Organizing an event can be stressful, with potential issues like last-minute speaker cancellations, network disruptions, or confused attendees. This guide provides tips to help you manage your event smoothly.
Tip 1: You don't need to "start" your event
Registrants can enter your event by clicking on their personalized Magic Link in the registration confirmation email or by signing in to their RingCentral Events user account. They will land in the Reception area (or another area set up as landing) and start interacting.
You do not need to do anything to start your event. It will begin automatically according to the time you've set. Most Organizers kick off their event on Stage with a welcome message, but you can start your event in any other way.
Tip 2: Open three browser tabs
To manage your event, keep three browser tabs open:
- The event venue: To navigate around the event venue as an Attendee.
- The StreamYard Backstage or the RingCentral Events Studio: To broadcast to a Stage or in a Session.
- The Event Dashboard: To make changes to your event settings on the go, such as end times, schedule changes, and adding speakers or sessions.
Note: To avoid issues with echo and audio feedback, only one event tab should have audio playback enabled. When multiple event tabs are open, mute extra tabs accordingly. Double-click on the tab and select Mute Tab or Mute Site.
Tip 3: Be aware of delay on Stage
There is a 10-15 second delay between the StreamYard Backstage / RingCentral Events Studio and the live Stage. When you start broadcasting to a Stage, the stream will not appear instantly.
When you ask your attendees a question while you’re presenting on the Backstage, their responses in the chat will come ~10-15 seconds after you ask the question.
Tip 4: Mute, delete, or remove unwanted attendee behavior
If an attendee is writing inappropriate messages in the chat, hover over the message and click the Bin icon to delete it.
To prevent the attendee from sending messages at the event, go to the People tab, find the attendee on the list, open their profile, click the Menu icon ••• and select Mute this person.
To ban the attendee from the event, select Block this person. This will kick them out and prevent them from re-entering the event.
To unblock an attendee, go to Event Dashboard > Registration > Registrants. Find the registrant on the list, click on the Menu icon •••, and select Unblock.
Tip 5: Have a backup plan ready for absent speakers or bad network connections
As with any event, online or offline, things happen. People get sick, get called away, or get delayed. There are things outside of your control to account for. In these scenarios, it’s always good to have a backup plan — maybe another speaker or someone from your team can step in or pivot to another area of the event, such as Networking, Sessions, or Expo. You can also provide our Quick troubleshooting reference guide to anyone experiencing device, network, or browser issues.
Tip 6: Direct attendees with chat messages
To direct people around your event, detail your plan in a welcome message on Stage or use the event-wide chat to post where everyone should be. Your Organizer messages are always highlighted in color so they’re easy to see.
After you drop a link or message, pin it to the chat! To create a pinned message, post a chat message, hover over it, and click the Pin icon.
Tip 7: Send a general announcement
General announcements are a great way to get the attention of all attendees and provide them with important information. General announcements appear at the top of all event pages for each attendee and can only be dismissed manually by each person or replaced with a new general announcement.
To make an announcement, click the Horn icon and click New Announcement. General announcements can be made to everyone or specific ticket types. They cannot be scheduled. For complete details, refer to our guide on Making a general announcement.
Tip 8: Switch Stage from a live stream to a pre-recorded video
When you’re not using your Stage for live streaming, you can switch the Stage to a pre-recorded video. This way, when attendees go to the Stage with no live presentation, they’ll still be able to watch a video.
You can share pre-recorded videos from the Backstage or embed a YouTube/Vimeo/Wistia video in the Stage settings. For detailed steps, refer to our guide on Sharing pre-recorded videos on Stage.
Tip 9: After your event
Your event closes automatically 10 minutes after your specified end. If you think you may run over at any time during the event, go to Event Dashboard > Setup > Basics to change your event end time (as long as it does not exceed the maximum allowance). If your event has already ended, you will also have the option to extend it by 15 minutes.
Once the event is over, you can analyze your event success by reviewing the available reports and analytics. You can also share event recordings by enabling the post-event Replay area.