Create Impactful Live Events with MSFT Teams Live Events and Virtual Stage

Due to the global pandemic, most face-to-face events have been canceled. Many companies have already stated that they are not going to hold any kind of on-site events until 2022, but that does not mean that these events have to be completely canceled. There are many companies that have chosen to adapt to the new situation we are experiencing and replace face-to-face events with online events.

“Whoever survives is neither the strongest nor the most intelligent, but the one who best adapts to change” – Charles Darwin

At Plain Concepts, we are helping many companies and institutions to develop their online presence through Teams Live Events and Virtual Stage. That’s why we know first hand the importance of aspects such as:

• The security and reliability of the platform.
• The ease of integrating multiple participants.
• The use of accessible tools but with good management options.
• The plus of certain characteristics or visual spectacularity, which will make you stand out.

Microsoft Teams Live

Microsoft Teams Live is a system that meets all the recommendations mentioned above and many of our clients are using it with very good results.

Microsoft Teams Live Events is a feature within Microsoft Teams that allows online content to be shared with a large number of participants from within or outside the company. This event allows the broadcasting of a streaming video, where presenters can simultaneously share their presentation with their camera, in addition to having the option of enabling a question and answer chat for the convenience of attendees.

Functionalities

The most important reason to choose Microsoft Teams Live for your online event instead of using a regular Microsoft Teams meeting is that during this last one any attendee can connect their microphone and/or camera or take control of the desktop. This would totally break the rhythm of the presentation for both the presenter and the attendees.

In addition, with MS Teams Live Events you can be sure that after the event you will be able to access attendance reports, which is impossible in a regular meeting. Simply wait until the event is over and download them.

Another very interesting feature is the ability to configure and exercise full control over the question and answer chat, filtering those that are interesting for public viewing, answering them privately, discarding repeated questions, or making announcements to all attendees.

And lastly, Microsoft Teams Live Events are recorded and stored so that they can be used as commercial or educational material.

We have specialized in the management, organization, and broadcasting of online events using the Microsoft Teams Live Events platform. A complete technical and marketing team will make your events look just like a live event, thanks to the latest technologies developed, such as Virtual Stage.

Management of registration and promotion, design of the event brand image, gamification, evaluation in real-time of the presentations, and elaboration of attendance reports. We will take care of any need you may have for your event.

Virtual Stage

Due to the increase of online events, the visual aspect is also being innovated on, as many videos are produced for online talks and conferences.

Our Virtual Stage system can give you an idea of what is possible, using state-of-the-art technologies such as Azure Kinect and Artificial Intelligence algorithms.

This technology developed in conjunction with Microsoft consists of two separate parts:

• The Speaker Recorder app captures the color and depth information through one or two Azure Kinect cameras. The speaker can use a presenter to scroll through PowerPoint slides and a wireless microphone.
• In Azure, the Background Matting service uses depth information to generate inaccurate speaker segmentation. The backend then separates the background from the speaker, with high precision, generating a transparent video.

Once the speakers record the content, it then goes into production to add virtual scenarios, backgrounds, or presentation slides.

Thanks to Virtual Stage, companies can now organize and manage online events in a professional way for their employees or customers.

Due to COVID-19, it is unknown when large, in-person events can take place again. As such, virtual events are becoming increasingly relevant due to the multiple benefits that they offer.

One of the main advantages is that the production of the presentations is easier to coordinate among employees, with less time spent away from the daily business. Additionally, not having to rent large event spaces, cater food, or cover speakers’ travel also leads to significant cost savings to the company.

Seeing all the benefits they bring and how changeable this situation is, will virtual events be around forever? We don’t know that yet, but what we do know is that now is the best time to hold your online events and that we are here to help you and make them as profitable as possible.

Combining it with post-production, we will have full body speakers in remote, fantastic virtual scenarios!

To abandon on-site events and move on to organize events in an online format, does not mean that companies have to go from organizing detail-oriented events to simply holding a standard video conference.

There are many possibilities to create impactful online events, generating unique and personalized experiences that will create a loyal audience and allow them to adapt to this new communication scenario that has required us to reinvent ourselves when presenting products, holding conferences, fairs, etc.

It is time to rediscover all the possibilities offered by technology to continue connecting and offering unique experiences.