Hybrid General Meeting
Conduct a hybrid general meeting smoothly, in compliance with legal requirements, and flexibly
Hybrid general meetings offer shareholders maximum flexibility by allowing them to choose between attending in person or participating conveniently online. However, coordinating this combination presents an organizational challenge. With its many years of expertise, DEVIGUS ensures that all technical components and organizational processes work together seamlessly.
What is a hybrid general meeting?
The 2023 revision of the Stock Corporation Act established virtual general meetings as a legal option—since then, virtual general meetings have been permitted alongside traditional in-person meetings. A hybrid general meeting combines both formats: it offers one or more physical venues as well as the option to participate online.
The technical solution must be capable of verifying the identity of participants beyond any doubt and of immediately transmitting their votes and the results of the vote. In addition, it must be ensured that all participants can submit motions and take part in the discussions.
The benefits of a hybrid general meeting with DEVIGUS
- Digital Authentication of Participants: Through our fully integrated online voter portal, shareholders can easily authenticate themselves digitally to participate in the Annual General Meeting and submit written questions.
- Live voting and real-time results: In-person and online voting are seamlessly integrated, enabling immediate tabulation and analysis of the results.
- Legal certainty: Our entire software suite complies with all legal and regulatory requirements. With certified processes and signed protocols, you don’t have to worry about reputational damage caused by contestable decisions or even FINMA sanctions.
- Information security and data protection: We attach great importance to information security and are certified in accordance with the relevant ISO standards ISO 27001, ISO 27017 and ISO 27018.
- High flexibility: Our solution can be customized to meet your specific needs and align with your corporate design, and it can be scaled to accommodate general meetings of any size—whether you’re expecting a few dozen or thousands of participants. Additionally, all remarks can be simultaneously interpreted into German, English, and French as needed.
Key Features of a Hybrid General Meeting with DEVIGUS
These are the key features of the hybrid general meetings we organize:
Comprehensive participant management
Shareholders can flexibly register to attend in person or via the virtual broadcast of the Annual General Meeting—and easily change their attendance option right up until shortly before the event begins. Secure authentication for online participants is ensured through our online voting portal.
High-quality live broadcasts
A multi-camera setup ensures professional-quality video, while real-time captions and simultaneous translations ensure that your shareholders can follow the event seamlessly. Adaptive streaming technology ensures optimal playback and video quality on all devices.
Interactive ways to participate
Online participants can submit questions and requests to speak via text, allowing them to seek specific information and participate in the discussion even from a distance. Additionally, the system supports the integration of live audio or video contributions from shareholders joining remotely, as well as moderated Q&A management, ensuring fair participation for all attendees.
Synchronized voting
On-site and online participants cast their votes simultaneously. The votes are recorded in real time and immediately tallied and displayed. This ensures that all shareholders can participate fairly, regardless of their location.
Complete documentation
All spoken remarks and votes, video recordings, and online interactions are automatically logged and archived by our software. This ensures that you receive legally compliant meeting minutes for every general meeting without any additional effort on your team’s part.
Advanced analysis capabilities
Create exactly the reports you need. From detailed analyses of shareholder participation patterns to comparative analyses of voting behavior by participation method—such as statistical analyses of differences between in-person and virtual shareholders during critical votes—to comprehensive reports for the Executive Board and Supervisory Board featuring customizable dashboards, trend analyses, and automatically generated recommendations for action.
The integration of our shareholder registry software, AREGIS, and GVMANAGER for in-person meetings enables seamless data exchange and a consolidated view of all shareholder data.
How does conducting a hybrid general meeting with DEVIGUS work, step by step?
- Preparation: Our experts will set up the hybrid infrastructure and participant management.
- Access Management: Using our software solutions, such as GVMANAGER and the online voter portal, you can ensure the authentication of all participants—both in person and online.
- Live broadcast: A high-quality audio and video setup and state-of-the-art streaming solutions ensure a professional broadcast of the event to online participants.
- Interactive participation: All participants can easily ask to speak or ask questions during the event—either verbally or in writing—regardless of whether they are attending in person or online.
- Voting: All shareholders cast their votes at the same time. The votes are counted immediately, so the results are available right away.
- Follow-up: The software automatically generates comprehensive documentation and an analysis of the hybrid meeting.
Ensure compliance and data protection for a hybrid general meeting with Devigus
Our solutions ensure that you comply with all regulatory requirements when holding a hybrid general meeting.
Legal certainty and compliance with all legal requirements
We ensure that the conduct of your hybrid general meeting complies with all legal requirements under Swiss company law and international best practices. Our processes and systems are regularly reviewed by a specialized team of legal experts and adapted to new developments in the regulation of virtual and hybrid general meetings.
Strong data protection and IT security
All data transmissions in our software solutions are secured with end-to-end encryption, ensuring that sensitive information cannot be intercepted or decrypted as it travels from the sender to the recipient. Strict access controls and two-factor authentication further prevent unauthorized individuals from gaining access to critical systems or confidential data. Through regular penetration tests and comprehensive security audits conducted by independent third-party providers, we identify and address potential vulnerabilities at an early stage.
Utmost integrity of the voting results
Comprehensive procedures ensure reliable identity verification for all participants, as well as tamper-proof recording and long-term storage of votes and comments. Transparent processes also allow for independent verification of all meeting results.
Physical General Meeting
Are you planning your next AGM entirely on site? GVMANAGER simplifies the organization of a legally compliant general meeting that meets all regulatory requirements. Benefit from our expertise and experience. Find out more.
Virtual Annual General Meeting
Organizing a fully digital AGM is a challenging task. With our software solutions, you can rest assured that all shareholders will be able to participate and that the voting results will be legally valid. Learn more.
Frequently Asked Questions About Hosting Hybrid General Meetings with Devigus
Why is Devigus the right partner for hosting a hybrid general meeting?
For over 20 years, we have been helping companies of all sizes organize general meetings—whether in-person, virtual, or hybrid—and we regularly adapt our solutions to changing legal and technological conditions. This enabled us to host the first hybrid live demo of a general meeting in Switzerland.
Our interdisciplinary team is supplemented as needed by external legal experts and event managers, enabling us to support your company at every stage of the AGM planning process and ensure the highest quality and legal compliance.
How much lead time does Devigus need to organize a hybrid general meeting?
Twelve weeks of preparation time are required to ensure that the Annual General Meeting runs smoothly. If you already use our shareholder management software, AREGIS, the lead time can be reduced to 6–8 weeks.
Can the general meeting be held in person or virtually?
Can the general meeting be held in person or entirely online? Yes, our flexible platform enables the efficient and legally compliant conduct of both in-person and entirely online general meetings.
How does the technical support work on the day of the Annual General Meeting?
A Devigus team will be on site before and throughout the entire general meeting. We will handle the installation and setup of our solution, manage admission control, and ensure that everything runs smoothly. Through redundant data centers in Switzerland and fallback streaming, we ensure that secure data transmission is guaranteed at all times. If you have any urgent questions, you can also reach us 24/7 via our support hotline.