As the world becomes more and more digitized, it’s no surprise that event live streaming is on the rise. Live streaming offers a unique and engaging way to connect with an audience, whether it’s a large conference or a small workshop. And with the advent of new technologies, event live streaming is becoming more accessible and affordable than ever before.
In this article, we will discuss how to prepare for live streaming your events online.
Table of Contents
How Live Streaming Your Events Can Benefit Your Business
From workshops to conferences and product launches to music festivals, more and more people are choosing to live stream their events. There are many benefits of event live streaming for your business, which include:
1. Reach a wider audience
With event live streaming, you can reach a global audience. This is especially beneficial for businesses that want to promote their brand or products on a larger scale.
2. Cost-effective
Live streaming your events online can be a cost-effective way to reach a large audience without incurring the costs of travel and accommodation.
3. Engage with Remote Attendees
Live stream events are also a great way to engage with remote attendees who can’t make it to your event in person. This is especially useful for events that are happening in multiple locations simultaneously or for potential meeting participants who have schedule conflicts.
4. Enhance the Event Experience
Live stream events can enhance the event experience for your meeting participants. This can be as simple as providing video of speakers that s being streamed from another location or something more elaborate, like featuring showmanship elements such as visual effects, music, and other online audience engagement tools.
5. Viewer-Driven Content
Live stream events let you create content live and in real-time through audience interaction. For example, if the online audience wants to know more about a topic or question asked, they can ask the speaker live and get an answer.
Popular types of event live streaming!
There are many types of virtual events that can be live streamed. Here are five of the most common live stream events:
Concerts
Live streaming concerts are a great way for fans to experience their favorite bands and artists performing live, even if they can’t make it to the show in person. It’s also a great way for music lovers to discover new artists.
Sporting Events
Sporting events are another type of event that is often live streamed. This can be anything from a local high school basketball game to a major league baseball game. Live streaming allows people to watch their favorite teams and players in action, even if they can’t be there in person.
Conferences and Seminars
Conferences and seminars are often live streamed so that people who couldn’t make it in person can still watch and learn from the event.
Meetings and Webinars
Many business meetings and webinars are also live streamed so that people who couldn’t make it in person can still attend the event.
Workshops
Workshops are a great way to learn new skills and gain knowledge. Live streaming allows you to watch the workshops at your convenience. You can even participate in the workshop by asking questions and chatting with other participants.
How to prepare your live streaming events?
No matter what kind of live streaming event you’re hosting, there are some basics you need to take care of beforehand. Here are some of the key strategies before you stream live events.
1. Decide your goals and objectives
When you’re planning live stream events, it’s essential to have a clear goal and intention for the broadcast. Without this, it can be difficult to determine what content to include and how to market the event.
Before you start planning to stream live events, ask yourself what the purpose of the event is. Do you want to raise awareness for a cause? Generate leads for your business. Share important information with your employees or customers. Once you know what your goal is, you can start planning how to achieve it.
Think about who your target audience is and what kind of content they would find valuable. If you’re not sure where to start, consider doing some market research or surveying your audience beforehand.
2. Create a plan
Once you know what you want to accomplish, you can start putting together a team to help make it happen.
You’ll need to decide on things like who will be in charge of filming, where the cameras will be placed, and how the final product will be delivered to viewers. With all of these factors taken into consideration, you can then start working on logistics like obtaining the necessary equipment and securing a good internet connection.
Keep in mind that things can always change last minute, so it’s important to be flexible and have a backup plan ready to go. By being prepared and having a solid game plan, you’ll be able to ensure that your virtual events live stream are successful.
3. Choose the right platform
With so many online video platforms to choose from for live streaming events, it can be tough to know which one is right for you. Here are a few things to keep in mind when choosing an online video platform for live streaming your next event:
First, consider your budget. There are free options like Facebook Live and YouTube Live, but these come with certain limitations. If you have a bigger budget, there are paid platforms that offer more features and customization options.
Second, think about the size and scope of your event. Will you be live streaming to a small group of people or a large audience? Do you need any special features like closed captioning or live chat?
Finally, consider the technical capabilities of your team to smoothly live stream events.
4. Have the right equipment set up
When streaming events live, it is crucial to have the right equipment set up. This means having a high-quality camera, microphone, and lighting set up. Without these key components, the live stream will not be successful.
It is also important to have a backup plan for each piece of equipment. This way, if something does go wrong, there is a way to quickly fix it. Having a live stream go wrong can be very embarrassing and cause people to lose interest in the event.
Finally, test the equipment before the live events start. This will ensure that everything is working properly and that there are no surprises when it comes time to start streaming. By taking these steps, you can be sure that your live stream event will be successful.
5. Configure the encoder correctly
The encoder is responsible for compressing the video and audio data into a format that can be streamed over the internet.
There are a few things you need to take into account when configuring your encoders, such as the bitrate, resolution, and frame rate.
The bitrate is the amount of data that is transferred per second, and it needs to be high enough to maintain a good broadcast quality without buffering. The resolution is the size of the video, and you’ll want to make sure it’s set to 1080p or 720p.
The frame rate is the number of frames per second, and you’ll want to make sure it’s at least 30fps.
6. Build your live channel
Building a live channel is crucial for event live streaming. A live channel allows you to stream your event live to viewers all over the world. You can promote your event and sell tickets all in one place. Plus, with a Live Channel, you can offer pay-per-view options and ad-free viewing to your fans.
7. Embed the stream
This allows your viewers to watch the event on your website or any other platform, without having to leave and go to another site. There are a few things to keep in mind when embedding your stream.
First, make sure the player is the right size for your website. You don’t want it to be too small or too large. Second, choose a player that will work with all major browsers. And third, make sure the player has all the features you need, such as social sharing buttons and a chat function.
8. Conduct a test run
It will allow you to work out any technical issues that may arise and ensure that the broadcast quality is up to par. It’s also a good opportunity to get a feel for how the event will run and what kind of shot angles will work best. By doing a test run, you can make sure that your live streaming event goes off without a hitch on the big day.
9. Inform your audience
It’s important to make sure your audience is as prepared as possible. Here are some important things to remember:
– First and foremost, let your audience know that the event will be streamed live. This way, they can clear their schedules and be ready to watch at the appointed time.
– Secondly, give your audience a brief rundown of what they can expect from the live stream. This will help them understand what they’re seeing and why it’s important.
– Finally, remind your audience that they can interact with you during the live stream. This is a great opportunity to answer questions and get feedback in real-time.
10. Start your live stream
When you start streaming, you’re essentially creating a broadcast-quality video of your event that can be watched by anyone, anywhere in the world. That’s a powerful way to reach new audiences and connect with people who might not be able to attend your event in person.
Plus, live streaming gives you the ability to interact with your audience in real-time. That means you can answer their questions, address their concerns, and get feedback from them instantly. It’s a great way to create engagement and build relationships with your viewers.
How to avoid event live streaming failures?
No one wants their event live streaming to fail, but it happens. Here are a few ways to avoid the fails and make sure your event live streaming is a success.
First, make sure you have a strong and reliable internet connection. This is the most important factor in ensuring a successful live stream. If you’re not sure about your connection, test it out ahead of time by streaming something else beforehand.
Second, use professional equipment if possible. A shaky video is going to cut it for most events. Invest in a good quality camera and microphone to get the best results.
Finally, promote your live stream ahead of time so people know when and where to tune in. Make sure to post the link in multiple places and send out reminders closer to the event date.
Multistreaming is the new trend in event live streaming!
Multistreaming is the new trend in event live streaming. By broadcasting an event across multiple streaming platforms, organizations are able to reach a wider audience and engage with viewers in real-time.
This trend is being driven by the increasing popularity of live streaming services such as Twitch, Facebook Live, YouTube Live, and other streaming platforms. More and more people are tuning in to watch live streams of their favorite games, events, and personalities. And with the rise of mobile devices, it’s easier than ever to stream live video from anywhere.
Organizations that are looking to maximize their reach and engagement should consider multistreaming their next event. By doing so, they’ll be able to connect with viewers on the platform of their choice and ensure that no one misses out on the action.
Multistreaming your events with Ngage.ai
Wrap Up!
In conclusion, following these tips will help ensure that your event live streaming is a success. By properly preparing ahead of time, you can avoid any stressful surprises on the day of the event. Make sure to test your equipment and an internet connection, and have a backup plan in case anything goes wrong. Have a clear idea of what you want to achieve with your live stream, and promote it in advance to get people excited about watching.
Read
How to make a perfect virtual event design?