Virtual conferences have evolved from a crisis management tactic to an opportunity for companies to circumvent the headaches of physical conferences and expand their reach. However, there is a giant chasm of difference between a seamless, well-run conference and one that is riddled with technical difficulties and is left to die with audience members trickling out one-by-one.
The difference is in the planning and the technical framework, and this is what we’ll discuss of putting on a virtual conference out of a professional studio.
Internet Connection: The Foundation Everything Else Sits On
At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter how good your cameras, lighting, and streaming service is, your internet connection is the most important aspect of the entire conference. Virtual conferences are reliant on internet bandwidth: download speed is important, but upload speed is the real game changer.
A residential broadband connection can only handle the bare minimum of online communications. Virtual Conference professional studios utilize voice communications guaranteed at 50Mbps upload speeds (though many opt for 100+Mbps speeds for cheaper drop-out rates). In order to receive and transmit high-quality video from remote participants to hundreds of live viewers, studios require significant video bandwidth to keep the connection from becoming saturated.
Smart studios design their systems to include undocumented backup internet connections from completely different networks. They switch their connection to stream only on their backup while their primary line has problems. It’s cheaper to design a system like this than to explain to clients why their annual conference disappeared mid-presentation.
Camera Setup
One person talks at a time so single-speaker conferences require simple setups. However, the majority of presentations involve multiple components. Keynote videos, slides, panel discussions, video presentations, and multiple remote participants require a step up in camera work. It’s only complex if the camera work isn’t scalable, and if the conference involves a a practiced moderator then it can work out smoothly.
Virtual conference studios typically operate with two cameras focused on different streams. One is dedicated to the speaker while the other can engage the audience for wide shots, or switch to detail shots as needed for the presentation. Multi-day events typically employ 3 cameras so to ensure that multiple streams are covered, including wide, mid, and close-up shots for visual changes throughout to reduce fatigue over the length of the conference.
The system the cameras feed into should allow for seamless switching between camera angles. This is the primary distinction between a proper studio and a makeshift setup. A studio will be equipped with video switchers and other software that allow for slick transitions to other cameras, slide decks, and remote participants without it looking visibly disorganized.
Reliable Audio
Audience retention and engagement may be the most is adversely impacted by poor audio quality. Attendees can tolerate poor video quality, but if audio is poor, unclear, or overlaid with echo and other background noise, audience retention will drop to almost nothing.
Lavalier microphones work well for solo speakers that require mobility. In roundtable and panel discussions, there is often a combination of lavalier and boundary microphones that are placed on tables. Some studios have invisibly mounted microphones on the ceiling that capture audio without being in the frame.
We can do quick adjustments to the audio on the mixing desk. If one panelist is quieter than the others, the audio engineer can turn up their mic to the stealth of the audience. Background noise can be filtered in real time.
Production teams need headphones. Speakers can be distracting and the audio may be phase canceled. If you are monitoring via speakers, you may hear descents of dropouts and glitches that won’t be detectable to the audience.
Lighting for Long Events
Unlike shorter recordings, virtual conferences often last several hours. We need to ensure that speakers have lighting that is soft and warm to make them more comfortable, while also appearing professional and not too harsh on the eyes. What can be acceptable for a quick recording with a time limit may be uncomfortable after extended periods.
LED spotlighting systems solve for studio lighting overheating thanks to their efficient bulb systems. This allows studios to avoid overheating their space in the lighting setup phase of their projects. Studios can alter the colour temperature to the brightness of the sun or to the warmth typically found in conference rooms to better suit the mood of different conference segments.
The goal is soft, even lighting that is bouncing from the side walls to illuminate the speakers’ faces. From properly diffusing the light to making sure the setup is symmetrical, there are a number of lighting studio tricks to avoid the creation of harsh lighting that is typically the result of poorly diffused multiple light systems.
Streaming Platform Considerations
If you have specific platforms in mind, the technical requirements are different. Zoom webinars have different requirements than live streaming on YouTube. Some platforms have tiered pricing plans that may restrict the number of participants and/or the features that are available.
Your conference-specific guidance is available from studios that have experienced multiple streaming platforms. As long as you are streaming to other platforms to capture your event in different formats, that is technically feasible, though it comes at a cost of significant bandwidth.
I recommend having a backup recording even if you’re streaming live. If everything goes wrong with the stream, you can always share the recording. Virtual event studios like those in Milton Keynes, for instance, standardly record every session.
The Control Room Not Seen
Every seamless virtual conference has on-the-go multitaskers constantly working behind the scenes: switching between camera angles, adjusting the volume, checking the stream on one screen while keeping an eye on the chat for any questions, troubleshooting.
This is the part that tends to be missing the most when people are trying to run virtual conferences from their homes. The operations need an entire team solely focused on that. When you have an actual studio, one of the design features is a dedicated control room that is isolated from the studio.
Having A Backup Plan For Everything
Professional studios account for failure. Backup cameras in case a camera is forgotten. Backup microphones. Backup internet. Backup computers with the streaming software queued. Backup batteries. Backup everything.
People might think me taking unneeded backup discs to conferences is crazy. I completely understand. I only have to explain to multiple people why there is a frozen screen and why it is unresponsive. All I have to do is switch to a backup without having to trouble hundreds of people.