What is a Multi-ZOOM?

How to Connect Multiple ZOOM Meetings

Defining Multi-ZOOM

Multi-ZOOM is a setup consisting of multiple ZOOM meetings, running simultaneously.  Audio and video connections are made between the different meetings, which allow all attendees to see, hear, and interact with the hosts and other attendees via the main program output. 

While this can be a complicated setup, it allows you to manage attendees in smaller groups versus one large Mega-ZOOM meeting.  One key feature is breakouts.  A host can assign attendees to a breakout room at any time (either randomly or manually selected).  Since the meetings are smaller, the breakouts are smaller, making it easier for attendees to share and collaborate with one another.

Be aware that a Multi-ZOOM setup often requires a larger budget, a lot of equipment, and a dedicated audio/visual team to manage meetings.

Multi-ZOOM Basics

ZOOM Meetings

A standard ZOOM meeting can have up to 1,000 attendees.  You may want not want that many in each meeting, if you plan to utilize breakout rooms.

Computers

You’ll need one computer for each ZOOM meeting that you’re running.  Connecting an additional display?  Use the dual monitor setting.  Place on on gallery view and the other on speaker view.

Mix-Minus

A mix-minus or clean feed is a particular setup of a mixing console or matrix mixer, such that an output of the mixer contains everything except a designated input. Mix-minus is often used to prevent echoes or feedback in broadcast or sound reinforcement systems.

Support

Make sure that you have people to manage the multiple meetings.  These individuals will “Spotlight” people in ZOOM, monitor ZOOM chat and assign attendees to breakout groups.  This is usually too much for one person to handle, and cannot easily be done by the host.

Factors to Consider

a. Number of attendees
b. Will you use the breakout feature in ZOOM?  If so, how many people will be in each breakout group?  This determines how many ZOOM meetings you will need.
c. Number of cameras and types of connections.
d. Hardware switcher versus software switcher.
e. Mac or Windows operating system.  I recommend and use Mac only.

See our Multi-ZOOM setup and a list of associated equipment.