The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how most businesses utilize video. It’s gone from a convenience to a necessity for staying connected with the world.
Companies now have completely remote teams that interact via online meeting and webinar. They also rely on video for sales, customer support, and staying in contact with key vendors.
In April 2020, Microsoft Teams added 31 million users to rise to 75 million daily active users.
Company networks have undergone a complete change during this time, and now need to support multiple remote workers and remote customers. One of the most popular cloud and video conferencing tools used to meet the need for video meetings is Microsoft Teams.
How Microsoft Teams Facilitates Live Events
Microsoft Teams is a full cloud-based work hub that includes messaging, alerts, file sharing, and more. But one of its most popular features is the ability to easily conference, host webinars, and even host live events.
The main difference between a normal Teams meeting and a live event, is that a live event allows you to schedule and produce online webinars, meetings, or presentations that stream to a large audience.
Microsoft Teams live events allow you to broadcast video events with up to 10,000 attendees. If you’re doing a normal video conference, you have a limit of 300 attendees.
Live events can be restricted to a particular group within your organization or be made public for anyone with the link to attend.
You can choose to use your computer’s built in audio/visual hardware, like you do for other online meetings, or connect cameras or other peripherals for your broadcast.
How Can You Take Advantage of Live Events?
Companies that can take full advantage of technology, especially in times of change, are the ones that usually end up ahead. Small businesses that are considered technically advanced earn about 2x as much revenue per employee as those that aren’t.
The ability to easily stream out a broadcast to as many as 10,000 people can provide multiple opportunities for your business to stay a step ahead of your competition.
New Product/Service Event
You can create buzz and excitement for a new product or service by creating a live stream event to show off its new features. Rather than just reading the information in a brochure, your potential customers can see up close exactly how your new product may help them.
Educational Webinars
Webinars are a great way to engage leads and clients with your business by offering them something of value in an educational event. When using a Teams live stream event, the sky’s the limit as far as how many people you can invite to attend.
Training Sessions
Whether you need to train employees on how to work from home securely or put vendors through a session on your company’s policies, live events are a great way to do this. It makes it easy both for you and your attendees to connect smoothly.
Presenting Seminars Online
The pandemic has meant the cancellation of many in person events, including trade shows and seminars.
Use a live video event to keep the connections and networking going by presenting online seminars with several speakers from different locations and facilitating a Q&A for participants.
Company-Wide Events & Recognition
Another type of event that’s been postponed for many businesses is employee recognition and company-wide events. These are important for building a sense of team and recognizing your employees for their hard work.
Instead of just cancelling these, switch to a live online event that has a little more “flash” than just a regular group meeting and keep that sense of team recognition going.
Tips for Producing Great Live Events with Microsoft Teams
When doing a live event, you want to ensure everything goes off without a hitch. Here are several tips to help you succeed at creating the event you envision.
Test Internet Strength
A few days prior to the event as well as the day of the event, check to ensure your internet strength is good. If you have any issues, you may want to move the broadcasting location to a place with more stable Wi-Fi.
Prepare the Broadcast Device
For the computer or laptop that you’re using to broadcast your live event, ensure you have it ready to go. You’ll want to:
- Install any updates to avoid them installing during the broadcast
- Make sure the connection to mic/cam are working
- Make sure you have adequate power
Practice and Adjust
Practice the broadcast ahead of time to check things like video and sound quality. You’ll also want objective input into how your backdrop looks, so you can adjust as needed prior to the broadcast.
As with any presentation, you’ll also want to practice ahead of time so you’re fully familiar with the material and flow of the event.
Learn How to Fully Utilize Microsoft Teams
ProdigyTeks can help your Chicago business make full use of Microsoft Teams for collaboration, business promotion, and live events.
Schedule a free phone consultation today! Call 312-600-8357 or reach us online.
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