7 Reasons to Go Simulive for Your Next Webcast

Rachel Maltese
Updated October 12 2021
Rachel Maltese
Updated October 12 2021

As you plan a webcast—like an all-hands meeting or a town hall—you may be trying to decide between hosting it as a live event or as a pre-recorded presentation.  

 

Both have their advantages: live events inspire excitement and encourage people to register, attend, and participate. Pre-recorded events available on demand allow you to perfect your presentation and reach people regardless of their schedules.  

 

Which one is the right answer for your organization? Maybe neither. Or, more accurately, a combination of live and recorded material in a format we call simulive (a combination of the words “simulated” and “live”) can help you and your audience have the best of both worlds. 

 

What is Simulive?

Simulive refers to an online event that is recorded ahead of time but then broadcast as live, so your audience doesn’t even realize that they’re watching pre-recorded content. 

 

A simulive session is presented in the context of a live event in which the audience gathers in a virtual event space at a certain time and can provide live responses via chat, emoji reactions, or other interactive features. 

 

Pre-recorded content is sometimes paired with a live Q&A to thread in a real-time interactive element. To achieve a live Q&A, on-camera speakers or panel members typically join the broadcast after the pre-recorded content airs. 

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Why Choose Simulive?

1. Simulive allows you to perfect your presentation

When making a high-profile announcement or providing essential information to your organization’s stakeholders, simulive allows you to be sure everything goes exactly as planned. By pre-recording content you can guarantee top-tier production values and make sure your presenters stay on script. Simulive means your presentation can look perfect and you don’t have to worry about important information being accidentally omitted. 

 

2. Content that’s easy to repurpose

Because simulive relies on the pre-recording of your webcast’s central content, the content you prepare is easy to repurpose for other events, such as videos, presentations, blog posts, and more.  

 

You don’t have to worry about the imperfections–hard to hear audio, poor lighting, a strange camera angle, even unexpected outages—that can make true live events difficult, if not impossible, to repackage for later use. 

 

3. Simulive ensures questions are answered

If you’re considering making a webcast available for on-demand consumption only, interactivity becomes challenging. The live factor of simulive broadcasts encourage people to tune in at the same time, creating a sense of community. 

 

And, if there are questions or concerns, they can be addressed through various Q&A formats, including chat, real-time breakout rooms, or with an on-camera panel of speakers. All of this leads to a more connected and engaged audience. 

 

4. Gauge reactions immediately 

Similarly, simulive webcasts let you read the room. Emoji reactions and text-based chatrooms during an announcement can help you understand how the news in your webcast is being received immediately and allows you to hype up the positivity as well as respond to any concerns—or confusion. 

 

5. Simulive makes it easier to recruit speakers and schedule events 

Need a high-profile speaker for your webcast? Want to invite a special guest to speak at your next all-hands? But also need to present your webcast on a certain day?  

 

Aligning schedules can often be tricky, especially when your talent is in demand. Simulive, however, allows you to work with speakers when they’re available and then broadcast your webinar when it makes the most sense for you.  

 

6. Accommodate multiple time zones 

Similarly, simulive is time zone friendly – especially if you’re presenting a panel of speakers who are all in different locations. Simulive means none of your presenters has to get up in the middle of the night, and you can broadcast your simulive event multiple times in order to accommodate multiple time zones. With an increasingly hybrid global workforce, this is becoming a greater priority.  

 

For best results, be sure that speakers are able to appear at the broadcast for a Live Q&A or have a moderator at the webcast to answer questions and respond to items in the chat.   

 

7. Reassure stakeholders 

Simulive is also great way to reassure your stakeholders that your high-profile webcast is going to meet expectations. You can share your webcast for feedback before it takes place and then refine it with post-production editing. 

 

Achieving Stress-Free Webcasts with Simulive Broadcasts 

Simulive can make life easier for all your stakeholders, whether they’re presenting on your webcast or watching it. With the opportunity to make things perfect before your broadcast ever begins, the nerves associated with webcasting can be a thing of the past. 

 

Simulive also has a lot of different applications in terms of event types. But some of the places you may want to consider simulive are: 

  • Announcements from leadership 
  • Training events on challenging topics 
  • Keynote speeches at virtual conferences or all-hands meetings 
  • Panel discussions where eliminating crosstalk and digressions is essential 

 

Finally, remember to keep things honest. Sure, simulive is about a simulated live experience, but that’s no reason not to be straightforward. Simulive isn’t about fooling your audience, but about giving them a great experience.  

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