Over the past year, the show went on for 15 credit unions who conducted their Annual Meetings online for the first time. By partnering with Synergent, they gained efficiencies by working with an expert team that managed the virtual meeting process start to finish.
Product Analyst Pat Mileski played a key role in the success of the virtual meetings. He organized and moderated sessions, allowing credit union staff to solely focus on presenting and interacting with attendees through the online platform.
“It has been a pleasure working and collaborating with all the credit unions who held their Annual Meetings virtually,” shared Mileski. “Not one virtual meeting has been the same from the beginning to the end. It was enjoyable working as a team towards credit union success and membership satisfaction.”
The Benefits of Virtual and Hybrid Meetings
Even as in-person meetings start to resume, significant benefits remain in offering virtual meetings or hybrid meetings, which mix online and in-person attendance. For example, credit union staff can participate from multiple branch locations. Members can login from anywhere to watch and participate. With the ease of recording the sessions, meetings also can be shared afterwards with those who could not attend.
“The pandemic forced the business world to change how we approach meetings, work, and events,” stated Doug MacDonald, Vice President of Marketing Services. “Some of these changes are here to stay. Continuing to meet people where they are is important and achievable by offering a virtual meeting option whenever possible.”
A Virtual Annual Meeting Success Story: Franklin-Somerset FCU
Franklin-Somerset FCU, headquartered in Madison, Maine, is one of the 15 credit unions that worked with Synergent on their first “mostly virtual” Annual Meeting. Credit union board members and supervisory committee members were onsite, but they met in different offices, on different devices. Members attended from their homes in multiple towns that span their field of membership.
“Our meeting went very well; we were able to hold an election and re-elect one board member, and vote in another,” explained Bev Knapp, President/CEO of Franklin-Somerset FCU. “Isn’t technology great? With Pat at the helm, no one was aware that we had never done our Annual Meeting through Zoom before! We so appreciate Pat for keeping things going smoothly, and Shannan [Heacock, Senior Marketing Services Representative] for the upfront legwork in notifying members, sending instructions, etc. They were great and we are very thankful for their support!”
How Synergent Can Help
Let our team become your virtual event planner. Before the meeting, we can help strategize your event and our award-winning design team can prepare your materials and communications. During the live meeting, we can manage call moderation, monitor Q&A portions, track member voting, and facilitate all of your audio/visual needs.
Whether it is an annual meeting or another meeting you want to host remotely, our prepackaged solution includes:
- Planning and Consultation
- Live Meeting Moderation
- Email Notifications to Invitees
- 30-minute “Dress Rehearsal”
- 20-minute Pre-Meeting
- 90-minute “Live” Meeting
Learn More
Check out our 10 Tips for Hosting an Interactive Virtual Annual Meeting. To start planning your next virtual meeting, contact marketingservice@synergentcorp.com
