Good intentions. Bad Advice.
Here are the top 3 pieces of advice we hear the gurus telling you and why you should NOT listen to them when running Virtual Events On Zoom.
They say…
“Have the speakers pre-record their signature talk and upload it to Youtube so you can play it during the event.”
DON’T DO THIS.
This tip is great in theory, but here is why you should NOT do it.
Aside from connection issues, playing videos from the Internet causes several risks.
RISK #1. Quality Broadcasts.
Delay and lag, sound synchronization (think 1970s kung-fu movie), sound quality, sound levels, and grainy quality video can be expected if running 3rd party video on a 3rd party platform.
RISK #2. Ads.
When running ANY video off of YouTube, you run the risk of 1-4 ads being played during the presentation. A pre-roll ad when you hit play, a layover text ad during play, a mid-play video ad, and a post video ad when the video is over.
RISK #3. Embarrassment.
Depending on what you did last online, your ad may be embarrassing for others to see. (Google knows all the weird stuff you ask.)
DO THIS
Ask your speakers to shoot the highest quality videos they can produce. (Or get a company like 2 Minute Video Guys to show up and shoot it for them.) Download this video to your local machine (Computer, phone, or tablet that you will be hosting the meeting on.) and place on a video player’s playlist. Doing so will keep all of your videos in the order they will need to be played, saving you time digging through URLs or clicking the wrong video by mistake.
This will ensure the top quality video and audio broadcast and an ad-free experience for your attendees.
**NOTE- if you are doing on live broadcast to YouTube and/or Facebook, any videos violating music copyrights will be immediately muted or shut down. In other words, if you use music without a licence they will stop your broadcast.
They say…
“Use your phone to host your virtual summit or live event.”
DON’T DO THIS!
Using your phone for a zoom meeting is great. Running a paid summit or Live virtual event…not so much. Your phone has several limitations when trying to host an event. Your unstable data plan, or weak wifi is not worth damaging your reputation for future events.
Your camera, mic, and screen are all connected to the same handheld device. This limits your ability to quickly navigate between screens, check chats, and screenshare. You will need to reposition your camera each time you look at your phone. (We have all been in those meetings where we are looking up someone’s nose or the ceiling while they regroup. Don’t be that host.)
DO THIS
When using your phone, implement one of the following settings:
Setting A.
Airplane Mode. Wifi on. Alarms off. Plugged into power. Attached to tripod.
Setting B.
Do not disturb. Alarms off. Data On. Plugged in to power. Attached to tripod.
We recommend being as close to your router as possible if using home or office WiFi. Avoid public WiFi Internet connection as a host.
Your best practice if you want to use your phone would be to hire a remote co-host. (Which brings us to our last tip.)
They Say…
“You can do this by yourself.”
DON’T DO THIS!
All great events require a team AND great planning. A 2nd (or 4th and 5th) person is the pinnacle to your success as a professional event host.
As the host, attendees will not accept a (long and confused) pause in your event to find, unlock, grant permissions to, make sure the mics & sound are in order and bring up to “the stage” the next guest or panelist. (These are some of the functions that can be off pulled off seamlessly with a team.)
Your job is to be the host of your event and to serve your attendees.
DO THIS
Build a team.
At a minimum, get one person at your location, or remotely to run your tech as a co-host.
Functions of your co-host.
Cover for you in the event you lose power or Internet connection.
Record the meeting on their computer to ensure you have at least 2 copies.
Play “Whack-A-Mole” with “zoom bombers” or late guest arrivals by shutting down their video and audio if they happen to enter and interrupt the panel.
Run the “Share Screen” functions.
Find, unlock, and bring panelists and audience members to the main stage on demand.
Monitor chats from the meeting and other broadcast locations online.
Monitor the broadcast audio and video quality on the main meeting and remote broadcasts.
Let the host know in real-time when any issues surface.
In conclusion, those are our top tips and how to correct what the gurus are telling you.
If you would like to hire pros that have been doing live and virtual events for years, we would love to hear from you.
-Ninja Mike
www.2MinuteVideoGuys.com