A computer-implemented method for concurrently initiating an application for participants of a conference, comprising: establishing a conference that includes a plurality of participant user devices; receiving, by a conference controller, a request from a participant user device in the conference to assign an application to the conference after the conference has been established; assigning the application to the conference; and in response to assigning the application to the conference, concurrently requesting initiation of the application for use on each of the plurality of participant user devices in the conference; wherein: concurrently requesting initiation of the application comprises: determining, by the conference controller, whether the application is available on one or more of the plurality of participant user devices; responsive to determining (908, 910, 912) that the application is not available on the one or more of the plurality of participant user devices, providing at least one portion of content of the application to the one or more of the plurality of participant user devices; and each executable instance of the application is independently controlled by one of the participant user devices and comprises one of an instance of the application executing on a virtualization server or a standalone instance of the application executing directly on the one or more of the plurality of participant user devices. establishing a conference that includes a plurality of participant user devices; receiving, by a conference controller, a request from a participant user device in the conference to assign an application to the conference after the conference has been established; assigning the application to the conference; and in response to assigning the application to the conference, concurrently requesting initiation of the application for use on each of the plurality of participant user devices in the conference; wherein: concurrently requesting initiation of the application comprises: determining, by the conference controller, whether the application is available on one or more of the plurality of participant user devices; responsive to determining (908, 910, 912) that the application is not available on the one or more of the plurality of participant user devices, providing at least one portion of content of the application to the one or more of the plurality of participant user devices; and each executable instance of the application is independently controlled by one of the participant user devices and comprises one of an instance of the application executing on a virtualization server or a standalone instance of the application executing directly on the one or more of the plurality of participant user devices. determining, by the conference controller, whether the application is available on one or more of the plurality of participant user devices; responsive to determining (908, 910, 912) that the application is not available on the one or more of the plurality of participant user devices, providing at least one portion of content of the application to the one or more of the plurality of participant user devices; and each executable instance of the application is independently controlled by one of the participant user devices and comprises one of an instance of the application executing on a virtualization server or a standalone instance of the application executing directly on the one or more of the plurality of participant user devices.