How to live stream an event

What do you need to live stream an event?

Decide the format first, because it changes both the kit and the platform. It can be a public stream anyone can watch, a private stream for registered viewers, or a hybrid event with an audience in the room, viewers online and perhaps some speakers joining remotely.

Even a small stream needs more than one person. The usual roles are a director or operator who runs the cameras and the switching, someone on sound, a stream monitor who watches the actual stream and the chat, and a speaker coordinator who gets people on stage and on the microphone at the right time. At a small event one person can cover two roles, but the stream monitor should do nothing else. Streaming software such as OBS Studio can take the place of a hardware switcher on simpler jobs.

How do you make the internet connection reliable?

• Connect the encoder by cable. Ask the venue for a dedicated line, because the guest Wi-Fi is shared with everyone in the building.
• Test at the same time of day as the event, ideally with the venue full, since networks slow down once the room fills with phones and laptops.
• A stream depends on upload speed, so measure it on the spot instead of trusting the figure in the venue's contract.
• Keep a backup: a second line or a mobile connection. Bonding devices, which combine several mobile connections into one, are another option.

Then pick a resolution and bitrate the connection can hold steadily. Upload capacity of about double the stream bitrate is a common rule of thumb. A stable 1080p stream looks better to viewers than a 4K one that keeps stuttering.

How many cameras and what sound setup do you need?

One camera on a locked wide shot of the stage is acceptable for a lecture. For a conference, two cameras are the usual minimum: a wide shot and a close-up of the speaker. With three or more, you can add audience reactions, close-ups of the panel and a separate feed for the slides. A multicam filming setup of the kind used for video podcasts can usually go out live as well, as long as it runs through a switcher.

Take the slides straight from the presentation computer into the switcher. Filming the projector screen gives a dim, distorted image that is hard to read.

For sound, ask for a feed from the venue's sound desk, ideally a separate mix made for the stream. Give the speakers lapel or handheld microphones, put out an audience microphone for questions and keep headphones on the operator all the way through. Our guide on how to film an interview covers camera angles and microphone placement in more detail.

Which platform should you stream to?

Start from the audience: where your viewers already are, and whether they need to register.

Platform features change, so read each platform's own help pages before you commit. Streaming to several platforms at once, known as simulcasting, can be done through streaming software or a dedicated service, though every extra platform adds another chat to moderate.

For a public event, free platforms are fine. A private or ticketed stream needs access control, which usually means a webinar platform, a members' area or a paid video service.

A webinar is a format of its own: viewers register, ask questions and answer polls, and webinar platforms are built around that. In Latvia, Zoom and Microsoft Teams are common for internal webinars, while public events usually go out on YouTube or Facebook. A presenter on a proper set with good light looks much cleaner than one in front of a laptop camera, and if the session does not need to be live, recording a webinar or course is another way to do it.

How do you rehearse and run the stream on the day?

1. The day before, run a test stream to a private or unlisted link, check the stream keys and proofread the graphics and every speaker's name.
2. On the day, arrive early, sound-check every speaker on their own microphone, run another private test and put the holding slide live before the start.
3. During the event, one person watches the real stream and the chat on a separate device and does nothing else.
4. Afterwards, stop the stream, keep the local recording safe and publish the replay.

Brief the speakers as well: where to look, how to hold or wear the microphone and how questions from online viewers will reach them.

Viewers join gradually, so open with a countdown or a holding slide with music and start the programme a few minutes later.

Events in Latvia often run in two or three languages. Decide the language of the stream, consider interpretation channels or subtitles on the replay, and show speaker names on the graphics in Latvian and in Russian or English where the audience needs it.

What can go wrong, and what is the backup plan?

The local recording is the backup that matters most. If the stream fails completely, you can still publish the event later. Use only licensed or royalty-free music, the holding slide included, because platforms can mute a stream or stop it altogether over copyrighted music.

After the event, trim the replay, add chapters and cut short clips from the best moments. Our guide to podcast clips shows how to pick them.

A talk, panel, webinar or press briefing can also be held on a studio set. Baltic Podcast Studio in Riga does live streaming from the studio with up to five 4K cameras, the equipment and an operator included. It costs from €320 for the first hour, then €70/h, and the estimator adds up a longer session. The studio team also streams from your venue, with the setup and the price agreed for each event.