With COVID making it more difficult to travel and meet in person, Live Streaming has become an important part of our lives. It’s no longer just a tool being utilised by gamers and influencers, with more and more people becoming aware of what live streaming technologies can deliver. Being able to broadcast any event or meeting live is great for connecting with family and friends and for businesses to meet with clients and grow and inform their customers. There are so many ways live streaming is being used, such as family events and parties, weddings, funerals and worship services, online lectures and interactive classes and a wide range of business applications.
There are some who think live streaming is too hard to set up and manage, or are unsure of the benefits. Many are using live streaming platforms such as Zoom, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram and don’t see why they need to hire a professional with specialised equipment. There are however many benefits in having your live stream event managed by an experienced professional in videography.
Reduce travel needs
The most obvious benefit of holding an event on a live stream platform or as a hybrid event where some are present and some join online is that it eliminates the need for travel. There’s still a lot of uncertainty around travelling these days, even with the easing of restrictions. Increased costs and the recent unreliability of air travel for work or social events make live stream attendance more attractive.
Online attendance means you don’t have to worry about booking flights and accommodation, packing and getting to the airport, and then navigating your way to the event in time. National businesses that had traditionally worn the cost of travel and accommodation to get their staff together for an important presentation can now connect everyone via a simple link, allowing them to be present even if they’re working from home.
The Bride and Groom stressing about whether or not relatives will be able to make it to their wedding can now relax knowing they won’t miss a thing except the hangover and embarrassing pictures on the dance floor. If attendees can’t travel for any reason, live streaming enables them to watch everything from the comfort of their home as it happens, so they can at least feel part of the festivities and even interact with chat.
Lecturers, public speakers and even entertainers are using this method to make a living without the cost of hiring a venue. By allowing people to tune in live, events can be experienced by people who otherwise might not have attended because of cost and convenience.
Scale your audience
Another great advantage of live streaming is the ability to grow audiences on a large scale. Without being limited by the number of people who can fit in a venue, events can be watched by a virtually unlimited number of participants at their workplace or home. This has the added benefit of making sure the event is attractive and feasible for everyone who would like to attend, with the added benefit in many situations of being able to watch it later. Without the limitation of only being attractive to locals, the promotion of the event can focus on attracting a global audience of prospective participants. Social media can spread the word and create a sense of community amongst followers that wouldn’t be able to attend in person, bringing those involved together regardless of geographical location.
Recorded For later viewing
An added bonus to live streaming events is that they can be recorded for later viewing or other uses. If it’s a business presentation, the entire meeting can remain available for participants, either on the respective platform or a private server to be accessed by any members of the company who might have missed the meeting or wish to refresh their understanding of the subject matter. Entertainers or professional speakers can upload the streams as links or edited excerpts to social media, which is a great way of getting people interested in future events. Live stream recordings of private events can also provide prospective viewers with the same benefits. They can be shared with only a select group of friends and family, or simply archived with other precious memories.
Professional video streaming advantages
So why hire professionals? Whether all the expertise and professional gear are needed for a successful stream depends entirely on the expectations of the audience. If they are paying to attend the event, using simply a webcam may not suffice. Professional video cameras and sound equipment produce professional results. Understanding how to set up and manages the live stream connection takes experience, especially when problems happen, as they often do with online technologies. Getting sufficient bandwidth to provide a high-quality stream and reduce buffering and lag times. Switching between the camera feed and multiple screens so the audience can seamlessly view powerpoint presentations or videos requires a video switcher. Viewers watching presenters navigate to folders and open files as part of the live stream can appear unprofessional. An experienced operator can help configure hardware and software to enable a seamless presentation. They can also ensure that audio quality and levels are maintained. Importantly they can be on standby to handle any issue that may affect the experience for viewers. Sometimes family members or staff are enlisted to hold up a phone or tablet to live stream the event, which means they miss out on enjoying the event and the quality is often compromised. Giving the audience a high-quality experience, without having to hire equipment and learn the tricky ins and outs of operating it generally involves leaving it to a professional.
When you weigh up the benefits of live streaming, it’s easy to see why so many choose it as an option for or the basis of their event. It’s a simple, easy, and effective way to involve people who otherwise wouldn’t be able to participate. It’s fast becoming a part of many public and private events, and with its wide range of applications, it will inevitably grow and evolve with time.
For live streaming services Gold Coast to Brisbane, Able Video is your go to video production company for all private and corporate events. Contact us today to find out more.
