Why is it worth live streaming your event?
Video has become the centre of the digital tools and tactics to engage virtual attendees. With a major role in the event tech landscape, it offers the perfect means to broadcast your event while providing great content to display either on venue screens or remote devices.
Another key aspect is that creating new and exciting opportunities through event live streaming not only makes sense for large events. Live video streaming is actually a worthy investment for many types and sizes of events that are at full capacity — including small musical or corporate events that may need to reach a broader audience.
If you’re looking to host a hybrid event, consider investing in video tools that can deliver both high-quality audio and a seamless visual experience to your remote audience. Get to know how to choose the best video tools for virtual events.
The importance of live streaming quality
High quality streams matter because unlike pre-recorded videos that can be later cut and edited, live streaming works a bit like TV – in real time and uncensored. And because everything happens on the fly, it’s of utmost importance to test live streaming quality beforehand, making sure you’ll be able to host live stream events without a hitch.
Did you know that event planners risk losing up to 25% of their revenue when their live streaming quality is less than desirable?
Moreover, when broadcasting your virtual or hybrid events, the quality of a live stream directly impacts the overall attendee experience and engagement. And since live streaming quality is of first importance to the viewers, it should also be a priority to live streamers.
Learn more: How to choose the best live video streaming for events
How to improve streaming quality (with main features to look out)
First of all, note that each of these points is only applicable if you’re in charge of the image capture, processing and transmission phases of your live streaming. Typically, setting up live streams requires technical skills and experience that the average event professionals doesn’t have – ending up being a service they outsource.
- If all goes well, your biggest concern will be to have a reliable internet connection – which needs to have enough speed to sustain the entire flow (for live video, your upload bandwidth should be at least twice your broadcast bitrate);
- Go for a professional online video platform that provides streaming solutions for managing and hosting video content, either public or private. They usually also come with specific features for monetization and streaming security;
- Invest in high-quality live streaming equipment (full HD or 4K cameras are the best options for professional broadcasting);
- Check all the recommended live encoder settings when converting your live video into streaming compatible formats;
- Choose a powerful CDN (content delivery network) – the best video hosting platforms integrate with powerful CDNs, so if you chose right you’ll be using a reliable, global content delivery network;
- Make multi-bitrate streaming possible by transcoding your live video content into multiple different qualities;
- Choose optimal video resolution and aspect ratios so that your viewers have a crystal clear view of your live streaming event (note that the highest resolution is not always the best resolution);
- Test extensively your streaming video and equipment – don’t forget to check all video embeds, test video quality at different bitrate levels and test with slow and fast internet connections in order to fix slow buffering.
How to overcome the most common security issues
Like any other solution acting in cyberspace, live streaming technology comes with a batch of security concerns the event industry has never seen before. These may not make you an expert, but they’ll at least help you learn about the most critical security challenges and solutions:
Problem: Copyright and intellectual property infringements
Solution: Draft a security policy document that prohibits the sharing of private video material externally.
Problem: Private data sharing
Solution: Make sure you don’t include any personal, sensitive or proprietary information in public video material – such as phone numbers, street addresses, passwords, designs or even code that could be copied.
Problem: Video stream stealing
Solution: There’s no way to completely prevent online video from being stolen, despite there are some more technical tips that can make it hard for thieves. The best and most practical way to stop theft is to use a streaming server and switch to an enterprise video platform (unlike YouTube or Vimeo). If it has already occurred, we recommend you to monitor online publishing platforms for stolen live video content.
Problem: Unauthorized streaming
Solution: Invest in a platform that allows only authorized users to stream content, avoiding unforeseen events.
Problem: Problematic shared servers
Solution: Opt for a security cloud solution. The beamian video platform is hosted by Amazon Web Services (AWS), which uses the most secure data centers in the industry to enable fast and secure video performance that is built to scale.
Problem: Password security mistakes
Solution: Make sure your passwords are long and contain a good mix of numbers, letters, and special characters – without never including personal or identifiable information. You should also include a mix of both upper and lowercase letters.
Conclusion
With hybrid working environments on the rise, we’ll more and more find live streaming a rising trend in the demand for the must-have event management software features. So as organizations continue to look to integrate their event planning toolbox into an ecosystem that works together as a well-oiled, functional machine, it makes sense to look for an event platform that already offers a professional live streaming service. While there are some problems with video/audio quality during streaming that can be previously fixed and improved, others will only really be avoided if you experience levels of professional performance.
