HOSTING A WEBINAR:

A 10 STEP GUIDE

Webinars are a form of online events that have become increasingly common in the context of the
COVID-19 pandemic and many people have now become used to how they work. If you want to host
a webinar during the European Public Health Week, this guide is for you.

Although we provide multiple steps, the process can be quite simple (one presentation with
questions at the end) or dynamic (multiple speakers, the option for participants to engage, etc).

What’s the difference between a webinar and an online meeting?

Normally, an online meeting is a gathering directed to a specific group of people (e.g. a team) and
gives each person the same space and opportunity to talk, even if some members are presenting on
a specific subject. Usually everyone can be seen on the screen and is allowed to turn their cameras
and microphones on and off.

The features of a webinar are usually slightly different. They tend to be larger and open events, i.e.
anyone with the link can join and watch/listen in; the hosts may decide to remove the camera and
microphone options from all participants except the speakers; and participants may be given the
option to take part in polls, ask questions via chat, etc. These features can be adjusted depending on
the software or package that you pick.

Which software should I use?

There are multiple apps/softwares/programmes that allow you to host online events and/or
webinars: Zoom, Google hangouts, GoToMeeting, Webex, etc. Normally they all provide a free
version with the basic features, which you can upgrade depending on your needs.

While this guide is based on Zoom, many aspects are also applicable to your online event –
regardless of the programme that you use – especially when it comes to structuring and
disseminating it.

European Public Health Week 2021 10-step guide to set up webinars

 1) DECIDE WHAT YOUR WEBINAR WILL BE ABOUT, WHO WILL TALK, AND WHEN

Which theme of the EUPHW will you pick – and which day of the week does this fall on? What do
you want to achieve? Who will you invite to talk about the topic? Are they available to speak on
the day of this theme?

Tip: check if the time you have in mind does not clash with similar events on the same day.

2) PICK A FORMAT FOR YOUR WEBINAR

Is it more relevant to have a debate, a presentation from a key expert, a series of presentations
on multiple topics, a roundtable discussion or a consultation with your audience?

Tip: at this stage you may realise that a different type of event may be more suitable, such as a
pre-recorded presentation to launch as a video, a social media chat, etc. Check examples of
other types of online events.

3) SET UP AN ACCOUNT (IF YOU DON’T HAVE ONE)

If you decide to go ahead with the webinar format and choose Zoom, you can have free virtual
meetings for up to 40 minutes and 100 participants. Longer meetings and webinar add-on
options are available here: https://zoom.us/pricing

4) SCHEDULE YOUR WEBINAR

Once you have some confirmed speakers for a specific date and time, you should schedule your
event as soon as possible so you can generate a link to your event and start sharing it.

You can set up specific features straight away or come back later to edit them once you’ve had
the chance to discuss the details with all speakers. These features include:

• Join before Host (Off): Make sure you are the first one in the room so that you can
welcome everyone.
• Mute participants upon entry (On): This helps to avoid disturbing background noise at
the start. The host can control when participants can un-mute.
• Polling (On): If you plan to survey the attendees you can add “Polls” to meeting controls.
• Always show meeting control toolbar (On): If you're unfamiliar with Zoom it can be
helpful to have your meeting controls visible at all times.
• Screen sharing (All Participants): Turning this on or off highly depends on how many
speakers and attendees you expect to have. If you have multiple speakers, you can
either rehearse with them so they know how to share their screens and manage their
slides, or you can collect all their slides in advance and move them on their behalf so
they don’t need to worry about it. Make sure the screen sharing option for general
attendees is also turned off so you can only show your speakers’ screens.

European Public Health Week 2021 10-step guide to set up webinars

 Tip: Even if the speakers decide to run their own slides, it’s safe to have a copy so you
can pull them in case something fails.
• Camera: In the current context you may want to save bandwidth and use slides and audio
only, without showing the speakers on camera. Adding a photo of the speaker to their slides
helps to visualise who is talking.
• Record meetings automatically as they start (On): With all the tasks that are going on, this
option is useful as you may forget to record your event! Look for the red dot on the left hand
corner of your Zoom application.
Tip: ask your speakers if they agree with their contents being recorded for future use.

5) PREPARE THE STRUCTURE AND CONTENTS

• Distribute roles:
o Host: the person(s) with the admin rights to mute speakers’ microphones, remove
participants, etc. Note: having more than one host may cost more but it may be
safer if any network problems arise where the host is based.
o Moderator: the person who welcomes participants, introduces speakers, delivers
questions from the audience, tracks the time and guides through the session.
If the moderator and admin are the same person, we recommend preparing well as
there are a lot of details to look out for.
o If you plan to open the floor for questions, decide who is responsible for checking
questions from the audience so they can be delivered to the speakers (see ‘engage
your audience’ below).

• Agree contents with the speakers:

o Introduction (moderator):
▪ welcome all participants and introduce those who will be speaking
▪ share housekeeping rules such as how attendees can ask questions
▪ announce the theme of the webinar
▪ make a reference to the European Public Health Week 2020
▪ announce that the session will be recorded (unless speakers objected to it)
o Order presentations by relevance and prepare slides:
▪ We recommend having at least a static slide at the beginning and end with
the EUPHW logo, your institution’s logo, the title of the presentation, the
names of the speakers and the date
o Closing remarks (moderator): take-home messages, visit website for more, contact
details, etc)

• Engage your audience

o If you want to allow participants to ask questions, give them options e.g. using the
chat box of the Zoom webinar, sending an email, using your event-specific hashtag
on social media, slido.com, etc.
Tip: prepare some back-up questions that the moderator can use just in case.
o If this is a consultation, which questions do you want to ask your audience? Consider
asking them before the webinar (e.g. in your event description or reminder email) to
allow them time to reflect.
o Do you want to know where your audience is based and what they do? Set up a poll.
o Keep your audience engaged and ‘awake’ by asking lighter questions such as “Which
word would you use to describe this theme?” or “What are your expectations about
this session?”

European Public Health Week 2021 10-step guide to set up webinars

 6) RUN A TEST WITH ALL SPEAKERS

This will make everyone feel more comfortable on the day. Schedule a separate session a few
days in advance so you can practice-run with your speakers. Make sure you test:

• How you can mute/unmute speakers

• Sharing your screen, Sharing a keynote Presentation or Screen Sharing a PowerPoint
Presentation
• Everyone’s sound and camera settings
• How you decide to talk to each other ‘backstage’ (e.g. via a private chat on Zoom or
using a WhatsApp group)

7) DISSEMINATE, DISSEMINATE, DISSEMINATE

This step is crucial. All the effort above will be in vain if nobody hears about your event with
enough notice so they can attend and engage on the day.

Use multiple channels:

• Submit it as a EUPHW event by 3 May 2020 (this is mandatory if you want it to be on the
official European Public Health Week calendar).
• Set up a Facebook event page and ask the speakers and your own network to share it
with colleagues and friends
• Share it in the newsletters and social media accounts of your institution (LinkedIn,
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
• Ask speakers to share it on their personal and institutional social media and newsletters
• Local media and partners: Let your community know by issuing a press release, telling
your local newspaper about the event and asking partner organisations to spread the
word. Check the EUPHW media toolkit for more resources
• On all social media posts, use the official hashtag of the European Public Health Week -
#EUPHW – as this keeps all relevant information gathered in one place

Craft your content: Make it appealing!

• Put yourself in the participants’ shoes: Why should they attend your webinar?
• Be descriptive: What is it about? Who will be speaking? At what time and for how long?
• Include all relevant details but keep it short and simple: context (EUPHW), theme, title,
date, time, relevant link(s), speaker names, hashtag(s), ways to register
• Is your title catchy?
• On social media, make sure to tag the accounts of the speakers, institutions and
partners involved (including @EUPHActs !)
• Use materials from the EUPHW media toolkit to prepare your posts (e.g. country logos
and key messages)
• Give your audience the chance to think about their questions in advance

Remind those who registered

If you can, collect RSVP/e-mail addresses of attendees (your Zoom package may allow you to do
this, or you can use platforms like Eventbrite). This helps to send reminders closer to the date.

European Public Health Week 2021 10-step guide to set up webinars

 8) CHECKLIST ON THE DAY

• Remind your attendees (via e-mail and social media) that the webinar will begin in a few
hours and provide them again with the direct link to join
• Log on half an hour in advance so you can test your audio and video settings, share
slides and videos, etc. with your speakers.
• Make sure you and your speakers close down their e-mail and browser tabs so nothing
disturbs your screensharing.
• Check and confirm Zoom Settings are good to go. Go back to the event that you
scheduled and check if the features need to be edited according to what you discussed
with your speakers (e.g. how to mute and unmute all).
• Make sure the person responsible for monitoring audience engagement is keeping an
eye on questions/answers from participants, and can live tweet your webinar
• Click the Record button
• Take a screenshot of your session so you can share with us later!

9) FOLLOW UP

• Thank your participants via e-mail and share a photo of your webinar on social media
and relevant newsletters
• Answer any questions you may not have had time to answer during the session
• Share the webinar recording so those who could not attend live can still watch it
• Contact [email protected] to let us know how many people attended
your webinar, share your photos, and keep an eye on www.eupha.org/euphw for further
follow-up guidance.

10) BE PROUD – AND RELAX!

Congratulations, you made it! Thank you for contributing to the promotion of public health in
such challenging times.

Questions?

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us:

[email protected]

Last updated on 30 April 2021

European Public Health Week 2021 10-step guide to set up webinars