Future of Live Streaming - Staying online post-covid
We’ve all made the shift to doing a lot more online. I don’t really have to reiterate how much the pandemic and lockdown has changed the way we work, socialize, and go about our daily lives. What I’d really like to expand on is how doing things online and not in person will continue once we can all get back to our normal lives. I really think we’ll have a lasting cultural shift where it’s more accepted to work from home, attend meetings virtually, and events will have a “streaming” option available to guests who can’t make it in-person.
Traditional Events - Weddings, Funerals, Etc
Life didn’t stop just for the pandemic, life still had to go on. Many put their plans on hold, thinking it’d all be over in just a couple of months. Once people realized this is the state we’re going to be in for a while, plans started to kick-start again. Weddings were back on the calendar but needed to be conscious of the climate to continue, so a lot of ceremonies moved online to scale back the size of the event. Instead of inviting all of your friends and distant cousins, weddings were only for maybe a couple of dozen close relatives and friends. This stopped large parties gathering together and the need for guests to travel to enjoy the ceremony. So everyone could still take part in the celebration, one way or another, the ceremony itself now included an online streamed portion.
As we move back to normal events, I can totally see the ceremony portion of weddings remaining online for those to view at home. Having a streaming option has a few pros I don’t think many considered prior to being forced to take things online.
Include those who can’t be there: There are always a few friends and family that won’t be able to make the event, but still want to see the big day.
Balancing the Budget: The cost of live-streaming a ceremony can be a drop in the bucket in comparison to accomodating a much larger guest list. Including the size of venue, catering, gifts, seating, and lodging.
Immediate Memory: Once the event has been live-streamed, the ceremony can be easily viewed at any time immediately following the stream. You won’t have to wait the weeks or months it takes for the edit to finally make it to your inbox.
Conferences - Seminars, Trainings, Q&A
Many online conferences and seminars also made the shift to the online world. Instead of giant ballrooms and conference rooms filled with people, the groups moved to Zoom and other video call services to reach their demographics. The most important take-away is that online should still be an option for those who can’t attend in person. It would be great to continue to have thousands of people gather for a weekend, but having an option for online seminars broadens the reach of your event. Think of it as double-dipping. You can provide online training, Q&As, and more at the same time the real-life event is taking place. Capture the audience that could not attend by simply adding an online layer to the presentations.
Additionally, after the event, all participants can view the entire training online. This would add a huge amount of value to the price of admission, both online and in person.
Live streaming should be seen as a value-added opportunity. You are able to provide a service to those that cannot make it in person and may just save/make some additional profit in the process. As we move toward 100% normal, the lessons we learned during the past year should be taken with us for years to come.