Hybrid AGM internet: what the venue network needs to handle

What does a hybrid AGM have to allow online members to do?

Under the Corporations Act, any company or registered scheme can hold a hybrid meeting, with members attending in person and online at the same time. ASIC's guidance on virtual meetings sets out the main points that affect the technology:

• Hybrid meetings are allowed for all companies (s 249R(b)). A wholly virtual meeting is only allowed if the constitution expressly permits or requires it (s 249R(c)).
• Members, as a whole, must have a reasonable opportunity to participate (s 249S), and ASIC notes this includes making sure any virtual technology used is reasonable.
• Online attendees must be able to ask questions and make comments both orally and in writing (s 249S(7)(b)).
• The technology must be sufficient to allow members to vote.
• A view-only webcast is not virtual meeting technology, so it cannot by itself support a hybrid meeting.

Timing matters too. Section 250N requires a public company to hold its AGM within five months after the end of its financial year, so companies with a 30 June balance date hold their meetings by 30 November. That puts many hybrid AGMs into the same few weeks, often in hotel function rooms and conference venues that are also running other events.

This article covers the network side only. Questions about meeting procedure, notices and what happens if technology fails should go to your company secretary or legal advisers.

Why the venue connection matters more than people expect

The online meeting platform usually runs in the cloud, so it rarely fails on its own. What fails is the link between the room and that platform. If the room cannot send clean audio and video out, online members lose the meeting. If it cannot bring their spoken questions back into the room's sound system, they lose the ability to participate orally, which is one of the specific rights listed above.

Common causes we see in function rooms:

• The production encoder is on the same venue WiFi as delegates and staff, so upload drops when the room fills.
• The venue's internet is shared with other function rooms holding their own events on the same day.
• Upload speed was tested on a quiet afternoon, not at the meeting time.
• There is one connection, so a single fault takes the whole meeting offline.

Our guide on why venue WiFi fails at events explains these patterns in more detail.

How much bandwidth does a hybrid AGM need?

The planning figures below are the same ones we use for any streamed event. Each live stream needs a steady 10 to 20 Mbps of upload, with 1.5 to 2 times headroom. Each video conferencing connection uses about 1.5 Mbps in both directions.

As an example, a meeting with one program stream, a backup encoder, four operator laptops and a registration desk needs around 40 Mbps of reliable upload reserved for production alone, before any guest traffic. Use the bandwidth calculator to work through your own numbers.

Should the stream, registration and guest WiFi be on separate networks?

Yes. Separate networks stop one group of devices from slowing another, and they keep sensitive traffic away from the public network.

1. Production network: encoders, audio links and moderator laptops, wired wherever possible, with upload reserved for it.
2. Registration network: attendance tablets, proxy and voting desks, and printers, so check-in is not affected by anything else.
3. Staff network: board, company secretary and adviser devices.
4. Guest WiFi: in-room members and visitors, with a per-device limit.

A small function room can usually be covered by one or two access points. Each access point handles about 50 devices comfortably, and in open areas one access point covers roughly 900 square metres. Larger ballrooms with overflow rooms need a short site survey first. See separate networks for events for how this is set up.

How should the backup connection work?

A backup connection is only useful if it is independent of the main one and takes over without anyone touching a cable.

• Use a different path. If the main connection is the venue's fixed line, the backup is typically a business 4G/5G router on a different mobile network, placed where signal is strongest rather than where it is convenient.
• Fail over automatically. The router should switch the production network to the backup within seconds and switch back when the main line recovers.
• Check the backup can carry the stream. Measure its upload in the room at the meeting time. If it cannot carry the full stream, agree in advance which lower stream setting the operator will use.
• Keep written questions open. A lighter channel for written questions keeps working on a weaker connection, which helps while a problem is being fixed.

Our backup internet service and 4G/5G router hire cover this set-up.

What should you test before meeting day?

1. Confirm the room, the encoder position and where cables can run, ideally with a floor plan.
2. Measure upload and latency in the room at the same time of day as the meeting, on both connections.
3. Run a full rehearsal with someone joining as an online member who asks a spoken question and a written one.
4. Run a test poll from the online platform and confirm results appear for the chair and the question desk.
5. Unplug the main connection during the rehearsal and time how long the stream and audio take to recover.
6. Label every cable, switch port and network name, and agree who on site is responsible for the network during the meeting.

Having someone on site who knows the network shortens any recovery. Our on-site technical support covers the rehearsal and the meeting itself.

How to get a network plan for your AGM

Send us the venue name, a floor plan if you have one, the expected number of members in the room, and the meeting platform's technical requirements. We will come back with a network plan covering the production, registration and guest networks and the backup connection. You can start on the contact page, or read more about live streaming internet and corporate event WiFi.

Lighting, sound and cameras are usually handled by partner AV specialists. We work with them so the encoder and audio links have the connection they need.

Sources

1. ASIC: FAQs on virtual meetings for companies and registered schemes
2. ASIC media release 22-022MR: holding AGMs within five months of financial year end (s 250N)

Event dates, prices and product details can change. Check the organiser or manufacturer before you plan around them. Planning figures are starting points; every network is confirmed against the actual site.