Group meetings, webinars and gatherings: which format to use

The moment you want more than one guest in a session, you've got options — and they're not interchangeable. Picking the wrong format makes the event feel off: too formal for a casual meetup, too loose for a structured broadcast. Here's how to choose.

Group meeting — one host, a known group

A single scheduled session with several invited guests who all take part. Think a team workshop, a small-group coaching session, a planning call. Everyone's a participant; the group is usually known in advance; interaction is the point.

Use it when: the guests will talk, contribute or be worked with directly — and the number is small enough for that to work.

Webinar — register to attend, one-to-many broadcast

A presentation to an audience. People register, you present, they mostly watch and ask questions through a controlled channel. Talks, demos, launches, info sessions, open days.

Use it when: you're broadcasting to many, the audience is larger, and you want a register-to-attend list (and the follow-up marketing value that list brings).

Gathering — open, informal, come-as-you-are

A looser group event with no individual slots and no formal registration gate — people simply join. Community meetups, drop-in sessions, casual get-togethers.

Use it when: the vibe is open and social, and you don't need a structured attendee list or a presenter-audience split.

The quick decision

• Small, interactive, known group → group meeting
• Large, presenter-led, register-to-attend → webinar
• Open, informal, no slots → gathering

Don't confuse these with capacity booking

There's a related-but-different format worth separating in your head: many people independently booking seats in a recurring session, like a weekly class. That's capacity booking, and it behaves differently from a one-off group event — it's about filling seats over time, not running a single session. Knowing which you need keeps your calendar clean and your guests clear on what they signed up for.