Simultaneously meeting without host

[muflihfq]

I have a business plan and I found out from this resource (https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/206122046-Can-I-host-concurrent-meetings-) that I can host two meetings simultaneously. My question is whether I can enable the 'join before host' setting for both meetings, so that the host doesn't need to join

[Ray_Harwood]

Welcome to the Zoom Community, @muflihfq.

I took a fresh look at relevant Zoom documents with your question in mind, and I don't see any reason you couldn't set that for both meetings.

Give it a try and test it.  It would be helpful for you to come back here and report your results, so others will know.

[muflihfq]

Thanks for the response, Ray. However, I've tried creating two meetings from the API using the same licensed user as host. While I  (as participant) was able to join the first meeting, my colleague (also a participant) received an error message when attempting to join the second meeting, stating that the 'host is already in another meeting.' Did I miss something or are there additional settings that need to be configured?

[Ray_Harwood · Accepted solution]

Here's the current Zoom Support article that covers multiple simultaneous meetings:

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/206122046-Hosting-multiple-meetings-simultaneously

Please note the second bullet in the prerequisites section:

• Host must start the meeting

I'm not sure if you must start both meetings, but if there is a meeting in progress (whether you started it or not), then you must start the second meeting. You colleague can't initiate the second meeting by joining it, even if Join Before Host is enabled.

If you are on a Business Plan account, this should work for you.  You mentioned you "have a business plan", and I'm hoping you mean Business Plan (capital letters) which is a distinct Zoom billing term for accounts with 10 or more licensed users, as opposed to "business plan" (small letters) meaning "a plan I use for my own business."

[chirper]

Thank you, Ray. I'm hoping you can answer a related question. I host a regular Zoom meeting and set it up so that others can enter and meet, occasionally without my being present. Next week, I want to watch a live-streamed presentation that overlaps with the Zoom meeting I host. I don't know if the organizers of the presentation will be using Zoom or another platform. If I am "elsewhere" but online, will invitees to my Zoom meeting still be able to meet?  Thank you!

[Ray_Harwood]

Hey, @chirper.

That’s a great question – and one I don’t see very often.

The restriction is based on hosted — or more accurately, owned – meetings. With a Pro account, you can’t have two meetings that you own active at the same time. The one meeting that you set up for others to join should not interfere with your ability to join someone else’s meeting. And the fact that you’re attending someone else’s meeting should not interfere with attendees joining your meeting – provided you’ve set it up properly:

• Enabled Join before Host (I recommend 5/10/15 minutes, not “Any time”)
• Enabled and provided the Passcode or Join links with embedded Passcode
• Disabled Waiting Room.

Also consider providing a trusted attendee with your Host Key, so there’s an authorized Host present to help manage the meeting. See this Zoom Support article for more info:

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/205172555-Using-your-host-key