1. Introduction to Live Streaming Events
Using live stream service to engage audiences has been widely adopted as a communication tool by governments, businesses, regional bodies, and educational institutions. Many agree that live streaming has empowered audience from anywhere to stay engaged with virtual events given tight work schedules. Yet there are many barriers that exist from embracing the technology confidently. The following paper presents a practical and useful guide on tools, video content production methods, and live broadcasting techniques and has proven to be successful in distributing event content through live streaming Singapore. The best practices techniques have been tried and tested in business marketing strategies and the guide is presented to readers to present professional events.
As Covid-19 continues to disrupt physical events, many organizers have turned to virtual events as an alternative to keep their marketing and branding engaging. A few months into lockdown, we started to hear this common question, “How can I best host a digital event in Singapore?” The definition of virtual events can vary, but our observations can be split into two major categories: webinars and live stream events. This paper will focus on live streaming events and introduce best practices established through Vee Technologies, an event management company, in hosting virtual events and engaging target audience in Singapore. With decades of event management experience under the belt, live streaming events have proven to be technically complex. The skills that are needed to plan an online event that delivers the desired outcomes are also different from those needed to execute successful physical events.
1.1. Definition and Importance of Live Streaming
People are event-oriented. Throughout history, people have always had an affinity for, participated in, and attended events of all shapes and sizes. It is paramount that companies continue to hold events in the digital age. Event marketing has always been a critical part of an effective marketing strategy – and it’s not hard to see why. Events are memorable, exciting, and provide endless opportunities for organizations to connect with their customers. Live streaming events – or the act of broadcasting online events in real time – simply enhances all of the benefits of event marketing and allows organizations to extend this impact on a global scale. Broadcasting an event holds significant benefits. It’s not only in the best interest of the event sponsors – if the event includes speakers or presentations from top management, the company will have increased its transparency and level of trust with its market. Small companies, in particular, have a limited number of available platforms for interaction with its stockholders. Live streaming an AGM ensures that the event is accessible to everyone who has a vested interest in the company.
2. Choosing the Right Live Stream Service
- Video resolution: The main factor that will affect the price of a live system in Singapore is the resolution of the live broadcast. The higher the resolution, the more expensive the equipment you need and the bandwidth you rent. Today, we can expect 720p for budget solutions and 1080p video quality for premium solutions. It is available at a high price, and companies that want to concentrate on a high-quality broadcast should avoid the 4K and 8K resolution race. Keep in mind that Singapore’s current infrastructure is still improving in terms of speed. It may not always provide a high-quality live broadcast, especially when there is a lot of traffic on the network. Providing high resolution requires 10 to 20 Mbps upload speed to deliver good video quality to viewers. If your network is unstable, it might make sense to transfer the offline buffer.
Livestreaming in Singapore is no longer just about playing a game or drawing pictures. It’s up to companies to set up webinars, workshops, and virtual events for remote employees today. This method of communication saves costs by reducing the risk of COVID-19 spreading among employees, customers, and business partners. Online marketing events are another trend that shows that live broadcasts are an important marketing tool. Increase your revenue by sharing your sales expertise and knowledge with a worldwide audience. However, it is important to understand that today’s market for live streaming, especially in the event area, is very saturated. Not all live streaming services in Singapore are excellent for creating quality live broadcasts. Businesses will need to carefully consider the factors that may affect event success and budgets.
2.1. Factors to Consider
When setting up video storage, include a lay back facility optimization. Other regulatory factors to consider include determining whether the event owner holds the right to unilaterally decide when to allow live streaming and on whether the live streaming is subject to editorial control by various parties.
Next, an increasingly important practical and quality factor is the internet upload and download options and network channel in terms of speed, connection stability, technical reliability, range from mobile edge in to wireline core, number of users supported simultaneously, average user traffic flow quality of service and user experience.
The first step is to ascertain the basic factors which are allowing the event owner to externally and publicly broadcast the event film and sound footage in real time. These become the basis and venue from which the event film and sound footage may be accessed and then technically be channeled to the live streaming encoder.
What are the factors to consider from a regulatory perspective before an event may be live streamed in Singapore?
3. Technical Setup and Equipment
– Does your streaming location have reliable Wi-Fi speed or network internet connection? Alternatively, is there access to a hardwired internet connection? – Are there any sound restrictions/sound limitations? If sound levels are to be kept low, do speak to the crew about sound restrictions on speakers or presenters, and threshold level setting applied to give a rich but acceptable balance.
Before listing out the potential equipment, some key points to consider include:
Adequate technical setup and proper equipment are crucial for a successful seamless live stream. The specific equipment needed for successful live streaming can range from simple to complex, depending on the nature of the event. We therefore recommend engaging an experienced AV or production vendor to set up the best combination of equipment apt for the streaming requirements of your event. Do also note the production crew you engage will impact the production value of your event.
3.1. Essential Components
There are three essential components that are required for live streaming to work, and they are: a. An internet connection Going digital requires a proper internet connection. Most venues would have existing Wi-Fi services in place, but it might not be strong enough to handle the traffic from live streaming. It is important to decide how the connection will be made before deciding on the actual pick-up points. Testing the Wi-Fi capability is one of the most crucial steps as it will determine which type of equipment that you will need to handle the capacity. It is very important to also remember that most events are held indoors, and indoor signal usually is not that great. Always be prepared to have your own hotspot device at hand just in case. b. A camera The advice always goes, “You need a camera, together with a microphone pick-up”. However, it doesn’t necessarily have to actually be a huge video camera. HD video broadcasting service, such as the NewTek Tricaster Mini, allows the capability of broadcasting live HD video. The best part of the Tricaster Mini is that it is designed to be an all-in-one production system that allows easy production and stream live from any event to create an impact with your production. Other cameras that may be used can be drones, three-gun cameras, camera in a box flown on a jib, PTZ cameras, etc. SMTP video has definitely evolved over the years. For example, the 6 camera 6.5″ switcher only NewTek Tricaster, that we have used for a whole range of high-end productions has evolved from the original “Just Plug and Play” to plug-and-play with NDI. c. A channel to distribute the video All video, no matter what type, will require a destination. In live streaming (or any other media), it is usually a one-way transmission. This is when your audience can watch your video online in real time when you’re broadcasting. There are various channels to broadcast the live productions around the world, but the most common are either Facebook Live or YouTube Live. Each account is required to have live streaming capabilities. Both these pages can broadcast through embeds from your website but will not provide as many direct measurable features as other pages. Other cheaper alternatives include UStream or Bambuser that also offer live streaming services. The live stream can also be displayed from other destinations but these options require negotiation beforehand.
4. Engaging Your Audience
Personalize your approach: You should direct your messages specifically to your viewers, acknowledging their names or comments. Monitor your viewers’ comments and answer their questions and comments to create a dialogue of your own with your audience. Responding to comments will engage your viewers and garner them to participate, as they are more likely to be acknowledged, thus prompting others to participate as well.
Stress-test your event: This is crucial before engaging with your viewers. Test your platform for voice and sound quality, picture accuracy, streaming speed, and how you appear to your viewers. Remind your viewers to use the correct settings and inform them on how to engage so they can experience your stream to its fullest potential.
After your event is set up, how do you engage with your audience during your live stream? Here are some tips to guide you through the entire process:
4.1. Interactive Features and Q&A Sessions
Moreover, engaging the audience with fun submissions to constantly draw in the audience for interaction, such as polls with open response results, which act as an incentive to the availability of live responses. As the primary purpose, as mentioned, is to keep the audience engaged, periodic poll questions about the audience can be thrown out to stimulate responses and participation. Such aspects can range from checking in, which draws the audience’s attention back to the broadcast. These submissions can also add a sense of fun and spontaneity to something that can otherwise be boring.
A tool to engage a live audience watching the show is to incorporate interactive features or have question and answer (Q&A) sessions by the audience. These video links, found on the live video streaming platform, give viewers a chance to interact with the video content being produced. Giving interactivity is a great way to make sure that the shows are more fun and engaging. Extra features on these platforms, such as the chat feature, can also be used to offer direct communications for individual content. Incentives such as prizes for winning a trivia giveaway can also boost the level of audience engagement. These add a more personalized touch to the presentation and can also provide in situ feedback for real time on the speaker’s presentations.
5. Measuring Success and Analyzing Metrics
To measure success, one will need more actionable metrics that are responsive to the immediate effect of individual actions. Furthermore, there will need to be strong feedback loops that respond to these metrics dynamically. There are several short-term tactics that can be employed to measure success. However, it is not possible to measure the true value in these short timeframes. Notified immediately. To benefit from the immediacy and the time-sensitivity of a live event, businesses will need to be ready to act quickly based on intelligence gathered. Adaptive businesses will capitalize on the unique attributes of live events to discover and respond to instant demand, with a real-time business model that sets them up for success before, during, and after the live event.
The most difficult aspect of live streaming events may not be in its execution, but in measuring its success. While the high costs provide strong motivation to make live streaming a success, success may not be easy to put one’s finger on. There are several streams of benefit from live streaming: branding, sponsorship, marketing, public relations, and so on. As such, depending on the desired outcome, sources of value from live streaming will be varied and could even be mutually exclusive. Additionally, the KPIs for success for the different values are often in conflict.
5.1. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
As brand and product campaigns vary, it is important for organizations to custom-tailor the best set of KPIs in accordance with their objectives. At an early stage, having at least one KPI at each of the four eventual levels of reach, engagement, effectiveness, and sentiment should be the guide. These goals will evolve over time as more investment is made into digital live streaming events.
KPIs are crucial goals to measure the event’s reach, engagement, and effectiveness (e.g. number of sales closed during the event). KPI is the top-line guideline to benchmark current and past event performance, recognizing the capability for improving processes. A framework should include a mix of business, engagement, and technical KPIs to achieve both qualitative and quantitative outputs. It is also important for organizations to assess these metrics over time, which enables them to track its growth and success rate in the long run. Figure 20 lists a sample framework of KPIs relevant for measuring digital event success, notably live streaming events.
