultation meetings 
• Award ceremonies  
• Conferences 
• Seminars and webinars  
• Members’ forums 
• Gala event 
• Exhibition opening event 
• Book launch event 
• Panel discussion with refreshments  
• Roundtable event  

When is a meeting or event ‘informal’ or ‘unstructured’? 

An informal or unstructured meeting or event usually has a flexible structure and a more relaxed atmosphere. This flexibility and lack of formality of the event or meeting is designed to encourage open and spontaneous interactions among participants. 

Unlike formal gatherings, these events typically don’t follow a strict agenda or a rigid dress code. The primary focus is on fostering genuine connections, creativity, and fun, often through social activities like casual conversations, team-building games, or shared meals. 

Whether it's a coffee chat, a happy hour, or an informal team meeting, informal events and meeting try to blend enjoyment with meaningful interaction and productivity.  

Here are a few key characteristics of informal or unstructured events and meetings: 

• Relaxed atmosphere: Participants are encouraged to engage in a comfortable and laid-back environment. 
• Flexible structure: There is minimal to no rigid agenda, allowing for spontaneity and adaptability. 
• Casual attire: Attendees often dress casually, reflecting the informal nature of the event. 
• Open communication: Conversations are typically free-flowing and less formal, promoting open and honest dialogue. 
• Personal interaction: The focus is on building personal connections and relationships rather than strictly business-related goals. 
• Inclusive environment: These events are welcoming and encourage participation from all attendees, regardless of hierarchy or status. 
• Interactive activities: Engaging and participatory activities are often included, such as games, brainstorming sessions, or shared meals. 
• Minimal formalities: Formalities and protocols are kept to a minimum, reducing barriers to communication and engagement. 
• Creative freedom: There is room for creativity and innovation, with participants feeling free to express ideas and try new things without judgment. 

 

Informal event characteristics by Lienkie Diedericks

When is a meeting or event virtual and when is it hybrid? 

A virtual event or meeting is conducted entirely online, with all participants attending online through the internet. This can include webinars, virtual conferences, online workshops, and other formats where interactions happen via digital platforms. 

A hybrid event combines both in-person and virtual elements. It allows some participants to attend physically at a venue, while others join remotely through online platforms. This setup caters to both local attendees and those who cannot be present in person, providing flexibility and broader reach. 

Key differences to consider for inclusivity and accessibility  

• Attendance: Virtual events have only online participants, whereas hybrid events have both in-person and online attendees. This means that accessibility and inclusion considerations for hybrid events need to apply to both in-person and virtual contexts. 
• Interaction: Virtual events rely entirely on digital tools for interaction, while hybrid events use a mix of face-to-face and digital communication. For hybrid events, the interaction between in-person and digital communication presents unique inclusion and access barriers which need to be carefully addressed in advance. 
• Setup: Virtual events require robust online infrastructure, while hybrid events need both a physical venue and online capabilities. 

 

Top tips for inclusive virtual-only events and meetings   

Many of the checkpoints from the inclusive events checklist will be relevant to virtual meetings. Be sure to cross-reference the checklist with these tips.  

 Planning the event 

• Make the registration form accessible. For example, Microsoft Forms has an immersive reader facility that is also suitable for screen readers. 
• Provide people the opportunity to communicate any requirements in the registration form and ensure there is a named contact that can follow up on any requests.  

Brief speakers and attendees 

• Provide briefing information to all speakers and attendees in advance, detailing inclusion and access provisions, joining details and technical information on the virtual platform. Check our digital briefing template for reference 
• Encourage all attendees to introduce themselves, and if comfortable, state their pronouns. 
• Let attendees know they are free to engage in the meeting in a format that is most comfortable to you, for example, either by speaking or typing in the chat. 
• Ask your speakers to use headphones or a decent microphone to ensure the best sound quality possible. They should try to minimise background noise and visual distractions.   
• For those who rely on lip and face reading, it is important that the speaker remains as still as possible whilst speaking or presenting, blurs the background to allow the focus to remain on the speaker’s face and ensures their face is well-lit
• Ask attendees to turn themselves on ‘mute’ when not speaking
• Depending on the kind of meeting or event, you may want to ask attendees to use the ‘raise hand’ function before they speak
• Communicate to attendees that you recognise having video turned on for extended periods of time can be an access barrier, so they should feel free to turn their video off as needed   
• Depending on the kind of event or meeting, attendees alert if others may share personal experiences; ask that this information is treated with respect and confidentiality
• For those using a screen reader, the chat function in both Microsoft Teams and Zoom can be difficult to follow. If there is a Question and Answer in your online event, try using the Question and Answer box instead. This allows the audience to submit questions to the host, who can publish them, orally respond or type the answer. Instructions for Microsoft Teams Q&A are available online.

Access and inclusion 

• Send any documents that you will be sharing in the event or meeting in advance to those who need it so they can prepare 
• If you plan to show any documents during the webinar, or if you want to share your screen showing documents produced with any other Microsoft Office products, Microsoft has an accessibility checker
• Use closed captioning if possible, or automatic live captioning with a transcript for sharing afterwards
• Ensure that online waiting rooms are disabled so online participants that lose connection can easily rejoin without disturbing the hybrid meeting
• Switch off the doorbell sound for participants entering the room so it does not disturb a meeting in progress
• Start the meeting a few minutes early to allow participants time to log in and resolve any technical issues 
• Record the event if possible, remember to seek consent for both recording and transcribing.
• Facilitate the use of British Sign Language aides if requested
• Where possible, use image descriptions for images or graphs displayed on the screen

Inclusive hybrid events and meetings 

Please refer to the main inclusive prompts page and the inclusive events checklist to ensure that the physical space where the hybrid event will be recorded is accessible in terms physical, cognitive and sensory accessibility.

For the virtual-only aspects of inclusion and accessibility, please see the tips provided in the previous section ‘Top tips for inclusive virtual-only events and meetings’.   

In addition to these considerations, hybrid events and meetings pose several additional challenges to inclusivity and accessibility due to the unique interaction between the physical and virtual elements of the event or meeting.  

Before the meeting 

Determine the purpose, format, and overarching goals of the meeting.  For example, will participants view/hear a presenter or panel of speakers, or is the goal meaningful communication within an internal team?  

Decide how many participants will be present, who will be speaking, and where the physical meeting will take place.  

If the meeting will be in a room or venue that you have never used before, visit the site to get a sense of the size, furniture set-up, and audio/visual technology that exists to plan the best setup.

If possible, enlist local IT support to go over setup for room audio and video to develop a plan so all participants can be seen and heard. 

Access and inclusion  

Provide people the opportunity to communicate any requirements in the registration form and ensure there is a named contact that can follow up on any requests. 

Some common access requests could include:  

• • Digital materials provided in advance. 
  • Closed/live captioning if possible, or automatic live captioning with a transcript for sharing afterwards.   
  • British Sign Language interpreter 
  • Assistive technology (such as hearing loops) might be requested for participants attending physically.  

An inclusive hybrid space  

Use the inclusive events checklist to assess the inclusivity and accessibility of the physical space. 

Ensure the room is equipped with enough high-quality microphones so remote participants can hear clearly. If multiple microphones are not a viable option, consider supplementing your audio input by having in-person attendees pass around a hand-held microphone before speaking. 

When using a central audio source (speaker) in the room, ensure that on-site participants turn off the volume on individual devices. 

When thinking about video recording, aim to capture all aspects of the meetings for those who are joining remotely – including the faces of all in-person attendees, shared presentations and documents, and materials.

For example, use a camera (i.e. on a laptop, mounted to a tripod, etc.) to face in-person attendees.  This allows participants who rely on lip reading for communication to access that information.   

Ensure that captions and subtitles can be viewed by online participants and in-person participants at the same time. For example, live captions could be on a display on a central screen(s) in the room while also being available on the remote meeting platform. 

 During the meeting  

If possible, designate a moderator. Assigning someone to guide and facilitate the conversation, monitor the chat online, and call on people who have their hands raised can be valuable.

The moderator can also provide reminders when needed to help keep communication clear, such as reminding people to use online chat and microphones.

Depending on the platform used, the moderator might need to manually spotlight speakers on the video so that remote participants can see the speaker, including to access lipreading if they use that for communication. 

Brief attendees and speakers during the introductions to set expectations and establish an inclusive atmosphere. Check our digital briefing template for reference.