Technology Options for Hosting Online Events

Summary

This article relays options for hosting online events, including webinars, large meetings, and more.

Body

 

 

Task: 

UNH offers several technology options to assist with your online event hosting needs, from hosting large meetings to live streams and more.

The information below covers several different options and gives some detail about the technical pros and cons of each.  To select the solution that meets your needs best, think about the goals of your event and what you are trying to accomplish.

  • Do you need to just deliver a message one way, or do you want back and forth interaction?
  • Do you need to record the event for later reuse?
  • Do you have a small, medium, large, or unlimited audience?
  • Do you wish to capture names, email addresses, or other details about your attendees?

Once you have answered these questions, review the options below to decide which are the best fit for your situations. Keep in mind that these are not mutually exclusive. You may wish to use two or more delivery methods together as part of an overall event.

 

Instructions:

Recorded Video Message

Platform: Kaltura​​​​​​
Sharing Options: Embedded in a webpage or shared via email with a link
Interactive? Call-to-action only
Can I capture attendee info? Yes - via Event Registration feature of Kaltura. 
Can I record the event for reuse? N/A - This method is itself a recording already.
Attendee limits? No
Cost: Free
Additional info: 

  • You can record via most any technology, but if the presentation includes computer-based content, we recommend using Kaltura Capture
  • You can include a call-to-action button(s) on the video to take viewers to other content including survey forms to capture information
  • Freely available to all staff and students

To request/use: See Kaltura Capture documentation and details about MediaSpace and embedding Kaltura video.


Recorded video gallery

Platform: Kaltura
Sharing Options: MediaSpace website with playlists, categories, and channels to group content
Interactive? Call-to-action, possible commenting
Can I capture attendee info? Yes - via Event Registration feature of Kaltura, but only on a video-by-video basis.
Can I record the event for reuse? N/A - This method consists of recordings already.
Attendee limits? No
Cost: Free
Additional info: 

  • Similar to "Recorded video message", but multiple items can be grouped and organized into a broader presentation.
  • Access can be public, restricted to just UNH, or restricted to just select individuals.

To request/use: See documentation about MediaSpace.  Contact Learning Design and Technology to coordinate the setup of the structures in MediaSpace.


Large Online Meeting

Platform: Zoom or Microsoft Teams Meetings
Sharing Options: Web browser, Teams App, or Zoom app 
Interactive? Varies - Can be fully interactive or very limited.
Can I capture attendee info? Yes - via meeting registration feature of Zoom. You can capture this information via the registration or attendance features Microsoft Teams Meetings. 
Can I record the event for reuse? Yes, provided that advance notice is given that the session will be recorded.
Attendee limits? 

  • 300 - standard UNH Zoom meeting license.
  • 1000 - standard Microsoft Teams Meetings license

In Zoom, You can purchase larger size meetings up to 1000 with advance notice.
Cost: In Zoom, Free for up to 300 participants. In Teams Meetings Free up to 1,000 participants. In Zoom There is a charge for meetings of over 300 participants.
Additional info:

To request/use:  See unh.zoom.us. or see our documentation for Teams Meetings. For larger meetings over 300 attendees in Zoom, submit a request.


Webinar

Platform: Zoom or Microsoft Teams
Sharing Options: Web browser,  Zoom app or MS Teams
Interactive? Chat and Polling Options
Can I capture attendee info? Yes in both applications
Can I record the event for reuse? Yes. Advance notice is not required here as participants are not seen, but advance notice is still recommended.
Attendee limits? 500 - standard UNH Zoom webinar license. 1000 for MS Teams.   You can purchase larger size meetings up to 10,000 with advance notice.
Cost: Zoom - Free for up to 500 participants. There is a charge for webinars with over 500 participants.   MS Teams Free for up to 1000 participants
Additional info: 

  • Webinars allow the host, co-hosts, and designated panelists to present content, but all other attendees cannot share audio, video, or other content.
  • Only hosts and panelists can see attendee names.
  • Attendees can access chat and Q&A features.

To request/use:  For any size webinar, submit a request.

Pinned Article Teams Meetings: An Overview of USNH Web Conferencing Software


Live Stream

Platform: Kaltura
Sharing Options: Embedded in a webpage or shared via email with a link to content
Interactive? Not by itself, but could be paired with an interactive chat tool.
Can I capture attendee info? Yes - via Event Registration feature of Kaltura
Can I record the event for reuse? Yes. This is a one-way communication, so no participant notice is needed. 
Attendee limits? None
Cost: Possibly for necessary hardware or software encoders
Additional info:

  • Need hardware or software solution to encode the video stream and send it to Kaltura's distribution network
  • Requires advance setup by IT staff

To request/use:  Contact AT to request a live stream set up and get appropriate training.


Produced live stream

Platform: Varies
Sharing Options: Embedded in a webpage or shared via email with a link to content.
Interactive? Not by itself, but could be paired with an interactive chat tool.
Can I capture attendee info? Varies
Can I record the event for reuse? Yes. This is a one-way communication, so no participant notice is needed. 
Attendee limits? None
Cost: Yes - outside media company production costs
Additional info: 

  • Separate video streams are set up for each participant and are managed and switched by a central producer.
  • This option requires hiring outside media companies and advanced planning.

To request/use: Contact AV Special Events to request assistance.

Outcome:

Users should be able to become familiar with and use different technology options to host an online event. 

Further reading:

Need additional help?

Please fill out the Zoom Web Conferencing help form with as much detail as possible, or contact the Technology Help Desk on your local campus.

Details

Details

Article ID: 2208
Created
Fri 3/27/20 11:14 AM
Modified
Thu 11/7/24 8:21 AM
Applicable Institution(s):
Keene State College (KSC)
Plymouth State University (PSU)
University of New Hampshire (UNH)