Because they have no governance authority or statutory responsibilities, an advisory board can be very straight forward to organise. There is no need for elections, committee structures or extensive disclosure of the advisory board’s role, remuneration or performance.
Most advisory board meet on a regular basis (Monthly for start-ups and quarterly for larger organisations or advisory board focusing on slow moving topics). Client advisory boards on the other side tend to meet less frequently, maybe once or twice a year.
Considering, Advisory boards are less formal structures than board of directors it allows flexibility and some organisations will consult them on an ad-hoc basis as required. For example in the face of a crisis, as a project evolves to its next stage or as they prepare key business moments.
The most important is to ensure Advisory boards are free to concentrate their energies and time on their core role, namely to complement the board of directors by providing specialist experience, knowledge and contacts not easily accessible elsewhere.