Event video production

How To Collaborate With An AV Managed Services Provider

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OnSite Live Team

Live video events have become an integral part of many business strategies. These events range from internal webinars and training sessions to large-scale virtual conferences and product launches which typically require the help of an event video production company.

While hosting a live video event offers many advantages, it also comes with its challenges — technical glitches, poor audio quality, and video lag, to name a few. This is where AV Managed Services can be your knight in shining armor. 

Collaborating with a professional AV managed service provider can make your event successful. This article will walk you through the steps to effectively work with an AV managed services provider to plan and execute a stellar live video event.

Step 1: Define the Scope and Objectives

Before diving into the technicalities of planning a live video event, the first step is articulating the overarching scope and objectives. 

What are you trying to achieve with this event? Whether boosting brand awareness, unveiling a new product, or providing value-added content to your customer base, having a clear mission statement is the guiding light for every decision after that. 

Ask yourself, who is the target audience for this event? Are you focusing on industry professionals, existing customers, or a broader buyer target?

Clarifying the scope and objectives is beneficial for your internal planning and crucial for establishing a common ground with your AV Managed Services Provider. This clarity helps align all parties involved and ensures your AV partner can tailor their AV systems to your needs. 

Think of this step as laying the foundation upon which the entire event will be built. It dictates the scale of the event, the technical requirements, and even the metrics by which you'll measure the event's success. Skipping this step or glossing over the details can lead to misalignment, wasted resources, and missed opportunities.

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Step 2: Research and Shortlist Providers

Start by conducting thorough research to identify providers with expertise in live video events. Look for portfolios that showcase a range of events, as this will give you an idea of their adaptability and skill set. Feel free to request case studies or client testimonials, as these two tools can offer invaluable insights into the provider's reliability, professionalism, and quality of work.

Once you've done your due diligence, create a shortlist of promising candidates. Initiate discussions to gauge their capabilities, responsiveness, and compatibility with your event's objectives. 

This is the time to get into the nitty-gritty details: inquire about their technical infrastructure, experience with similar events, and how they handle potential challenges like connectivity issues or hardware malfunctions. The responses you receive will give you a better sense of which provider is most equipped to handle your event's specific needs and challenges. 

A well-researched shortlist will save you time and can be the difference between an average event and a resounding success.

Step 3: Technical Requirements and Feasibility

Given your resources, timeline, and technology, this stage is critical because it helps establish whether your vision for the live video event is feasible. This includes:

- The scale of the event (number of participants, global reach, etc.)

- The platforms you'll be using (proprietary systems, software, third-party services)

- Network requirements (bandwidth, backup connections)

- AV equipment (cameras, microphones, lighting)

- Network bandwidth requirements

- Backup connections

- On site staffing and remote monitoring requirements

Your AV managed services provider should be able to assess the feasibility of your requirements and recommend the most reliable technology and support. A reputable provider will offer a realistic evaluation, indicating what is feasible, what might be challenging, and what alternative solutions they can offer. 

The dialogue around technical requirements and feasibility is essentially a reality check, ensuring that you and your chosen provider are on the same page regarding what's achievable.

Step 4: Pre-Event Rehearsals and Testing

Think of this as a dry run that mimics the event, allowing you and your provider to work out technical kinks and fine-tune the user experience. From testing the audio levels and video quality to verifying network stability and user training, this rehearsal offers a comprehensive check to ensure everything runs smoothly on the event day. 

AV Managed Services
Webinar software that can be used to both rehearse and run a live video event. Courtesy Webinar.net.

It's also an opportune time to practice transitions between speakers, run through interactive elements like polls or Q&A sessions, and confirm that any pre-recorded content is ready. Don't underestimate the value of these practice runs; they can highlight areas that need adjustment and help you avoid common pitfalls, like audio feedback or connectivity issues, that could otherwise mar the event. 

Conducting thorough pre-event rehearsals and testing sets the stage for a more seamless and professional live video experience for users, ultimately bolstering your event's chances of success.

Step 5: Day-of-Event Execution

This is where the value of a reliable AV Managed Services Provider truly shines. On the event day, you should have a streamlined communication and support services channel with your AV team for real-time troubleshooting and adjustments.

A professional provider will typically have a dedicated team or a single point of contact responsible for monitoring various aspects of the live video event—from facilities management to network connectivity to audio-visual quality and audience engagement. 

This proactive monitoring allows immediate intervention to address technical issues before they escalate, ensuring a smooth, glitch-free experience for your audience. By working in tandem with your AV technology provider, you maximize the likelihood that your live video event will unfold as seamlessly as possible, meeting or even exceeding your objectives.

Step 6: Post-Event Analysis

The work is still ongoing once the live video event concludes. A debriefing session with your AV and equipment provider can offer valuable insights into what worked well and what needs improvement. This should cover:

- Technical performance metrics

- Audience engagement statistics

- Quality of audio and video streams

Your provider should deliver a comprehensive post-event report with data that can inform future events and collaborations.

Summary

Planning a live video event can be a daunting task. Still, the right collaboration with an AV Managed Services Provider can make the process seamless and the event itself a remarkable success. Every step of collaboration is crucial, from the initial scope definition to the final performance review. 

Choose a provider with technical expertise that aligns with your objectives to offer customized, scalable solutions. After all, the ultimate goal is to deliver an engaging and glitch-free live video event that resonates with your audience and achieves your business objectives.