When planning a virtual conference or webinar, this is often one of the first questions to answer: Should we go “live” or “pre-recorded”?
Which is better? The answer is, as is often the case, “it depends”.
The truth is that there are benefits and drawbacks to each approach. And, of course, there is the third option, to mix the two formats. More about that later.
Why consider “Live”
There are some definite benefits to the “live” approach. At the core, this format has the option of being a two-way conversation.
Your participants will feel connected, like they are part of something that you are doing. You are meeting your clients in real time, engaging in a conversation, providing a platform for voicing opinions and asking questions.
By nature of being “live”, the information you provide will have a better chance of being up-to-the-minute current. If something significant happened in your industry on the morning of your event, you will be able to respond to it.
You can answer questions as they come in. Your audience will be more engaged when they feel that they are being heard, and that you provide answers to their concerns or questions.
Live audience polling, showing the live results and responding to the results reinforces the sense of being engaged in a conversation. Polling [more on that in our next post] also allows participants to test their opinions against their peers. As host, you will get a good insight into the knowledge and perspectives of your clients.
The downside is that there is a greater risk of things going wrong, be it an interrupted connection, presenters making mistakes or even the fire alarm going off. But that all adds to the sense of connecting in real time. Life in real time is not always perfect.
Why consider “Pre-recorded”
A pre-recorded approach adds a safety net.
It allows you to refine your messages, making sure they are delivered just right. This could be very important if the message is sensitive or could be misinterpreted.
The primary benefit of pre-recording is of course that you can edit the recording. Errors, or sections that are less relevant, can be removed before distribution to your clients. This not only serves you, but also your audience, as they receive a very clear message.
From a logistical perspective, this approach allows your presenters to record their presentations at a time when they are available, rather than being driven by the event time. If your presenters are in different time zones or not all available at the same time you can work around their availability.
If you are in a regulated industry, this approach also allows your compliance department to review the presentations before release.
The downside is that some of the energy of a live recording may be lost, and that level of connectivity of a two-way conversation. But if your objective is primarily to deliver a refined message, that may be a reasonable trade-off.
What about mixing live with pre-recorded?
Mixing live content with pre-recorded messages works very well and may provide you with the best of both worlds.
This approach could involve a live host introducing pre-recorded messages from senior stakeholders that are then discussed in more detail with technical experts. Even when presentations are pre-recorded, Q&A session with the same spokespeople could be live, or as part of a panel.
To make this work, support from an experienced production team is key, as you will have a lot of moving parts to juggle.
Consider for each individual programme what you want to achieve. One size does not fit all, so for each project select the approach that will most likely deliver the desired results.
Signet Marketing helps businesses improve the quality and ROI of their video content and virtual events. Contact us to explore what we can do for you.