It’s the age old question: What to do when the speaker can’t make it to your event?

Whether it’s a scheduling conflict, bad storms, or any of the many other reasons we can’t be in two places at once, not having a presenter show up can really take a toll on your event. With today’s modern video technology, there are a lot of choices, but which one can you trust for a seamless event experience? Video calling with your friends is completely different from watching your presenter on the big screen.

So what’s the best way?

We are asked this question often. Fortunately, many of the links in this technology chain have improved over the years. Most importantly, the available tools for web conferencing have improved. Hotel and venue internet access and reliability has transformed from non-existent or spotty at best, to fairly reliable. Presenters have also become more comfortable in presenting from afar.

The newest development is the addition of WebRTC technology to the Chrome and Firefox browsers. The RTC stands for Real Time Communications. This technology gives your web browser the ability to use your webcam and microphone to communicate with others over the web, and can be as simple as having your speaker click on a link. In the example below, our webcasting system can generate a link to send to your presenter. The presenter then clicks on the link, and his/her laptop’s webcam and audio become a source on our video switcher. As seen in the demonstration video, we can add a lower third title, show the presenter’s slides picture-in-picture, and even talk side-by-side with another presenter. The presenter sees video of the room, and also hears the audio. This is great for real-time Q&A, and making the presenter feel like like he or she is in the room.

Nervous about having your presenter go it alone? We can send a technician to make sure everything runs smoothly. Our solutions are scalable too. From the example video using laptop webcams, to incorporating professional cameras, lighting, and audio, we can work with you to craft a solution that gets your presenter “in the room” when last-minute emergencies arise.

Article written by Dan Francis, senior project manager at IMS
 

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