How Do You Want Your Content Presented?
In a 1996 essay from Bill Gates, he recognized content was king. And with recent momentum behind virtual and hybrid events, businesses who weren’t focused on digital content may now be building digital event strategies.
As part of any content strategy, you must define not only what your goals are with an event, but how you want the content presented. Content (aka speaker presentations) will be broadcast live or pre-recorded via
a) broadcast in real time during a virtual event OR
b) offered as on-demand content that attendees can tap into at any time.
Live content is straightforward — event managers, speakers, and producers work off of a Run of Show and broadcast in a very organized, timed way. This allows for everyone to stick to the schedule, and brings the energy and momentum of an in-person event into a virtual space.
Pre-recorded content is content that is recorded before an event goes live. This can be anything from a speaker presentation to promotional video. Pre-recorded content can be pushed into a live show stream or be available to attendees, who access the content on demand.
Here’s why pre-recorded works:
1. Pre-recorded content can be broadcast to a collection of regional events aka micro events, ensuring that all attendees across time and place, are consuming the same content and having a similar experience. Pre-recorded content + Regional events = consistent content & deliverable.
2. Pre-recorded content allows for show planners to re-group behind the scenes. These moments in time where a video is being broadcast not only give everyone a breather, but they allow for some quick analysis of event metrics. Is attendance dropping? Are people logging in and out? Can you push people to the sponsor room during the break? Answers can be formed through an assessment of event metrics, and you can make any changes necessary in the small amount of time pre-recorded content buys you.
3. If you work with a strong production team, pre-recorded content can still feel just like live, leaving attendees guessing. Building slates, planning for one-take recordings, and speaker management all play a role in streamlined content creation. A good production team can help get you there.
4. Pre-recording content allows flexibility for speakers with busy schedules. They can record when it works for them, and create a polished presentation, making this a great solution for speakers with tight schedules. It may even be that a presenter can’t make it onsite at the last minute — pre-recorded content solves for this.
When deciding how best to plan an event, details matter. Yes, content is king, and so the next question everyone should be asking is, how can we make our content shine? Here are some benefits of pre-recorded content.
