APDC and its Remote Shareholders' Meeting

Lisbon, 1st July 2020 - Around 40 members of APDC - Portuguese Association for the Development of Communications met in June for a remote Ordinary General Meeting, held through a solution from Minsait, an Indra company, designed to overcome the obstacles posed by the measures imposed to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many organisations face the challenge of complying with internal processes, such as general assemblies. Minsait's Onesait Democracy platform offers all possible tools for holding a remote meeting involving several participants.

"APDC used the Onesait Democracy platform developed by Minsait at its General Meeting, held for the first time in the history of the Association in digital format. This solution exceeded the Association's needs, making available an extended set of functionalities, which allowed replicating the requirements and procedures required for this type of initiatives, carried out until now in face-to-face format. We also highlight the broad support of Minsait's team from the ideation phase of the General Meeting to its aftermath. It was undoubtedly the ideal solution for the APDC General Meeting", says Sandra Fazenda Almeida, APDC Executive Director.

Onesite Democracy is based on the experience of elections and digital solutions to provide a secure tool to hold General Assemblies without the need for members to be in the same physical location. The tool allows the President of the Meeting to hold the meeting, share presentations, organize the speeches and vote on each of the items on the agenda. Security is enhanced by using a double authentication factor to verify the identity and eligibility status of the member, who receives connection details and individual credentials prior to the meeting.

Worldwide, several General Meetings have been cancelled or postponed due to the Coronavirus pandemic. The United Nations itself has decided not to hold the General Assembly scheduled for September. Minsait has presented solutions to overcome these obstacles and hold assemblies remotely.

"No one could predict the consequences that COVID-19 would have on our lives. It is possible that the virus will modify from now on some of our most basic habits, but it does not necessarily have to interrupt or prevent actions for which technology gives us an alternative. The APDC General Meeting is one such example," says Vicente Huertas, CEO of Minsait in Portugal. "In addition to security and risk reduction, meetings with members or shareholders by telematic means allow participation from anywhere in the world, increasing the participation of stakeholders and boosting the growth of international impact, whether through new members or foreign investors," he adds.

Onesite Democracy has served several parliaments over the past ten years, managing the daily sessions. The current enhanced functionality provides an integrated solution for session management and secure online voting. Onesite Democracy also enables hybrid face-to-face / online models, being the first digital platform that supports a fully integrated multi-channel installation for holding annual General Meetings.

"It is a solution that allows to manage plenary sessions, vote records remotely and safely. With it we guarantee that all parties involved in holding a General Meeting can take advantage of the benefits offered by telematic means. This Minsait remote meeting solution protects the interests of shareholders/associates and offers equal opportunities for participation, ensuring the same level of interaction as in a face-to-face meeting", says Joana Miranda, Minsait's Director of Public Administration and Health in Portugal.

Minsait has over 20 years of experience in providing customized software and hardware solutions for holding General Meetings, designed to meet all needs during the entire event cycle (planning, organization, realization and subsequent support). All through technological solutions such as:

• Treatment of the census of associates/shareholders
• Voting, delegation and electronic representation
• Members/Shareholders Electronic Forum
• Information law website
• Production and management of accreditations
• Accreditation and access control to the general meeting
• Information on participation and quorum, management of speeches and voting at the general meeting through tablets. Online results
• Chat between members of the general meeting
• Streaming of the general meeting video

A telematic General Meeting can be fully held remotely, providing participants with access to streaming audio and video in real time through an application or website. It can also adopt a hybrid format, with the general meeting taking place in a physical space and providing shareholders with live remote access.

The benefits are undeniable for all parties. The company, or association in the case of APDC, modernizes the image with a new digital vision and culture, reduces organizational costs, increases shareholder/associate participation and gains in efficiency and security. From the point of view of the shareholders/associates, the telematic General Meeting increases the commitment and participation before, during and after the event and improves the expectations and satisfaction of the stakeholders, thanks to the benefits of intuitive, easy-to-use and modern processes and tools.