5 Step Guide to Live Streaming Your Event

The benefits of filming all types of events, regardless of size, is widely understood and the benefits are appreciated. The resulting video could take the form of a highlights video, an advert, a training video, or a piece of  internal communications etc. But the option to live stream can often pass people by. At worst people have never heard of it and at best – people are interested but don’t know what it involves. This guide uses the panel discussion with LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman in front of an audience as its inspiration. But the principles of the project apply to all sorts of live streaming occasions of differing sizes. 
                                                                                                                                                                                      1. Identify these 3 key contacts:
  • The lead venue contact
  • The Audio Visual (AV) team. Not all venues have an existing AV set up-find out if yours does and let your filming company know.
  • Your Live Streaming Company

2. Find out from the venue contact:

  • Load in and out times and details of any restrictions e.g. parking/vehicle size/congestion charge
  • Venue access hours and curfews
  • Security issues e.g. scanners, staff passes
  • Best practice policies in place e.g. protective cloths in lifts
  • Are there relevant people at the venue to e aware of e.g. security guard, catering manager, receptionist
  • Full details of internet connectivity. Your live streaming company can advise you what is required. If the venue can’t support your needs then they should be able to step in

3. Speak to the AV team:

  • Find out what is already in place. It is not unusual for the live streaming company to ‘augment’ existing lighting and sound

4. Together with your Live Streaming company:

  • Share all logins and passwords for the social channel. the event will be streaming to e.g. FaceBook Live, Instagram TV (IGTV) or YouTube.
  • Create the camera plot for your event. Somethings to consider are: audience numbers, layout of panelists. You may need to ‘kill’ some seats to make way for camera positions and cable runs.
  • Designate a space at the venue for your ‘video village’. Read more about this below.

5. Some points for you to think about and of course to share with your live streaming company:

  • The precise timings and schedule for the live stream
  • Will there be questions from the audience?
  • How many panelists will there be and do they need to be media trained?
  • Will you want a highlights reel, social media clips as well as the live stream?
  • Will the stream be supported by overlays of copy, graphics, logos, images or powerpoint slides?
  • We recommend an animated holding ‘slate’ or image to go on the relevant social media channel prior to broadcast so that the waiting audience does not think that the channel has crashed or the live stream is not happening
And also-we are aware that this blog has been peppered with jargon – so you might like to read our blog about live streaming event jargon.