If your business has begun incorporating live video into your marketing, branding, and communication strategy you’re probably hungry for resources that help you figure out how to do it well. You want to learn about the best type of cameras, lighting, and audio equipment to use. And you want to understand the best software and platforms that are out there. Most importantly you want to talk to other people that are doing it, and doing it well.
All of that is easy to find at a live streaming video conference. Industry trade shows and conferences aren’t a new concept - almost every industry you can think of has a trade show or two somewhere in the world. A well-organized, well-attended conference is one of the best places to learn and network with folks.
Live streaming video conferences are no different, especially because it's part of an exploding market, intimately intertwined with entertainment, marketing, education, and revenue generation.
Like all booming technologies, live streaming video is changing frequently. There are rapidly growing capabilities and platforms. Rules and limitations are also frequently changing. Attending these live streaming video conferences is one of the best ways to stay on top of this tech.
To get the most out of these conferences you should have a plan of attack. A lot happens in a short amount of time at these events. Many of your conference options may conflict so choosing the right thing to do in a particular time slot is key. To help you get the most out of your live streaming video conference experience we’ll break down the parts of a typical conference.
Keynote Speech
The keynote speech and speaker are a lot like the headlining band at a music festival. This is the one you really want to see. The keynote speeches at these events help set the tone. This is where you get to hear directly from top players in the industry. Sometimes they’re delivering incredibly valuable, inspiring information you can use in your business. Sometimes they’re announcing an exciting new product. Sometimes it’s both.
This is something you definitely want to attend during the conference.
Breakout Sessions
Breakout sessions are similar to college lecture classes you might have attended. These are held in smaller rooms throughout the event venue like classes in a school. They’re typically educational although sometimes you’ll get vendors presenting and the session is more of a sales pitch.
Event Floor / Exhibit Hall
For many, this is the best part of any conference. In fact, some conferences allow you to buy entry into just this portion of the event. The exhibit hall is where all the vendors show off their wares. You better believe they bring their best, most cutting-edge stuff. This is the spot where you can see the latest in equipment, software, and services. Best of all, many vendors offer special pricing on their items during the conference and give away lots of free promotional items.
Networking
While the exhibit hall is everyone’s favorite part of a conference the networking is by far the most valuable part. In no other place in the world will you be surrounded by so many experts that you have direct access to. Many conferences have scheduled networking events you can attend. Lots of other networking goes on in hotel bars and restaurants and common areas around the event.
So by this point you've clearly decided you want to attend a live streaming video conference. And good news - there are still some pretty major ones happening before the year is out, and now is an excellent time to get signed up for some more big ones in 2019...
Summit Live
New York City: Oct. 2, 2018
Las Vegas: Nov 12-14, 2018
Switchboard Live Co-founder and CEO Rudy J. Ellis will be speaking at SummitLive in Las Vegas this November, and both events will be teeming with live video B2B marketing experts.
Streaming Media West
Huntington Beach, CA: Nov 13-14, 2018
This year's conference promises live streaming industry leaders that will be speaking on state-of-the-art advancements in video production, encoding and transcoding, content delivery and monetization, and so much more. Per the Streaming Media website:
Whether you are an executive or manager interested in new business strategies and trends, or a production, IT, or engineering professional from the technical side, you’ll find all of your bases covered.
VidCon
Melbourne, Australia: Aug 31-Sept. 2, 2018
Anaheim, CA: June 2019 (expected)
A great conference for both content creators and fans of online video, VidCon is an excellent event that gives attendees a great feel for almost any kind of video out there. A recent Twitter post guarantees that VidCon is "a must-attend session for marketers, social media experts, brands, and publishers."
NAB Show
Las Vegas: April 6 - 11, 2019
The NAB Show is produced by the National Association of Broadcasters and while that’s a group that includes traditional radio and TV broadcasters, the show is anything but traditional. This is one of the biggest and best conferences for a live streamer to attend. It’s focus on the technology behind modern broadcasting and streaming is unlike any other.
This year’s NAB has passed but you can pre-register now for 2019 and full registration for the April 2019 show opens this October.
These are just some of the bigger conferences, and there are many others, including a lot of regional ones that might be closer to you and cost less to attend. Simply Google “live streaming video conference” and see what comes up for your area so you can stay up-to-date on all the innovative moves in live streaming!
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