As a communication professional we are often confronted with trying to interpret a proposal that has landed on our desks from one of our external providers. Ok we asked for one, but now it’s our job to check and see if what is being offered is what we really need and wanted in the first place. Does the price tag meet our expectations or is it way over budget?
We tend to be a bit skeptical, but if you want high quality, reliability and efficiency, it’s definitely worth paying an appropriate price.
Looking at a typical proposal
Assuming you are doing a “standard” webcast for video and slides on demand, for the Internet, this is what a proposal (from Solutionpark) looks like:
- Briefing, planning and coordination – every external provider needs time to be briefed and set up a plan for the implementation of a webcast.
- Set-up, installation, technical check at the event location – depending on where you are holding the event, interview, roundtable, training session, and depending on the number of participants, guests, people, speakers attending, the technical set-up and respective checks will take the appropriate time. Rather be sure everything is working properly in advance in order to avoid any mishaps, if possible. You will feel calmer and so will your external provider.
- Cameraman and streaming engineer – these are the specialists behind the camera, in charge of directing, at the mixing desk and the computer making sure that the video and slides match. In addition this item includes encoding the video and sending the link for the Internet.
- Software and hardware: usage of PLAY software, license and PLAY server utilization, LiveBox, streaming equipment, multiple encoder, backup, converter, slide control, cameras, tripods, hosting, delivery and distribution via Akamai network (content delivery network) – these are the basis for a high-quality webcast and I wouldn’t want to go with anything less.
- Back-up of the video – for your records you might want to have a DVD.
- Transport of equipment and expenses – your event might take place nearby, but the equipment needs to be lugged to the location no matter what.
- Phone service helpline – in case you need a special helpline during the event itself, this is a useful option to consider.
All I can say is, good luck and hope you are successful and happy with your next webcast.
The place was full of interesting equipment they had built into mobile trolleys themselves as they explained how they’d go on location and record, encode and stream a company’s investor presentation, press conference or other live event onto the web. So how would this work for us? Basically we wanted to replace the old way of recording a staff event on VHS cassettes (!) which would be copied manually and then sent by mail to the various offices around the world. How endlessly tedious and time-consuming!
The good thing was that our streaming provider has their own encoding center where all the equipment is permanently installed on site. This means that they are always ready with many encoders and backup devices available, a redundant and reliable Internet upstream, optimized connectivity to Akamai (a 
In communication we talk about two-way communication, sender and receiver, interactive and dialogue, viral and e-communication, as well as integrated communication plans and concepts. With webcasts, I am sending out very specific information, portioned into digestible news blocks or categories on average to a very broad audience. Therefore my role was to brief and coach the CEO and Executive Team members as to their performance in front of the camera as well as the messages we wanted them to bring across to employees, clients, shareholders etc. I made sure any scripts and presentation print-outs were available, the microphones working, the speakers desk set up and any and Q&As prepared. Often times during an employee information event, I’d sit in the front row close to the speaker’s desk, just in case something went wrong. From there I also had eye contact with the cameraman recording the webcast who could give me hand signs should any technical issues arise.
Keep your communication bits relevant, significant and to the point. It all depends on how it is delivered. You have surely heard that a million times, but take note, with webcast this holds true even more.
Set realistic expectations, allow yourself enough time for the preparation and testing phase. Take the lead in organizing the location and briefing the speakers. It helps to clarify the logistical details in advance, to make sure you have things in place before you get started. Once the camera is rolling it’s much harder to fix something that isn’t already working.
