Preparing for a Livestream or Hybrid event

Putting in time ahead of your event to check that everything is accurate, and pre-loading data can pay off on the day-of! Here is a checklist of items we like to do at least a week out from the event, and day-off to host a successful livestream or hybrid event.

1 week before

Agenda

Confirm that the date and time of your event are accurate in General Info, and the Agenda sessions times are aligned with event times.
- If you do make a change, ensure the agenda items are also aligned with the change(s).
Confirm the Admit Attendees time is accurate. This is when users will be able to “Join”, and can be different from the start time.

Pending or Unapproved members

Confirm that there are no potential event attendees that are marked as Pending or Unapproved.
- [Members - Member List - Pending or Unapproved]
If they are incorrectly marked, approve them and send them the link to register, or manually register them for the event.

Access the event early

Sign in to the event to make sure everything looks great by using the custom preview link found in the event dashboard.
You can even test the streaming and/or meeting rooms.

Prep Hosts, Speakers & Presenters

Register speakers & panelists and assign them as hosts for meeting rooms or roundtables, if needed.
Instill confidence in your speakers by hosting a tech check or event run through in Gradual or the streaming software you're using.

Chat Moderation

Ensure someone is lined up to moderate the chat and Q&A during the event and assign them as a Chat Moderator. This person should be familiar with the event to answer questions, moderate Q&A (if needed), and answer basic troubleshooting questions.
Draft language you’d like pasted into the chat, and any text you’d like to be ‘pinned’ at the top of the chat box.

Notifications & Alerts

Draft any Announcements or Alerts you’ll be pushing out during the event & load them into the Notifications tab.
- Announcements are used to notify users of an update or call to action. You can add links to announcements that will activate a button on the pop-up that users can follow.
- Alerts are used if there’s something unexpected that needs to be shared right away. The alert is stylized in red to draw attention.
Ensure someone is lined up to send those notifications and alerts (if needed) on the day-of.

Automated email reminders

There are a number of automated emails that Gradual can send automatically for you - a 24 hour and 30 minute event reminder, and a survey link email
Audit that those emails are enabled, or disabled (due to preference) and build a survey form to link in the post-event survey email.

Adjusts when the doors open

If you'd like attendees to join the event a few minutes early, or days ahead of showtime, you can manually adjust the access time or when 'doors open' in the dashboard
This is a great way to allow attendees to jump into the event & get situated
If you are opening the doors early, it's best to start your live stream early so attendees can test their audio and video feed

Script

Draft a script to welcome attendees and get them acquainted with the event and platform.
- Here is drafted language of a welcoming/kick-off script

Day of

Access the event early

Jump into the event early before attendees sign in.

Prepare to troubleshoot

Here is a list of FAQs related to troubleshooting login and event functionality issues a user may face.

Hit record

Gradual doesn't record the livestream so be sure to plan to record your session(s) in whatever service you are using to stream to Gradual if you want to share them as replays or video content pieces later.

Set the tone

It's best to have the stream “Live” when attendees join. This will ensure people know they’re in the right place and things will get started.
- Also best to put in the chat any updates or welcomes for attendees to see when they join.