DIY Investor Workshops in webinar mode: feedback requested

Dear reader, over the last year we have now conducted DIY investor workshops at Chennai (thrice), Bangalore ( five times), Mumbai (once), Pune(once), Delhi (once and the next one is on Nov. 8th 2015) and Hyderabad (once).

I think the time has come for me to stop being pig-headed and listen to suggestions made at Asan Ideas for Wealth that the workshops be conducted in webinar mode.  This will enable readers from any part of the globe to participate and would also benefit Ashal and me immensely.

Amid personal and professional constraints, the travelling has gotten to both of us and we need a break.  While we are not abandoning the idea of in-person events, we could like to explore the possibility of a few webinars and see how it goes.

The primary advantage of an in-person event is face to face interaction. However, given the way Ashal and I rush to and back after the meet, this has been less than satisfactory for everyone concerned.

The more I think about it, the more benefits webinars offer:

• Global participation
• Lower fees. A single ticket is enough for the entire family.
• Participants can possibly sign in when they want and review the sessions (possible with pre-recorded events)
• Talks can be split into modules and cover both basic and advanced topics separately.
• The format should also benefit sponsors (if and when we have them) in terms of reach and costs. Perhaps such sponsored events can even be free to participate in.
• Wider reach and faster growth of freefincal (hey, that is important too!)

Features:

Webinars will be paid events. The fee would be nominal and as usual cost-covering.  Initial estimates suggest that the price would at least be 50% lower than the in-person events.

Bothe live events and pre-recorded webcasts are being planned. Both formats will have live Q/A (generic, not personal) chat sessions when possible.

I expect and hope about 50- 100 people would participate in the webinars. Not interested in small events.

Feedback requested

I request you to kindly let me know your opinion on the following aspects.

1. If you have attended our sessions, do you think they will be effective in webinar mode?
2. Can you suggest webinar providers that I can consider? Balaji Swaminathan suggested Webex.
3. I am looking at two kinds of webinar providers: one that would provide the environment for a webinar, (a) within their website (like WebEx) or within freefincal (prefer this as I can control the environment and offer better features).

Readers with webinar experience are requested to share their inputs. What will work for an online presentation followed by a text chat session*? What will not? What are the disadvantages? What mistakes should we avoid etc.

(*) voice can be messy.

From what I have seen so far, expenses can be one-time (apart from internet charges) or recurring. I will need to weigh costs vs. user experience in making the decision.

Feedback on any other aspect of the workshops is also welcome.

Trouble is, I am quite old-school. One part of me is happy that travelling will come down. Another part of me is sad that travelling will come down! Travelling may be hectic, but it offers me the chance to meet friends and readers. That is the best anti-depressant for a socially challenged person like me.

The in-person events will continue interspersed with the webinar events.

Do let me know what you think. As always, thank you for the support.