Contents
- Overview
- On Stage Before Your Event
- Live Broadcast
- Prerecorded Broadcast
- RTMP Broadcasts (Streaming From Another Platform)
- Buffer Videos: After Your Event
Overview
This section of Goldcast's help guide will explain what your attendee's experience will be on the Stage of your event, before sessions begin, after sessions are over, and during each of the session types you can create in an event. Goldcast provides several options for setting up an event session. This allows you to select a session type that fits the specific needs of your event.
The following is a list of all session types currently available on the Goldcast platform:
| Live | Broadcasts live video, slides, and prerecorded video content |
| Prerecorded | Broadcasts prerecorded videos that play automatically at the start time of the session |
| RTMP | Broadcasts video content from an external streaming platform |
On Stage Before Your Event
After attendees click on their unique event entry link, and click the "Enter Event" button, they will see a slide with a message indicating the name of your event and a countdown to your first event session if they enter your event before your first session's start time.
The Goldcast platform allows users to upload custom buffer videos, which are a great way to greet attendees while they wait for your event to start. Once a video has been uploaded, it will play on a loop until the official start time of the first session. Additionally, there will also be a countdown to the start of your first session displayed at the bottom of the page.
Click here to learn more about buffer videos.
Live Broadcast
Live Broadcasts are what we typically think of when it comes to online events. This broadcast type allows users to stream live videos and communicate with audiences in real time. Additionally, you may also incorporate slides and prerecorded videos during a Live broadcast.
You may wish to use this broadcast type if you are planning on:
- Incorporating audience questions throughout the event
- Inviting audience members on stage to ask questions via video
- Polling the audience
- A speaker has prerecorded their presentation and you'd like to play it at the very start of the event and do live Q&A following
- Your live event is happening but you'd like to share a sponsor trailer, product demo, or other type of film during the presentation
- Your live session may end early and you want to play a video with music until the next session
When your session begins at its scheduled start time, if you and your speakers are not on stage yet, a speakers are preparing backstage slide will display on the event stage for attendees along with the session name, start, and end time.
The Backstage of your event is where you’ll be able to meet with the organizer of the session and the other speakers you may be speaking with. This area is private and only accessible to you, the other speakers, and the session organizer.
To go backstage, select the Agenda tab at the top of the screen then click the Enter Backstage button for the session.
When you are ready, click the Go On Stage button. Keep in mind that attendees will not be able to see you until the session goes Live, which will be indicated by a red LIVE tag in the bottom left corner of your screen.
Adding Resources To Your Event
Before your event, you will want to upload any content you wish to show during the session. Click here for additional instructions on doing so. Once you've uploaded your content, attendees can access it using the Engagement Panel in the Events app.
Playing Media Content During Your Session
Media content that you've added to a session can be found under the Media tab on the Engagement Panel of your event stage. You can share slides and play videos from backstage, in the audience, or on stage.
Slides
Select the Slides button under the Media tab to view the slides you've added to your session. Select the Share button in the bottom-right corner of a slide to display it on your event stage at any time during your session.
To stop sharing the slide and return to the live broadcast, click either one of the Stop Sharing buttons at the bottom right of the screen.
Videos
Select the Video button under the Media tab to view the videos you've added to your session. Select the Play button that corresponds to the video you would like to play on your event stage.
When the video ends, or if you would like to return to the live broadcast before the end of the video, click the STOP VIDEO button at the bottom right of your screen.
You MUST click STOP VIDEO once a video ends - the session will not automatically return to playing the live stream, and your speakers or moderators will not be able to be seen or heard until you do.
Audience Engagement
Please review the table below for information about which audience engagement features are available for this broadcast type. You can select which of these you enable when you set up your session.
| Chat | Chat | Yes - Speaker, Session, and Public Chats are available. |
| Media | Share Slides | Yes - you can share PDF slides you have uploaded to your library and added to this session. |
| Share Video | Yes - Yes, you may share prerecorded videos you have uploaded to your library and added to this session | |
| Q&A | Text | Yes - attendees can type questions in the Q&A tab and you can respond via text. |
| Video / Raise Hand | Yes - attendees can click "Raise Hand" and you can approve them to join speakers on stage to ask a question. | |
| Share | Yes - you can share a text question to the stage so the audience can see it. | |
| Polls | Open Polls | Yes - attendees can respond to a poll question you open. |
| Publish Polls | Yes - you can share poll results to the stage so the audience can view them. |
At The End of a Live Broadcast
Speakers will be visible on stage to attendees until the end of the session. If a live event ends early and all speakers and event organizers leave the stage and return to the backstage area, the audience will see the "Speakers are preparing backstage" slide until the end of the session time. When a live broadcast reaches the end of its scheduled time, attendees will be automatically redirected to the next session in their track on your event agenda.
Learn more about setting up a Live broadcast
Prerecorded Broadcast
Prerecorded broadcasts are made up entirely of prerecorded content and do not allow for live video or on-stage audience interaction. The advantage to this broadcast type is that it allows you to upload and schedule when content is played during your event, creating the illusion of a live event without you actually having to have speakers present live. Your attendees will still have the ability to chat, submit questions, and respond to polls in the engagement panel, if you choose to enable this.
Create a Prerecorded event on Goldcast when you want to play 100% prerecorded content during a single session. Examples for when you may want to do this:
- You want more control over the content and would like the ability to edit the content prior to attendees seeing it
- A speaker is busy during the slotted event time so you need to prerecord a session with them when they are available
At the Beginning of a Prerecorded Broadcast
Your filler slide (or the Goldcast logo, if you have not added a filler slide on this event's Branding tab) will appear on the event stage at the beginning of the session while your video loads. This usually takes about 10 seconds. The video for a Prerecorded session will automatically start at the session's start time. There is nothing that you as an organizer, will need to do for this session to start. If you have multiple videos attached to this Prerecorded session, they will automatically play one after the other.
It will also display at the end of your session if the prerecorded video you've chosen is shorter than the duration of your session.
Backstage area
There is a backstage area for this session, where you can speak to other organizers, but there is no "Go On Stage" button since no one will be presenting live. To join a Prerecorded session, click "Enter Backstage" on the Agenda. To watch the session, click "Watch Live" from the backstage area.
Audience Engagement
Please review the table below for information about what audience engagement features are available for this broadcast type.
| Chat | Chat | Yes |
| Media | Slides | No |
| Video | No – The Pre-recorded broadcast type does not support videos. It only supports videos that play automatically at the start of a session. | |
| Q&A |
Text | Yes - You may respond to questions submitted from the Q&A tab on the Engagement Panel. |
| Video / Raise Hand | No - Video Q&A is not supported, as the video playing on your event stage is prerecorded and cannot be interrupted. | |
| Share | No - Sharing Q&A to the stage is not possible, as the video playing on your event stage is prerecorded and cannot be interrupted. | |
| Polls | Open Polls | Yes - attendees can respond to a poll question you open. |
| Publish Polls | Yes - you can share poll results to the stage so the audience can view them. |
Learn more about creating Prerecorded broadcasts.
Streaming From Another Platform (RTMP)
Note: RTMP Channel feeds must be created at least 30 minutes prior to the event's start time to allow them to sync properly with the Goldcast platform.
Note: A Webinar event cannot be done with an RTMP session type. Virtual events and Hybrid events have the ability to have RTMP sessions.
The RTMP In feature allows speakers and event organizers to broadcast livestreams from an external platform into a Goldcast Event. This process happens in real time and is ideal for situations in which an event is being hosted somewhere other than the Goldcast platform (i.e. Zoom) but the event organizer would still like to provide virtual attendees with an interactive experience.
When a broadcast begins, it will take about 10 seconds to load the RTMP stream from the other platform. If the broadcast begins before the platform begins streaming, your filler slide (or the Goldcast logo, if you have not uploaded a filler slide on the Branding tab in your event) will appear on the event stage until it starts.
Backstage area
There is a backstage area for this session, where you can speak to other organizers, but there is no "Go On Stage" button since no one will be presenting live. To join an RTMP streaming session, click "Enter Backstage" on the Agenda. To watch the session, click "Watch Live" from the backstage area.
Audience Engagement
Please review the table below for information about what audience engagement features are available for this broadcast type.
| Chat | Chat | Yes |
| Media | Slides | No - This broadcast type only supports RTMP sessions from external platforms. If you would like to include slides in your session, select Live as your broadcast type when setting up your stage agenda item. |
| Video | No - This broadcast type only supports RTMP streams from external platforms. If you would like to include prerecorded videos in your session, select Prerecorded or Live as your broadcast type when setting up your stage agenda item. | |
| Q&A |
Text | Yes - Attendees can type questions in the Q&A tab, and you can respond via text. |
| Video | No - Video Q&A is not supported, as the video playing on your event stage is streaming from an external platform and cannot be interrupted. | |
| Share | No - Sharing Q&A to the stage is not possible, as the video playing on your event stage is streaming from an external platform and cannot be interrupted. | |
| Polls | Create Polls | Yes - Attendees can respond to a poll question you open. |
| Publish Polls | Yes - You can share poll results to the stage so the audience can view them. |
Click here to learn more about RTMP broadcasts.
Buffer Video: After Your Event
If you've uploaded a buffer video to your event, it will begin playing on the stage after the event has ended. Additionally, there will also be a Thank you for attending message displayed at the bottom of the page.
Default Slide
If a buffer video hasn't been uploaded, the Goldcast default slide will be displayed on the stage after your event has ended. This slide informs guests that the event has ended and thanks them for their attendance.
Click here to learn more about buffer videos.