Things to Consider When Livestreaming:

In our free WSB Guide to Livestreaming and Virtual Events, we highlight several different areas to consider when putting on a livestreamed event. The key to understanding how to livestream successfully relies on understanding of a mix of key pieces – cost, resources, equipment, logistical coordination, and technical capability.

Do It Yourself or Hire a Vendor?

If you do have existing video production staff and the equipment (cameras, switcher/encoder, mics, lighting), it’s likely you have what you need to be able to livestream without a vendor. If you don’t livestream often, it’s good to check that you have a dedicated line out (T1) from your technology team or from the facility you’re using, as well as a video platform that can accept a stream from your CDN (Content Data Network). More information is available on the equipment you need and how livestreaming works in the guide.

If you decide to use a vendor, the amount you’ll pay really depends on the size of the production you want to put on. On the lower end, you should certainly expect to pay in the tens of thousands of dollars for the full suite of services – including the website build, crew, and the filming/streaming (not including lighting) and archiving. That may seem high but the cost of livestreaming through vendors has come down in recent years, if only due to the fact that they have been steadily developing more turnkey solutions.

Other Things to Consider

• Staffing: Each professional livestream generally requires a few key staff – camera operators, a switcher, an IT/Network monitor (to analyze load/bandwidth), an individual testing the livestream as it plays, and an online moderator for comments.
• Quality Lighting: Poor lighting can ruin a livestream experience. So, ensuring speakers are well-lit in any room they are delivering the presentation will go a long way in ensuring attendee satisfaction online.
• Separate Microphones for the Livestream: Relying on the “house audio” can be tricky depending on the venue. In other words, speakers are typically miked for an in-person audience. WSB recommends that a separate set of mics be used to record the audio for the livestream to ensure quality for the Internet audience. If only recording for a livestream, then obviously only one set of mikes is necessary.
• Notifying Attendees: Whether you have a registration process or you’re opening the livestream to a wider group, it’s important to alert attendees several times ahead of the actual livestream so they don’t miss it. Typically, the process involves a notification 24 hours in advance, as well as the morning of the event.
• Registration: If you are asking attendees of the livestream to register or pay to see the event, it’s important to put the site behind a paywall or registration wall. Your IT staff should be able to develop this easily if you’re streaming in-house. Alternatively, most vendors can do this for you as well -- and even integrate your registration/login (as opposed to one they provide out of the box). The catch is that this may take a bit more coordination – and may slow down the login a bit, as the vendor has to “call” your backend CRM/AMS to confirm registration from the website they build.  

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Download our FREE WSB Guide to Livestreaming and Virtual Events 

In our free WSB Guide to Livestreaming and Virtual Events, we cover a lot more on the pros and cons of various approaches as well as other speaker considerations about virtual events, including webcasts and webinars. For speaker ideas, check our Speaker Collections, and subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest videos of our speakers in action.

For a customized list of speakers, contact WSB today: