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Hybrid Event Pro Tip: Start Your Livestream Early
Picture it, you arrive at a live, in-person event and the doors to the ballroom are locked and you don’t see anyone around. Or the doors are open but you're the only person sitting in the audience and the projection screens are off. What are you feeling in either of those moments?
Maybe you’re feeling panic or anxiety at being in the wrong place, kicking yourself for how could you have flown to the wrong city for the event? Maybe you feel annoyed that you’re ready before the event organizers are.
No matter what you’re feeling, it probably isn’t a positive emotion and that is what your virtual attendees can feel at your virtual event when you don’t open your virtual doors on time.
So how can you avoid those negative feelings and panic for your attendees?
Open your virtual doors early. That’s it!
Plan on starting your live stream anywhere from 5–15 minutes early. You don’t need to be talking on-screen to your audience or moving up your program start time, just have an opening slide, logo loop, or multiple slides rotating and play some background music. This reassures your virtual audience that they’re in the right place and that the video/live stream and audio are working.
