FAQs

What’s a Gathering?

A Gathering is an online social event held on Zoom with enough guests (i.e. more than 20) such that breakout rooms are important for personal connection.

A typical Gathering will consist of multiple rounds of breakout room times, interspersed with interludes where all guests are participating in some fun activity.

How does Regather.me help?

Regather.me helps by providing the host(s) with breakout room assignments that reflect the personal choices of the guests. The host(s) manually creates these breakout room assignments on Zoom during the Gathering’s interludes.

What does hosting a Gathering involve?

Before the Gathering:

  • You must have a licensed Zoom account or other platform that allows for breakout rooms.

  • Create your Gathering on Regather.me. Steps in the process:

    • Enter your Gathering date/time, and the email addresses for the guests you want to invite.

    • Create the Zoom meeting link in your Zoom account, then enter link on site

    • Create invitation wording for Regather.me to send out to your guests (the site has suggested language you can use or modify)

  • As your guests RSVP, they will have the opportunity to “prioritize” or “de-prioritize” other guests for their breakout assignments

  • Plan the interlude activities (e.g. fun polls and trivia questions) and conversation prompts for the breakouts (see Resources for suggestions)

During the Gathering:

  • You’ll need two facilitators (Zoom Host and Zoom Co-Host). During the Gathering, the Zoom “Host” will manage the breakout room assignments, while the Zoom “Co-Host” will emcee the large group interludes.

  • Zoom automatically assigns the “Host” role to the meeting owner. Since only the Host is able to assign participants to breakouts, once the two facilitators log on to Zoom, the meeting owner can make the other facilitator the “Host,” and that person can then make the meeting owner the “Co-Host.” This allows the Co-Host to emcee the Gathering, while their partner (now the Host) does the breakout assignments. Zoom info on activating the Breakout function

  • Zoom only allows pre-assignment of breakout rooms for participants who have Zoom accounts. For this reason, the Zoom Host will need to assign breakout rooms live during the event, using the breakout groupings that Regather.me has provided for each round of breakouts.

  • As the Gathering begins, the Host will check each attendee in on the Regather.me site, enabling Regather.me to instantly create the breakout assignments with accurate attendance information.

  • When the Gathering starts and guests start appearing on the Zoom screen, it helps to have the co-Host greet individuals and make small talk, much in the way a host might greet someone at the door.

How do breakout rooms work within Zoom?

  • Host will have a Breakouts icon in their Zoom toolbar.

  • Under “Options,”make sure the breakouts are set for the amount of time you want to offer, less 30 seconds for the return time (for a 10 minute breakout, Host will set Breakout Options for 9 minutes with 30 second return).

  • Host will choose the number of breakout rooms generated by the Regather site, and select “manually” for assigning.

  • Host will then assign each participant to their breakout room number.

  • For subsequent rounds, Host will follow the procedure above, having selected “Recreate” in the Breakout settings. If you want to change the number of minutes in a breakout, make sure to change this under Breakout Options.

  • The Host can close the rooms at any time if you need to (for example, if you’re running short on time but had a longer time set in Breakout Options).

  • The Host can broadcast a message to all breakout rooms at any time, as long as the Host has not joined a breakout and is still in the main meeting room.

  • Optional conversation prompts can help people ease into conversation. Some ideas are listed on the Resources page. Co-Host or Host can read the prompt before the Host opens the breakout rooms and remind people that it’s there just as an option.

  • In order to expedite breakout room assignments, it’s very helpful to have all participants’ first and last names listed for their Zoom names. Verbally ask people to rename themselves, or the Host has the ability to rename any participant.

Why does a Gathering need a Host and a Co-host?

  • You need one person (the Co-host) to greet guests and facilitate the interlude activities. While this is happening, the other person (the Host) is in the background creating the breakout room assignments on Zoom. On Zoom, only the Host can control breakout rooms.

  • The Host and Co-host should participate in the Gathering on separate devices.

What do I do if there are last minute no-shows or additions?

  • As the Gathering begins, the Host will check each attendee in on the Regather.me site. The Host can remove no-shows or add new guests quickly in this process, enabling Regather.me to generate accurate breakout assignments.

  • Most Gatherings will have last minute changes. This is why you should check in attendees before asking Regather.me to generate the assignments.

Does Regather.me only work on Zoom?

  • If your Gathering is held remotely, you’ll need Zoom or another platform that supports breakout rooms.

  • However, if you are hosting an in person Gathering where you want to have breakout sessions, Regather.me can also be used to generate breakout assignments that reflect the personal choice of your guests.

What should be the agenda for my Gathering?

  • If you plan on an hour-long Gathering, you’ll have time for three breakouts of 10-12 minutes each, plus fun interludes.

  • Polls are faster to facilitate, taking about 5 minutes.

  • Trivia games will take longer (likely about 10 minutes) since people will enjoy connecting over their answers.

  • Different personalities will enjoy different breakout group sizes -- consider a mix (pairs, trios, etc.) for your different rounds.

  • Groups enjoy both the small breakout chats and the whole group fun interludes. Give some thought to what you’ll need to provide for the interludes after the first and second breakouts. There are suggestions on the Resources page.

  • Think about how to close the Gathering -- people will feel connected and it’s helpful to have a warm final closing -- for example, a group screenshot photo (let people know so they are smiling).

  • We suggest having a detailed agenda printed for easy reference and time management during the event. A sample agenda is on the Resources page.