Hybrid Engagement Hub: Navigating Together

Shared practices, tools, and policies

Hybrid Introduction

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Hybrid Engagement Hub

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MAPC >> Resources >> Community Engagement >> Hybrid Engagement Hub

Remote Meetings - Make Your Voice Heard!

The current re-authorization to allow public bodies to host remote meetings is set to expire on March 31, 2023 put in place by Governor Baker. We urge you to contact your legislators today to ask them to extend the current remote meeting regulations! You can do so by using our email template (button to the right). Learn more about this legislative priority.

Access the Template!

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This project hub is designed to be a central source of information to support you as you develop your approach to hybrid meetings, investigate tools, and design public participation at the local level.

In the summer of 2021, the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) launched an initiative focused on identifying the needs of municipalities and their staff around hybrid engagement during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this process, three municipal teams from Randolph, Framingham, and Dedham, alongside the community engagement staff at MAPC, convened hundreds of people across our region and the nation to develop shared practices and tools for hosting meetings that bridge remote and in-person participation. We explored meeting facilitation and design, technology needs, and current state law and policy debates that impact municipal meeting policies. The recommendations included here are the culmination of that work.

Although the team has been meeting since July 2021, there is still a lot of work to be done. The Community Engagement Division is committed to supporting our municipal partners with the journey of virtual, in-person, and hybrid engagement. With the continuous and ever-changing needs of our communities, we know we must have virtual, in-person and hybrid engagement tools and experience to support our constituents. We see hybrid, synchronous, and asynchronous engagement as the future of our work together.

Our goal is to make sure there is a multi-layered approach to our work and to push forward diverse ways to engage our community members. Ultimately, we want to see equitable outcomes for residents in the region.

If you want to partner with us on your next project, contact [email protected].

Timeline

From July to December 2021, the hybrid engagement project team hosted multiple meetings, focus groups, and workshops.

Click here to download the full timeline (JPEG).

Quick Definitions

Asynchronous Hybrid Engagement:
Virtual and in-person engagement activities occur at separate times, so participants do not have to gather for a live session. Instead, in-person and virtual meetings could happen at separate times, or participants can access previously recorded content on their own schedule.

Synchronous Hybrid Engagement:
Attendees participate live at a specified date and time, either remotely or in-person. The facilitator(s) may also be in-person and/or virtual and there is two-way communication between the presenters and audiences.

Venn diagram showing in-person engagement in one circle and virtual engagment in the other. In the overlapping section is hybrid engagement, with two categories: synchronous and asynchronous

On this webpage, most of our framing focuses on events that include in-person and remote components simultaneously (synchronous engagement), with the in-person venue as the primary operating space. Some recommendations may be applicable to other types of hybrid engagement as well.

What to Keep in Mind When Planning for Hybrid Engagement

There is a lot of information in this hub, and we know you may have many questions. Hybrid engagement continues to be an emerging area of practice and with that we encourage you to keep an adaptable mindset to this work. We also recognize that implementing hybrid meetings and events requires extensive staff, technology, and monetary resources. If you are not currently equipped with the budget and resources, hybrid may not be the best fit for you at the moment and that’s okay.

You can always reach out to the MAPC Community Engagement team at [email protected].

From your feedback, we have developed tools and tips to support you in the development of hybrid engagement in your own work. As you read through them all, we invite you to keep the following in mind:

Things will change.

COVID has expanded the likelihood that the unexpected will occur.

You need backup.

Hybrid engagement requires investment.

We heard many questions around capacity, funding, and having the appropriate technology. Hybrid engagement does require investment – of time, of money, sometimes both. If you anticipate having many hybrid events, we encourage you to explore setting up your spaces to be conducive to hybrid event-hosting. The more infrastructure you have built in (including technology and training to empower staff to host hybrid events), the less preparation you will need for each event.

Need to advocate for more investment in hybrid technology and/or staffing? Check out our Policy Advocacy Toolkit for more.

Do a practice run before your event or meeting.

Be transparent with participants.

Let participants know if there are delays or technical difficulties. This helps orient them to the space and understand (especially if they are joining remotely) if this is an issue on their end or yours. Additionally, be transparent about what you are asking of participants. Do you need them to be responsive and interactive? Can they listen with their cameras off? Setting clear expectations allows people to understand and determine how best to participate in your event.

Choosing Your Meeting Type

Hybrid engagement is a powerful emerging practice with many applications. However, it does not have to be the default. Before you go down the road of coordinating a hybrid event, consider whether this is the best route for you, your team and, most importantly, the audience you will be engaging with. There are many reasons you may not want to do hybrid engagement: perhaps your audience has limited technological access (in which case in person may work better), perhaps there has been a spike in cases and folks would feel safer gathering completely remotely, perhaps the event includes too many moving pieces and would be easier to coordinate via one platform.

As you determine whether to go with hybrid, consider the following tools. Only you can decide whether hybrid is the right engagement approach for your meeting or event, but we hope these frames of reference help you make the decision.

Meeting Decisions Cycle

Benefits and Challenges of In-Person, Virtual, and Hybrid Engagement

	Benefits	Challenges
In-person	Human connection Unstructured networking Hands-on activities Focused environment Body language	Limits in scheduling Certain populations cannot attend Can be weather dependent Cost: food, space, staffing, supplies
Virtual	Accessibility for parents with children, people with disabilities, and people with non-traditional working hours Reduced transportation barriers Safer during public health crisis Shift in power dynamics	Keeping audience engagement Harder to build rapport and handle conflicts Access to/familiarity with technology Internet access/ bandwidth Visual and auditory requirements Additional planning and coordination Additional staff needed
Hybrid	Flexible options Convenience and comfort based on learning styles 21st-century engagement Builds resiliency Broader reach Less travel burden Broaden geographic engagement, speaker availability, etc.	Multiple audiences Additional staff support Scheduling/ timing Technical familiarity Additional planning and coordination

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Facilitation and Planning

Download Facilitation Guide Template (Word Document)

When thinking about meeting design and facilitation there can be so much to consider. It’s not just about content, but how you deliver that content and setting up an environment that is conducive to participant engagement.

As you make decisions for your event, we invite you to use this Facilitation Guide Template. View this guide as an adjustable template. Feel free to download it and fill in the blanks on your specific event or use it as a reference for your own agenda.

Elements of this agenda could be applied to:

We use this format to lay out:

This agenda is most applicable to an event that includes:

Events that may need additional planning include:

For more information on Hybrid Meeting Design you can also view a recording of our Hybrid Meeting Design workshop here.

Technology and Tools

Hybrid Meeting Technology FAQs

We heard many questions about how to use technology to create great event and meeting experiences. Below, we answer common questions regarding technology usage, resources, and security.

A woman with dark brown hair and who is wearing a pink sweater sits in front of a computer screen on a virtual call.

Preparation and Set UP

What are some basic things I should check about my technology set-up prior to a hybrid meeting? Where can I find the recording of my meeting? How can I ensure that both virtual and in-person attendees feel engaged? How should I set up the hybrid meeting space? How do you share material such as presentations and video recordings? How do I avoid audio feedback? What do you recommend for municipalities that are working on very low budgets?

What are some basic things I should check about my technology set-up prior to a hybrid meeting?

Always have a prep meeting before the event to run through as much as the technology as possible. Make sure all of your microphones, speakers, projectors, screens, etc. are in working condition and connect to each other properly. Try to have all those who will be staffing the meeting attend. You might ask your colleague to step out of the room, so they can help you test the virtual and in-person audio and video set-ups.

Prior to the event, be sure to also check that all your software is up to date (i.e., you have updated to the latest version of Zoom).

These days with the COVID public health crisis, plans can often change at the last minute. Prepare a technology back-up plan for staff who may have to join virtually. For example, consider who you need to make a co-host on Zoom (or any other virtual meeting platform you are using), how to structure break out rooms, which staff roles can be done remotely and require being in-person.

Finally, double check that the link to access your meeting is correct and clearly communicated, whether via social media, email, or event platforms like Eventbrite.

See the Hybrid Meeting Facilitation Guide for more guidance and tips on preparing for a hybrid meeting.

Where can I find the recording of my meeting?

If you are using Zoom, select “Record to my computer,” you will find the recording in your Documents folder in a file named Zoom. If you select “Record to cloud,” you will find the recording in the Recording tab of your Zoom web portal on your web browser. You usually have to wait a period of time before the recording is processed and uploaded to the Recording tab. Find more details on how to record on Zoom here.

If you are using a different virtual meeting platform, we invite you to look up their recording options before recording a meeting and practicing to make sure that you know how to access the meeting recordings.

How can I ensure that both virtual and in-person attendees feel engaged?

There are a few features in virtual meeting platforms, like Zoom and WebEx, which you can use to ensure virtual and in-person attendees feel connected to the meeting.

Consider whether you want to use chat. Depending on the meeting setting, both in-person and virtual participants could join the meeting virtually to be able to communicate via chat. In other situations, you may want to turn off the chat to prevent distraction.
The “Raise Hand” feature offers an easy to keep track of the order in which remote participants request to speak. If you are doing a Q&A, consider switching back-and-forth between questions from the virtual and in-person participants.
One of the biggest problems in hybrid meetings is audio feedback. Be sure to configure the audio/visual set up of the in-person meeting room to avoid such issues. Ideally, all audio input and output would come from a single source. Download this PDF to see how we recommend setting up the in-person section of your meeting to optimize audio.

How should I set up the hybrid meeting space?

The arrangement of your technology will depend on the space or room that the in-person portion of your meeting is in. For example, an auditorium will require a different set up from a conference room. To see an example of a conference room set up, please click here.

In any case, aim to set up anyone who will be speaking in the meeting near the central microphone. Cameras broadcasting the in-person meeting segment to the virtual platform should also be facing speakers, though a second camera could be set up facing the in-person audience. Cameras that are able to pan, tilt, and zoom to follow whoever is speaking are useful for this. See more technology options in our Hybrid Meeting Technology List below.

How do you share material such as presentations and video recordings?

First, be sure to request all finalized materials be submitted to you at least 24 hours before the meeting. This will allow you to post the materials in an online location that virtual attendees can access remotely.

During the meeting, use the screen sharing function in Zoom (or any other virtual meeting platform you are using) to display the materials to virtual participants. At the same time, project the Zoom window (or other virtual meeting platform) onto a screen for in-person attendees to ensure that both groups of attendees are viewing the same content.

We encourage you to have a limited amount of printed materials present at in-person meetings for accessibility purposes. We recommend you print in no smaller than 11pt. Font. Please ensure that the printed materials are the same as the virtual materials you are providing to participants to ensure that everyone is receiving the same information.

How do I avoid audio feedback?

Be sure to have a single source of audio in and out of the meeting. In other words, make sure there is only one live microphone picking up audio from the in-person room. In some cases, you will need more than one microphone, in which case you should be sure to only have one microphone unmuted at a time.

Try to also ensure that you are only using one speaker system for the entire meeting. For example, if you plan on playing music or sharing a video, make sure it is playing through the same system that virtual participants’ audio would be played from. See how we recommend setting up the in-person section of your meeting to optimize audio.

What do you recommend for municipalities that are working on very low budgets?

The basic technology you need to set up a hybrid meeting include:

A camera to capture video of speakers and attendees at the in-person portion of the meeting,
A microphone that can pick up in-person audio (ideally several if possible and ideally these mics are portable),
A speaker to broadcast audio from the virtual attendees, and
A virtual meeting platform and, if relevant, virtual collaboration tools.

Staffing and Resources

How many support staff do you need to manage the technology for a hybrid meeting? Which departments in my municipality could I go to for support with setting up and running hybrid meetings? I don’t have sufficient resources and funding to run hybrid meetings. Can you recommend sources of funding for acquiring the hybrid meeting technology I need? What kinds of infrastructure investments should a municipality make to enable hybrid meetings?

How many support staff do you need to manage the technology for a hybrid meeting?

Ideally, hybrid meetings should have at least one staff member dedicated to supporting the virtual portion of the event and one person dedicated to the in-person portion. Depending on the size of your meeting, you may want a third support staff acting as the liaison between in-person and virtual.

The virtual support staff member should be responsible for turning on recording, going live on social media, making sure the appropriate cables are hooked up, set up any cameras, manage online registration, and answer questions in chat. This person would ideally be physically present at the meeting, but they may sit in a separate, adjacent room to avoid audio interference.

There should also be facilitators lined up and ready to discuss the content of the meeting for sections of the agenda that might require break out rooms or discussion.

For more on the various roles required in a virtual meeting, see the Hybrid Meeting Facilitation Guide.

Which departments in my municipality could I go to for support with setting up and running hybrid meetings?

Consider reaching out to your local cable access staff or community TV station for support with setting up your hybrid meeting technology. They will have the skills and expertise to help you broadcast a meeting with a great viewing experience. Sometimes, cable access providers prefer that participants use their own studios, which allows them greater control of the technical environment.

You may also consider partnering with IT or cable access staff to hold trainings or office hours as you transition to hybrid meetings. Staff can attend trainings or office hours to get set up with the software for hybrid meetings and discuss hardware needs.

Finally, speak with the human resources manager in your municipality about adding technology skills competency as a qualification for all new hires.

I don’t have sufficient resources and funding to run hybrid meetings. Can you recommend sources of funding for acquiring the hybrid meeting technology I need?

What kinds of infrastructure investments should a municipality make to enable hybrid meetings?

Technology Security and Access

What is the best way to address “Zoom-bombing”? How should I address people’s requests to remain anonymous on hybrid meetings? What is the best way to make meetings accessible to people who were not able to attend?

What is the best way to address “Zoom-bombing”?

The virtual technology point-person for your meeting should be vigilant for “Zoom-bombers” and remove them from the meeting as soon as they are identified. While the term has become known as “Zoom-bombing,” we do want to note that it is possible to do this on other remote platforms as well.

How should I address people’s requests to remain anonymous on hybrid meetings?

What is the best way to make meetings accessible to people who were not able to attend?

If you have recorded your meeting, you can post it to a platform like YouTube. One municipality keeps a playlist for each department’s meetings on their YouTube channel. This keeps the information organized and easily accessible for constituents. We also recommend that you email your recordings to the registrant list and any relevant constituents lists, in addition to posting links to the recordings via social media.

Hybrid Meeting and Event Engagement Technology

We have compiled a list of tools and technologies that our partners across the region have found to be useful in their hybrid events and meetings. This list is organized by level of technological preparedness, so you can find the cameras, microphones, or digital platforms that will best fit your needs based on where you are now.

“Level 1” is for anyone looking to make an initial investment into hybrid meeting technology.
“Level 2” is for those with some basic technology and are looking to level-up.
“Level 3” includes options for major technology investments for a holistic hybrid meeting experience.

You can search by “Features” that you are looking for, such as video conferencing technology or live streaming tools. The “Requirements” column allows you to easily check what components or connections you will need to be able to use the technology.

MAPC has not tested many of these products and do not endorse any particular product or brand: we are providing this list to help our partners, municipal leaders, IT professionals, cable access leaders, and others to get started on their hybrid meeting research and procurement processes. Also, note that MAPC will aim to keep this list up to date, but technology changes rapidly so please be sure to do your own research to make sure you are using the most updated versions of these tools. To download as a CSV click on the three dots in the top bar and click 'Download CSV'.

Emerging Practices and Ideas from our Region

Use gaming technology to facilitate virtual and hybrid meetings.
Check out how museums have been dealing with hybrid.
Create customized backpacks with all the technology and resources needed to run hybrid meetings. If you need to travel for a meeting, the kit will be light and easy to carry.
Don’t neglect outreach! With all the additional planning that goes into a hybrid meeting, outreach can easily fall on the wayside. Consider involving students in your community to conduct in-person and online outreach to increase awareness of the meeting.
Consistency is key. Stick to the same virtual meeting platform, send reminder emails from the same account, try not to make any changes at the last minute.

Policy and Advocacy Toolkit

Implementing hybrid or remote meetings for the public will require updates to state policies. In individual cities and towns, ensuring quality meetings for the public will require adopting consistent and clear policies across municipal departments. Doing this will help you standardize how to host hybrid meetings, delegate responsibility clearly and among staff, identify unmet needs, and prioritize looking for funding to best adapt to the new normal. In doing this work, remember to consult with the Attorney General’s Office.

Many of these policies can be funded through newly created sourced like the American Rescue Plan Act, the CARES Act, and the recently passed federal Infrastructure bill. We highly recommend that you consider using these funding sources to address any immediate needs implicated by these policy recommendations.

Municipal Policies

Successfully incorporating hybrid engagement formats into your practice will require adapting and creating policies that support hybrid engagement. The most important takeaway from these recommendations is the benefit of consistency for both staff and members of the public. Below is a list of key policies to consider implementing hybrid engagement at the municipal level.

Image is a a map of the region MAPC serves, broken out into subregion.

Develop a consistent policy Require registration for hybrid meetings and events Ensure the privacy of members of the public who participate Develop formal collaboration with local cable access stations Develop personnel and staffing policies/guidelines Hire a remote meeting manager Partner with local community organizations, educational institutions, etc. Require multiple ways for the public to access information Expand community access to technology, information, and services Require staff trainings on and familiarity with hybrid technology and virtual meeting platforms Use group agreements in public meetings Upgrade technology and meeting spaces

Develop a consistent policy

Choose between hybrid, in-person, or virtual meetings and events. We recommend that you adopt a consistent approach with a decision protocol for when to host a hybrid, in-person, or virtual meeting. Refer to the Meeting Design Decisions Cycle, the Benefits and Challenges Chart, Technology FAQ, and Facilitation Guide to understand what considerations to make when creating this policy:

Do you have staff capacity?
Do you have the right technology?
Under what circumstances should you change from one kind of meeting to another?
What accessibility needs to your participants have?

We want to remind you that a hybrid event is not the default. If you do not have enough staffing or resources to successfully hold a hybrid event, there are asynchronous forms of engagement (I.e., a remote meeting and an in-person meeting at separate times on the same topic) that can be considered as well.

Require registration for hybrid meetings and events

Currently, registration on a virtual meeting platform (like Zoom) cannot be used for meetings that require public notice. However, for meetings that do not require public notice, we recommend that you consider requiring registration in order to manage participation, follow up with participants afterwards, and prevent unexpected disruptions–commonly known as Zoom-bombing. Registration is the most secure way to prevent Zoom-bombing.

Ensure the privacy of members of the public who participate

We recommend that you adopt a policy that broadly allows participants to engage in hybrid and virtual meetings without requiring that they join under their full names, use their video, or join with an authenticated account. Requiring video and real names can deter participants from joining meetings that they would otherwise participate in (and some participants do not have the ability to provide video or may not know how to change their name). Exceptions to this rule include meetings where participants would ordinarily be required to state their name and address for the record (i.e., a Planning Board hearing, for example). We continue to be aware that there may be ongoing distrust by community members. It is our job to make sure we earn and maintain trust with the public.

Storage of data: Even so, participating in a hybrid meeting may require that participants provide their email (for registration) or even IP address. We recommend that you adopt a policy about how to safely store/keep this data virtually. Consult with your legal counsel on the best practices for this as they relate to your own municipalities data tracking needs.

Develop formal collaboration with local cable access stations

Because technology and audio-visual support may be new to the work you are doing, we recommend creating a formal collaboration with your local cable access provider. There may be instances where your CATV station is willing to support with staff, equipment, and/or software that will make your hybrid event a success. Collaborations should specify providing funding and other support for their ongoing operation.

Develop personnel and staffing policies/guidelines

Hybrid meetings require the staff of in-person events and the staff of virtual events. Refer to the facilitation guide for more guidance about the various roles you should consider including when hosting a hybrid meeting. We recommend that you craft policies around staffing requirements for hybrid meetings, including a description of roles and the location of particular staff (who is in-person, who is virtual during hybrid). Doing this is crucial not only for setting expectations around responsibilities but also for dealing with any possible COVID exposures.

On call/COVID Back-up: We also recommend that you include policies around “on call” staff for events, especially in case another staff member tests positive for COVID and is not able to participate. These policies are necessary to give staff enough lead time to know what to expect, what their role entails, and the potential of having them on call. Plan ahead and set expectations.

Hire a remote meeting manager

We recommend that you consider assigning the responsibilities for managing the municipal account for remote meetings (such as Zoom or WebEx) and any municipal meetings to one staff person. This could either be a current employee, or a new staff person, depending on the number of remote and hybrid meetings. This hire could work across multiple municipal departments as an event planner, remote meeting platform manager, facilitation manager, or similar role.

Partner with local community organizations, educational institutions, etc.

To mitigate the costs of staffing a hybrid meeting or event, we recommend thinking about partnerships with organizations in the community that can support in leading the event or meeting. In this way, you can create capacity for your team, while also building stronger community ties. To do this, you must leverage existing relationships or build in advance planning time to develop new relationships.

For example, civic ambassadors are a great way to expose interested residents to the work you are doing while also developing support for your hybrid event. Make sure there is a mutually beneficial relationship in order to add value to existing and new community ties. If this is not possible, consider another strategy.

Require multiple ways for the public to access information

Not everybody is able to participate in live events, whether they are in-person, virtual, or hybrid. We recommend that you develop a policy that requires posting information in multiple formats so that constituents can access relevant information regardless of their ability to engage live. This asynchronous engagement could include recorded and publicly posted virtual forums, digitally accessible forms and documents, concurrent livestreaming of forums to cable channels and on social media, requiring proponents/meeting participant to send digital copies of documents in advance of a meeting, etc. This new requirement may come with additional digital storage needs, so make sure to create a plan for storing these documents in advance.

Expand community access to technology, information, and services

Broadband access (and technology access more generally) are still major problems for residents across MAPC’s communities. We recommend developing policies and plans that expand broadband access, provide and fund interpretation and translation, assist the municipality in complying with ADA regulations, and provide technology trainings for community members. Take a look at our most recent Digital Access Plans in Chelsea, Everett, and Revere.

Require staff trainings on and familiarity with hybrid technology and virtual meeting platforms

Use group agreements in public meetings

Upgrade technology and meeting spaces

State Policies

The current re-authorization put in place by Governor Baker to allow public bodies to host remote meetings is set to expire on March 31, 2023. We urge you to contact your legislators today to ask them to extend the current remote meeting regulations.

Permanent remote meeting policy is one of MAPC's 2023 Legislative Priorities. MAPC supports a permanent extension to the remote meeting provisions, which would provide flexibility and maximize public participation.

As of right now, for this legislative session there is An Act relative to remote meeting access for public bodies and town meetings that has been filed by Representative Driscoll (HD.911) and Senator Gobi (SD.1247).

Photo is a somewhat aerial shot of one side of the Massachusetts State House with the sun setting or rising behind it.

How You Can Help

Contact your legislators today and urge them to support making remote meetings a permanent option! You can use the email template we have created to do so. Access it now!

Our Workshops

In the summer of 2021, the MAPC launched this initiative with a webinar series exploring meeting facilitation and design, technology needs, and current state law and policy debates that impact municipal meeting policies. MAPC staff attended subregional meetings to discuss hybrid meetings with municipal representatives.

See resources and recordings from these events at the links below.

Photo is of three people sitting behind a long table with a screen with information on it behind them. Each person is wearing a face mask.

Workshop 1: Emerging Practices and Challenges

August 18, 2021 | 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.

We kicked off this four-part series with a workshop attended by 166 people. We heard from our municipal colleagues on what is working and what challenges they're facing while conducting hybrid meetings.

Materials:

Speakers included:

MAPC's Community Engagement team
Leon Goodwin, Town Manager, Town of Dedham
Sarah MacDonald, Selectboard Member, Town of Dedham
Amanda Smith, Public Information Officer, Town of Dedham
Michelle Tyler, Planning Director, Town of Randolph
Alaa Abusalah, Citizen Participation Officer, City of Framingham

Workshop 2: Facilitation and Meeting Design

September 29, 2021 | 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

In this workshop, we tackled tips and tricks for setting up your meeting for success—for both in-person and remote participants—and strategized together on key decisions needed to build your hybrid event.

Amy Livingston, Infrastructure Public Involvement Discipline Leader at CDM Smith, joined us to talk about her learnings on facilitating hybrid engagement.

Materials:

About Our Speaker

Amy Livingston is a public involvement specialist with over 12 years of experience in public and stakeholder engagement, communications, and marketing. Passionate about solving complex problems and building consensus, Ms. Livingston’s experience has included strategic planning; virtual, in-person, and hybrid public meeting design, materials development, and execution; project and event management; navigating public processes; and advertising. As CDM Smith’s Public and Stakeholder Engagement Discipline Leader, she has led outreach efforts across the U.S. and is currently planning hybrid engagement efforts for several high-profile, complex infrastructure planning projects with heavy environmental justice populations.

Workshop 3: Technology and Hybrid Meeting Tools

October 30, 2021 | 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

In this workshop, we discussed technology and meeting tools that can help you host hybrid meetings.

Materials:

Download Slide Deck

About Our Speakers

Ryan Boyd is the Executive Director of Wakefield Community Television. He manages day-to-day studio operations and works directly within the community to help create and provide meaningful video content for the town of Wakefield. He graduated from Elon University with a degree in Communications and has worked in Los Angeles, Washington D.C., and Boston.

Ian McDermott is the Chief Engineer and Operations Manager for Wakefield Community Television. He maintains the equipment and transmission services so that members can spend their time creating the programming they are passionate about and seeing it on television with their friends and family.

Kelsi Champley is the Procurement Services Manager for MAPC's Municipal Collaboration Department. She assists regional organizations and MAPC's cities and towns with purchasing a wide range of equipment, vehicles, public works services, and municipal services. Kelsi also works on researching, creating, and implementing bids and proposals for the aforementioned vehicles, items, and services.

Brian Luther is a Municipal Services Specialist II for MAPC's Municipal Collaboration Department. Brian works with municipal officials and staff on special projects, grants, studies, and cooperative purchases to increase efficiency, strengthen and expand municipal offerings, and better position the region to effectively address upcoming challenges. His experience and expertise span many municipal functions including public procurement, finance, health, public works, public safety, information technology, solid waste, and human resources.

Workshop 4: Policies and Open Meeting Law Updates

November 17, 2021 | 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

In this workshop, we focus on policy priorities, advocacy tools, and strategies you can use to get the support you need to implement hybrid meeting best practices in your work.

Materials:

Download slide deck

About Our Speakers:

Lauren Goldberg: Managing Attorney, KP Law
Attorney Lauren Goldberg has over 20 years of experience in municipal law and governance. Her expertise and interests include public records law, conflict of interest law, open meeting law, and government information and access.

Leah Robins: Senior Government Affairs Specialist, Metropolitan Area Planning Council
As part of MAPC's Government Affairs team, Leah works with internal stakeholders to identify and develop priority legislation and funding initiatives to pursue with legislators and partner organizations. Leah focuses on clean energy- and environment-related initiatives and legislation, in collaboration with several state and regional coalitions and committees.

Subregional Visits

Each municipality in the MAPC region belongs to one of eight subregions. MAPC staff hold regular meetings with each subregion on relevant topics, including hybrid meetings. Subregional representatives from the South Shore (8/23), The Minuteman Advisory Group on Interlocal Coordination (MAGIC) (9/14), and MetroWest (9/23) shared best practices regarding setting up technology so that all participants can see each other, to mimic an in-person meeting. They emphasized the importance of designing a hybrid meetings and event to match the experience of an in-person meeting or event and the need to retain the benefits of accessibility and participation in virtual meetings. At the same time, our subregion members have identified some challenges of hybrid meetings. Foremost among these is that municipalities may not have the technology and personnel resources to adequately coordinate both the virtual and in-person components of a hybrid meeting. Additionally, municipal representatives raised the question of equitable access between in-person and virtual attendees.