Following the success of the Celebrity Speakers Virtual Showcase, Vidcom have put together their FAQ's around the set up of the event.
To watch the recorded Speaker Showcase, click here.
- Are these streams live or pre-recorded?
- This event was a mixture of pre-recorded content and live Q+A. We pre-recorded the sessions so that there was more control over the delivery and content. Everything we did, we can do live – we can insert graphics, videos and other content on the fly.
- Does the platform allow you to DM the organisers/Vidcom directly if they have a problem? For example if a delegate is having a technical issue they may not want to ask for help in front of everyone.
- Can an attendee ask for technical help if they are having issues that don’t come up in the comments dialogue area?
- On the Livestream platform there is no ability to private message. Options we have available are making available an email or text number for people who need support. There are other platform options we can offer also
- Otherwise we can put a message on screen, before the stream begins, offering basic tech support.
- Most of the issues people face are either not being able to see or hear the stream (Livestream sometimes starts muted), or hearing an echo – that’s when they have the stream open more than once. That’s another reason why we start streaming at least 10 minutes before the start of the event- to allow people to come on and check they are seeing and hearing the stream ok.
- Is there an option for audience to ask questions and they only go to a facilitator? or have the slido function, ie audience can vote on questions that have been vetted first.
- Would be great to have a questions area where the audience can up or down vote questions, so only the most interesting questions are asked during Q&A. Does this exist?
- Can questions from participants be 'banked' so that the MC can see the most often asked question rather than the most recent question?
- Are you able to hide the comments coming in from people until Q&A time, e.g. I found comments about the outfit that someone was wearing were distracting and not relevant- i.e. people can still type questions – but they are hidden.
- Can the questions be ‘banked’ so the MC sees the most often asked question rather than what has come up on the screen at that time?
- If you are showing questions on the side – is it possible for others to vote on the relevance of that question?
- The Livestream chat is not vetted and is fully public. We can turn off the Livestream chat and direct viewers towards a SLI.DO type platform which also offers question upvoting and polling – however this will require viewers to either use two devices, or have the Q+A platform open in a second tab or window.
- Is Vimeo the only live platform that can be used?
- Can we remove the Vimeo branding for a webcast, and is Vimeo your go-to platform, or do you have several platforms you're working with?
- We have the ability to stream to any of the popular streaming platforms, and in any combination – including streaming to your Facebook or Youtube channels, as well as embedding into your website with or without the chat.
- We can remove Vimeo branding as required, and host by embedding directly onto your website.
- How are presenters calling in to this? Skype? Zoom?
- Are live speakers connecting via Zoom or other/mix of platforms?
- We have a number of ways to do this including Skype and Zoom, some companies have limitations on which video conferencing platforms they allow staff to use. We always run rehearsals with presenters to practice both presentation elements, and technical elements and connection testing.
- How many people do you recommend for a Q&A session where it is screen shared – e.g. chairperson and x number of speakers?
- Does the MC mute the others while someone is answering a question; or can everyone wade in?
- Can the person who is answering the question pop out into a bigger screen than the MC?
- There is no limit but we’d suggest no more than 8 or 9 people are on screen at any one time – 8 people leaves some space to have branding or a logo remain on screen. Any more than that, and the viewing experience will be less than ideal especially for those watching on phones and tablets.
- What in your opinion, is the optimal time for a live session like this?
- How do you deal with time differences between countries – are these best to be pre-recorded?
- What do audiences prefer in your experience – live or pre-recorded?
- Totally dependent on the audience and the industry. Some people will prefer half day conferences, if you want to include Australian delegates for example then an afternoon session might be more appropriate.
- Pre-recorded sessions are a viable option for many situations- ensuring clarity of the message being delivered, not being reliant on a presenter’s possibly poor internet connection, or for confidence reasons.
- What options are there for a virtual studio environment?
- We can work with you to design everything from green screen sets (where we can virtually place you in any location) or filming you in a custom studio set, including in either your offices or a conference space – get in touch for more information.
- Can you go from multiscreen (like now) full screen when a presenter speaks?
- Yes- we can program any kind of layout, whatever is appropriate for the event. Some events prefer panel sessions to go from a multi-speaker layout, to a single camera window to minimise distraction.
- Are we able to do breakout chat groups for Q&A on this platform?
- This is an option we can offer alongside our virtual event platform – it is something we would discuss as part of a whole-event proposal and package.
- Hi VC & CS, How much is this package? I work in tertiary and am looking for ways to bring experts for virtual talks.
- We’d be happy to discuss this as part of a proposal and package with you – let’s take this offline!
- Are you using hardware switching for overlays or software such as vMix or OBS (or other) sent to broadcast stream?
- We use a mix of technologies, both software and hardware which we have invested in - and tested thoroughly - to ensure we deliver stable and reliable events for our clients. This includes the ability to incorporate remote callers, graphics, video playback and other interactive elements.
- Does the 375 figure on the left of the screen tell us how many people are watching OR are in the chat room?
- The viewer count in the top left side of the livestream is the current viewer count. We can turn the display of this off if needed.
- Do you give technical tips for speakers on background and lighting - not all speakers have an area that is well lit for example.
- Do you give novice speakers help with say how to pre-record their presentation and how you would bring in graphics such as PowerPoint slides during the presentation?
- We have a simple technical tips guide that we send out as part of the rehearsal process to your presenters. During the rehearsal we use this time to check audio and video settings for best results, as well as adjust cameras and lighting as needed.
