Governance

October 29, 2021 Published by Huronia Chapter

Innovative Tech Solutions for Hybrid Meetings

Virtual meetings safeguarded residents, guests, board members and managers as condo corporations navigated through social distancing rules due to the pandemic. In condominium communities, virtual meetings have become the ‘new normal.’

Putting the buildings themselves aside, the issue of claims history is now the biggest challenge for a renewal. The five-year claims experience of a Corporation will ultimately determine whether an insurance company will be able to provide capacity or at what rate it will be available. In most situations, multiple claims or large losses are red flags to insurance companies, resulting in the Corporation landing outside of their underwriting appetite altogether. So what can a Corporation do to make it through the insurance obstacle course with the most success? Start the process earlier. Connect with your broker and ask the necessary questions to ensure you and your fellow unit owners are aware of the potential challenges of the next renewal. If the buildings are getting older, perhaps a plan to undergo updates within units over a certain period is worth discussing. If there are recent claims, possibly another look at risk management within the property is in order. Whether a routine renewal or an obstacle course, the importance of the relationship between the Board, Manager and Broker remains the same. Communication is key and all parties working together will assist in the best possible outcome for the Condominium Corporation.

For close to two years, virtual meetings have helped boards of directors conduct the business of the corporation safely. Looking ahead to hybrid meetings that combine in-person and virtual, how will added technical aspects of combining virtual and in-person meetings be addressed. For example, what do you do when there is audio feedback? How do you maintain clarity on who is speaking and when? These can be very challenging technical problems to overcome ... until now.

“We have conducted hundreds and hundreds of virtual meetings since the start of the pandemic. We were in on the ground floor,” says Adam Arcuri, president of CondoVoter. “As industry experts in virtual meeting setup and operation we get asked by our clients about the potential for audio-visual challenges. Because of our expertise, we wanted to address and resolve these back-end technical issues head-on so that condo customers can conduct worry-free hybrid meetings in the future.”

Solving AV challenges with innovation

Developed in house, CondoVoter’s answer to addressing AV tasks is an out-of-the-box solution that involves unique hybrid meeting equipment – delivered directly to your meeting. This novel program helps ensure the audio and video aspects of the corporation’s meeting are supported in a hybrid environment and ensures two primary goals are met:

• In-person owners see and hear owners that are attending virtually; and
• Owners that are

How it works

CondoVoter will provide all of the equipment needed to ensure that potential technical issues that could arise from hybrid meetings are met. All equipment is shipped to your door along with easy-tofollow instructions to hook up the equipment. Colour-coded tabs help simplify the process.

Equipment comes with a laptop with the Zoom meeting ready to go, a projector to show the meeting in the physical room, and equipment that integrates a camera, speaker and microphone.

“We leverage emerging technology that intelligently auto focuses and zooms directly to those speaking,” says Adam Arcuri. “This reduces the need to have someone direct the camera while in the meeting.”

Is this intelligent equipment program for us?

Yes. If your board plans to incorporate some type of hybrid meeting as pandemic restrictions open, this program is for you. It may be helpful to ask yourself the following audio-visual questions:

• Will the chair, auditor and any presenters be virtual or physically at the meeting?
• If they are not in person, will there be a screen and sound system for in-person attendees to see and hear the presenters?
• How will virtual attendees see in-person participation? Is a laptop computer with a camera sufficient for individuals to use if they are participating in person? What about physical distancing?

“As pandemic restrictions are relaxed, we want to make it as easy as possible for hybrid meetings to be adopted,” adds Adam Arcuri. “We believe we’ve developed the right technical solution for every condo corporation.”

Adam Arcuri,
CondoVoter