Regarding the online events under the European Territorial Cooperation Programme – URBACT, we spoke with Maria João Matos, senior technician at Directorate-General for Territory, on the role of FCCN services in carrying out these events.
“The FCCN team’s support in carrying out online events was essential”
How did the opportunity to use the Colibri service's webinar functionality to organize online events related to URBACT come about?
We were already aware of the Colibri service's webinar functionality, but we hadn't yet had an opportunity to use it. It seemed like the best option for the URBACT Transfer Marathon, given the event's format and the expected large number of participants.
And what added value do you think this service provided? How do you rate the experience?
The distinction between speakers and participants was fundamental here, as was opening the event to a significant number of participants who could interact through the “Questions & Answers” feature, which the webinar feature ensured in a simple way.
«The professional support, availability and friendliness of the Studio's technical team, as well as the excellent technical resources provided, were essential.»
The URBACT event also included a visit to FCCN StudioHow can you describe that moment?
The FCCN Studios have enabled the holding of dynamic online events, much appreciated not only by the URBACT community and stakeholders at national level, but also by the program Secretariat, which has been citing Portugal's Transfer Marathon as an example of National Sharing Event followed by other European countries involved in URBACT.
The professional support, availability, and friendliness of the Studio's technical team, as well as the excellent technical resources provided, were essential to achieving this success. We highly recommend them!
Are there other FCCN services that are used by the DGT?
In addition to the regular use of Colibri, more recently the Directorate-General for Territory established a protocol with FCCN that allows the use of EducastWe also used the Video Bank to share the content needed to run the Transfer Marathon among ourselves and with the Studio, which was extremely useful.
How do you anticipate the relationship between the DGT and the FCCN Unit to evolve in the future?
I believe that, now that several DGT employees have already used FCCN's services and received specific training, the Studios and Educast will be increasingly used by the DGT, in the context of holding events and institutional content, as well as for its dissemination.
The Colibri Webinar Service
The Colibri webinar project was implemented in July 2020, due to the community's demand for this type of event solutions and in light of the pandemic situation we are currently experiencing.
Please note that this service is available at no additional cost to the entire RCTS community, for online events with more than 300 and up to 1,000 participants, upon reservation. Please review the news of its launch or visit the service website Colibri.
FCCN and online events at your institution
With the lockdown, we all became more aware of the need to move our events to online or even hybrid formats, and the experiences have been very positive.
With FCCN's various services, we can ensure a professional studio with competent technicians, broadband connections that ensure the good quality of the event and, above all, access to the Colibri service.
In short, if your institution is part of the RCTS Network and is considering holding online events to share knowledge across borders, talk to us; we have the solution.
If you are not yet a member, then check out our page The RCTS Network and see how you can join.
