Studies suggest that virtual meetings still represent a significant portion of meetings, often between 40-60%, depending on the industry and region. In theory, they all perform similar functions, keeping track of ticket sales, program agendas, speaker’s assets, and valuable diagnostic data, but as we recently discovered the little gotchas and glitches can kill
ya.
Without mentioning the platform we used we’re going to share a few things you’d never think to ask that may come back to haunt you.
Video Streaming Is Where the Rubber Meets the Road
Most event platforms rely on external streaming services or their own internal players to distribute your content on the day of your event. Before purchasing your platform make sure you get to try the video platform and decide whether you can live with the simple player that’s often included in the package
or whether you need the full power of something like Zoom, which is capable of spotlighting, working with 3rd party add-ons like polling and special effects, and more. Most event platforms let you embed Zoom as your streaming platform through the use of the RTTP protocol, but they are known to lose some of their features or experience a delay.
Think about the Post-show Video and Audio
Zoom is pretty flexible about letting you record tracks of audio, video, gallery view and presentation screen (that’s how we set ours up for our monthly meetings). Most event platforms are considerably less flexible, letting you record just a single video/audio stream.
How will your Platform Handle Speaking Tracks?
For those who didn’t know this we’ll share that the best practice is for each panel track in an event should have its own URL. It’s better for recording and post-production. But it does mean that you give each one of your speakers (or panelists) a unique URL, which is a royal pain when you’ve got lots
of speakers who don’t always read their emails.
Onboarding Your Speakers
If your speakers are recording their sessions from office environments (security, VPNs) you may be in trouble. You may fare better if they can all log in from their personal computers. And if your events system handles your emails to your speakers for you, you may need to constantly make sure your missives don’t
wind up in the spam folder. (The advantage of mailing panelists from your platform is that it may let you keep track of who has opened your email.)
Use Your Support Time Wisely
Most event platforms do not offer unlimited support. You get a few hours. So be prepared with your questions. Our advice is to save a part of your time as you begin onboarding speakers because that’s where you’re most likely to encounter problems.
Rehearse Each Speaker on the Computer They’ll Be Using and in the Room Where It Will Happen
Lighting, sound, camera problems, log-in problems, speakers who’ve lost their way to the “studio” … trouble will find you. Best practice is to get them set up as close to the live date as possible and tell them not to touch their settings, including camera framing, until the show is over. Have the presenters understand exactly what they will see on the screen as they
present. (In our case if they use a PowerPoint or media file they will not see themselves presenting, for example).
Flexibility of Design
At the end of the day, you will likely find that the limitations of event platforms dictate how you design your show. A good example is that when you have a show emcee or a special keynoter, your platform may relegate them to “Speaker” status like everyone else. And if you have recurring talent like an emcee there might not be an easy way to include repeat performances other
than to repeat sessions. You are handcuffed.
Bottom Line
Virtual events platforms are really good at giving you a guiding framework for your event with the ability to sell tickets, manage guests, stay in contact with speakers and collect assets. But when it comes to the streaming video part of the show, they all have limitations. |
