by Michael Palmrose
As the Coronavirus is spreading, event planners and conference organizers are either cancelling, rescheduling or looking at other ways to provide value to their event attendees. Last month, Milan fashion week refused to come to a screeching halt. Organizers decided to live stream their fashion shows instead of cancelling them all together.
Instead of cancelling or rescheduling, which can incur significant fees for the organizers, you can always switch your event to a virtual one. This can be done using a live stream option where you invite participants to engage with attendees using a professional live streaming service.
In order to generate revenue from these events, there are multiple payment platforms that you can use for your live stream. Here are our top three recommended payment platforms for giving your attendees a “ticket” to the virtual event. Preferably, you want to look for is a company that offers a “single-sign on” service where each individual viewer will be required to pay to attend the event. That way, viewers can’t share passwords or links with other potential attendees. This prevents the loss of “virtual” ticket sales. Be sure to run these options by your video agency before purchasing a package. They may already be partnered with someone who offers a paywall service and give you the best advice that fits your needs.
#1 Vimeo
We cannot say enough about vimeo as a professional live streaming platform. You can even do a free trial at their least expensive option - the “Business” level - and still earn money from your views. Take a look at their live events article here to get an idea of what you will see as far as analytics and the interface as the manager of the live event. We recommend their Enterprise option if you are a conference with over 1,000 attendees looking for a high-quality, professional experience. Take a look at their options at the bottom of their live streaming page. They offer trials and demos through their various packages.
#2 Zype
Zype offers a super easy how-to article for setting up your video stream behind a paywall. They offer amazing direct-to-consumer gated video streaming services based on powerful and reliable cloud-based video infrastructure with leading-edge monetization options. They offer a free demo and have a pretty reputable client base. Here’s their enterprise page to help you get started on live streaming your event. This is probably the best option for conference organizers who want to try out their hand at using a paywall in front of their conference webcast for the very first time.
#3 Dacast
Dacast is a live streaming and video hosting platform that was launched in October of 2010. Since then, they have helped broadcast video for more than 120,00 professional broadcasters. In 2018, they won the annual “Streaming Media Readers’ Choice Awards. Their interface is easy to use and comes with 24/7 online and phone support. You can choose to pay on a one-time event basis. They even offer a free trial and you can potentially host your own ads on the viewing page. This option is best suitable for companies located outside of the U.S.
If you decide to live stream your event, here is a great list of questions to answer prior to reaching out to the video team:
● How big is the event space?
● Where and how will power be available at the venue?
● What are the venue requirements for unloading and picking up equipment?
● Is there a loading dock? Do you require a commercial vehicle plate?
● Does the venue require proof of insurance from the videographer?
● How early will the videographer have access to the venue? How late can they stay to pack up equipment after the event?
● How much space is available for equipment including cameras and other production equipment?
● What does the space where the speaker will be standing look like? Is it raised above the audience? Podium? Long table? How well is it lit? Will the speaker be in one spot or be moving around?
● Will sound be provided by the on-site audio/video (AV) team? Will the video team have access to the house mics? Can the video team also use my own mics as well?
● How long is the event? Will there be breaks?
● Will there be audience interaction? Will the audience be mic'd? Will they be lit?
● Will there need to be shots of the audience's faces or are the backs of their heads enough?
● Is there a desire to give online viewers the chance to ask questions?
● Will the video need to be displayed in the venue?
● Will you need a recording of the event afterwards? How soon?
● Do you want the recording to be available online immediately after the broadcast has ended? For how long?
● Where do you want the video stream to go? If viewers are paying to attend the virtual conference, how will they receive the link?
Making your event virtual and putting the access to the event behind a paywall is a great alternative for cancelling your event altogether and may prove to be an added benefit down the line when you can offer both a live conference and virtual ticket at the same price. Contact us using the form today to get advice on how you can live stream your conference.