Professional Livestreams - Tips & Tricks

When it comes to getting your content out into the world, livestreams are an ideal tool - and not just in times of Covid-19.

Whether it's an international management meeting, a general assembly, a media conference, a product launch or a concert: with a livestream you can reach a wide audience - anytime and anywhere. From consulting to conception to production, the Kilchenmann Event and Rental Service team is your professional, experienced and competent contact when it comes to getting your content out into the world. Walter Kunz, Event Project Manager, and Simon Anliker, Event Technician, answered a few questions for us:

What is a livestream?

In very simple terms, Walter Kunz and Simon Anliker explain a livestream as follows: "A livestream is the transmission of a video and audio signal from somewhere to many people who listen and watch live with a small time delay of a few seconds".

Small but subtle differences

What is the difference between a livestream and a video conference or an on-demand webcast? While a live audio/video transmission takes place without delay between the conferring participants, with a livestream - quite apart from the fact that the communication takes place in only one direction - a slight time delay is to be expected. On the other hand, the live stream scores points in terms of picture quality: the data transmitted during a live stream is buffered for a short time on the viewer's computer, which means that minor fluctuations in picture quality can be compensated for. The video quality is therefore correspondingly more stable and better than with a video conference, where the picture quality is more strongly influenced by fluctuations in the internet and disturbances in the network can cause faulty or jerky pictures. An on-demand webcast, on the other hand, is not a live event, but a video stored on a server that viewers can watch when they have time. While watching the webcast, a large part of the data is downloaded to the computer and cached. In this way, the user is practically unaffected by network fluctuations and can benefit from the highest video quality.

What are livestreams particularly good for?

The answer from Walter Kunz and Simon Anliker is hardly surprising: "Since livestreaming is basically nothing more than television for a small and open or defined group of recipients with password access, you can basically stream anything." Concrete examples are international management meetings, media conferences, product launches, concerts, employee information, forums and conferences.

What requirements must be met for a livestream to be successful?

Simon Anliker explains: "The most important requirement is reliable and correctly configured internet access, ideally a dedicated internet line. This is not always as self-evident as it sounds." Walter Kunz adds: "The required performance of the internet line depends on what is streamed or how many streams are uploaded at once. This is the case with multilingual conferences, for example." Another requirement is a room that offers space for the technical infrastructure, camera(s), lighting, background and microphone technology - ideally without natural backlighting such as a window.

Which budget items have to be considered for a livestream or have an influence on the budget?

Walter Kunz puts it in a nutshell: "The biggest budget item is usually the staff that is deployed for a livestream. Depending on the setting and size of the event to be streamed, we need more or less staff, for example for set-up and dismantling, the rehearsal runs and the operation of the cameras, the lights or the sound system". "The entire technical equipment is another budget item," Simon Anliker explains. "This includes cameras, lighting, sound as well as the setting, such as back walls or staging elements."

Read our FAQ on the topic of livestreams

Our Event and Rental Service team has compiled the most frequently asked questions about livestreams - including answers, of course - in a document for you.