Step by step
Do this first.
Room & team
Prepare
Room & team
Swipe
One room, one chat
Use one video room with breakout rooms and one chat space. Both must be free to join.
Turn on host controls
Turn on host controls: a waiting room, muting, removing people, and limits on screen sharing.
Test at real load
Test everything with your team at real load, and keep a backup link ready.
Plan for weak connections
Plan for weak connections: share slides early, keep cameras optional, and post key updates in the chat.
Name the owners
Name owners for the online room, check-in, moderation and safety, and projects, each with a backup.
Brief on a call
Brief every volunteer on a call before the event opens.
Registration and online check-in
Next chapterRead the full chapter
The video room and the chat space are your venue. Choose them before you apply, name them in your plan, and make sure every participant can join for free on a laptop or a phone.
Online room standard
• One video room big enough for the approved attendance, with breakout rooms for teams and a separate room for check-in and help. • Host and co-host controls: a waiting room, muting, removing a participant, and limits on who can share a screen. • One chat space with an announcements channel only organisers can post in, a help channel, and a private way to reach the incident lead. • A backup meeting link and a plan for moving everyone to it. • Captions turned on where the tool offers them.
Test before the readiness check
Run a full test with your team at realistic load: join links, breakout rooms, screen sharing, check-in on the b54 dashboard, and the backup link. Fix problems before the 48-hour readiness check in the dashboard.
Weak connections
Share the slides and the challenge brief before kickoff. Keep cameras optional. Post every important announcement in the chat as well as saying it in the room, so people who drop out can catch up.
Delivery team
The Event Lead owns the final result. Name owners for the online room, participants and check-in, moderation and safety, and projects and submissions. One person can hold two roles in a small event, but every role needs a named backup. Brief every volunteer on a call before the event opens. Give volunteers the least access they need: co-host rights only for the people running rooms, and never an attendee export.
Do not buy software or paid tool plans on b54’s behalf. Spending outside an approved budget is yours.