The Video chat feature enables participants to talk to each other directly, face-to-face, on the platform. It means that you can speak with fellow industry professionals without having to go through the tedious process of exchanging contact information and deciding which software you want to use to talk.

There are several ways to start a video chat:

  • Via the personal profile page of the desired participant,

  • on the "Networking" page by clicking on the profile bubble on the Relevant and My Connections tabs,

  • via an individual or group Chat,

  • or by participating in an Appointment.

You also have the possibility to enter already existing video chat areas. These include, for example, the areas of a Virtual Café or visiting a Showroom on an exhibitor's tile.

Feature layout and options

The participant who starts the video chat will have an Outgoing call pop-up window in the top right corner, accompanied by a ring tone. They can cancel the call before the receiving participant(s) can answer it.

The participant who receives the video chat will have an Incoming call pop-up window in the top right corner accompanied by a ring tone, where they can either answer or decline the call.

Once the video chat starts, the participants enter a dedicated video chat room with a functional layout. The top part of the screen is reserved for the name of the video chat. If it’s a video chat with other participants, this section will show the names of those participants. If it’s a virtual café, the name of the café is displayed, and if it’s a showroom, it will display the name of the exhibitor.

The central part of the screen is reserved for displaying the other video chat participants in their respective video tiles. There can be up to 16 tiles shown at any time, and each tile has the participant's name displayed at the top. There will also be a microphone icon displayed next to the participant’s name, indicated whether the person’s microphone is turned on or not. When a person speaks, the white line surrounding the participant’s name and microphone icon will turn blue to indicate it. Also, if a participant has used the raise hand button, there will be an icon next to his name to indicate it. The feature bar is located under the video tiles, and it provides you with the following buttons:

  • Mute/unmute

  • Sound off/on

  • Camera off/on

  • Start/stop share screen

  • Raise/lower hand

  • Settings

  • Leave

You can also see your video tile to the right-hand side of the feature bar if your camera is on.

The "Mute" button allows you to mute your microphone, and you can turn it back on by clicking the same button. The "Sound off" button allows you to turn off the sound of the video call, and you can turn it back on by clicking on the same button. The "Camera off" button allows you to turn off your camera, and you can turn it back on by clicking the same button.

The "Share screen" option allows you to share the contents of your screen. By clicking on the "Start share screen" button, you are shown a pop-up window that allows you to choose to share from the following:

  • If you choose to share your entire screen, everything displayed on your screen will be displayed to the other participants.

  • If you decide to share an application window, you can choose from one of the applications you have opened on your computer at that time. Only the content shown within that application will be displayed to the other participants.

  • Finally, the "Chrome tab" option allows you to share one particular tab from your browser.

Clicking on the "Raise hand" button shows a raised hand icon next to your name on the video tile and in the participants sidebar. This is to indicate that you want to ask a question or reply to one, answer yes or no questions without speaking, etc. You can remove the icon by clicking on the button again.

The "Show chat" button allows you to open a Chat with the video chat participant(s). If you’ve already chatted to the participant(s) before, it will open the existing chat. If you haven’t chatted to the participant(s) before, it will start a new chat with those participant(s). The "Settings" button opens the Settings section of the Communication Center. Finally, the "Leave" button allows you to leave the video chat.

There is a sidebar to the right of the video tiles that can be expanded and collapsed by using the appropriate button. The sidebar shows the video chat participants in a list, showing their profile image, name, and job title. Additionally, there are icons that show when someone is muted, when someone is speaking or when someone has used the raise hand feature. There is a "More Options" button next to every participant, allowing you to open an action prompt with the following options:

  • Favorite

  • Chat

  • Appointment

Finally, at the bottom of the sidebar, you have the Connect to all participants button. You can use this button to send out connection requests to all video chat participants you are not connected to. By clicking this button, you are shown a pop-up window to write a short message to those participants before sending the request.

Moderated video chats

Moderated video chats are special video chats that include Virtual Cafés, Showrooms, and small conference rooms. Participants in these video chats have the same layout and options at their disposal as with a direct video chat. There is one notable difference: the sidebar to the right-hand side of the video tiles doesn’t just contain the participant list; it also includes the text chat. The text chat in the sidebar is dedicated to the video chat room, meaning that when you come in, you will be able to read everything that participants wrote in the chat before your arrival. Once you leave the video chat, you won’t have access to this chat anymore. This also means that the "Show chat" button opens this chat instead of opening a chat in the communication center.

In addition to this, there is also a special kind of participant in these video chats called moderators. Moderators are staff members of the exhibitor who is hosting the video chat. They are marked by an icon next to their profile image in the participants list in the sidebar, and they have three additional features that they can use:

  • The moderators can use these options when they click on the More Options button next to a participant. The "Remove participant" feature allows moderators to remove participants from the video chat. Once removed, the participants can rejoin the video chat.

  • The "Ban participant" feature also removes the participants from the video chat. However, banned participants are not able to rejoin it.

  • Finally, the "Mute" feature allows the moderators to mute individual participants. The participant will receive a pop-up message notifying them that they were muted and can unmute themselves afterward.

Navigating the Event Guide site while in a video chat

The Event Guide allows you to browse the site while you are in a video chat. For example, you can click on one of the pages in the Navigation bar or visit a participant’s personal profile page by clicking on them in the sidebar. You will not leave the video chat - instead, the video chat will enter a picture-in-picture mode. This means that the video chat will no longer occupy the whole central part of the screen. You will see the page you navigated to, and the video chat will be shown in a small tile, with the audio running uninterrupted.

The tile will show you the view of the other participant, and you will not be able to see your camera view. In the case of a group video chat, you will see the participant who’s currently speaking or has spoken most recently. Under the tile, you will see a feature bar that offers you the following options:

  • Mute/unmute

  • Sound off/on

  • Camera off/on

  • Start/stop share screen

  • Settings

  • Leave

You can also click and hold the tile using the cursor to drag it around the screen and set its position according to your preference. You can then click on the tile to restore the video to full size.