Testing your session is highly encouraged before your event especially when you're doing a live broadcast. To avoid messing up your actual event, we recommend duplicating your event and just do your tests in there!
In this article, you'll learn how to set up a test session as an admin, broadcast as a speaker and join the session as an attendee.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
CHROME is the preferred browser to access the event page, virtual event hub and backstage studio link.
You can do your test session on your actual event, but we highly recommend that you can create a duplicate event so that you don't need to change anything on your actual event.
You cannot test a live session if your session time is in the past or future. It has to be NOW.
While doing your test event, you'll be on the Free Plan, which will only allow you to create an event with up to 10 sessions that lasts for 1 calendar day.
If you upload attendees to a test event, there is still a charge of $1 per attendee upload, we suggest just adding them manually so that there is no charge for you.
If you're doing a test event, please keep your participants (including admins, staff, attendees, exhibitors and sponsors) to 24 maximum in total and add TEST to your event URL so that we'll know not to charge you for this test event.
If you're duplicating an event for your test event, make sure to change the dates and time to when your test is happening. As a default, the duplicated event date will be a month from when you duplicated it. Make sure to check your stream providers as it resets on a duplicated event. You may check this article on duplicating an event, the FAQ section may be helpful in terms of what is going to be copied over.
Set Up a Session as an Admin
1. Set up your event details
Go to Event Details
Make sure the date is covered for your testing date (today) and select your timezone
Event Format: Online
Enable Sessions
Event type: Conference
Note: If your event start and end date is the same, you won't be able to change your session date.
2. Set up your tickets
Go to Set-up Tickets
Create a free ticket tier that is available now to purchase
3. Set up your sessions
Go to Agenda & Speakers
Click Add Session
Session type: Breakout Session
Make the date and time for now
Select Accelevents Studio as your stream provider
Note: If you're testing a different session type and stream provider, just select them and check out these articles for more information on how they work:
4. Add a speaker to your session
After setting up you session details, click the Speaker tab on the right side menu and add a speaker to this session using the speaker email address you added as admin
After adding the speaker, they should receive an automatic email invite which has 2 links for your event: the backstage link for the session and the link to the My Speaking Schedule page in the virtual event hub
If you want to resend this invite, just click the Calendar icon from the speaker tab inside the session details.
Note: If you're not using Accelevents Studio or RTMP as stream provider or if you're having a workshop session, the email that speakers receive will only have 1 link to the My Speaking Schedule tab. There is no backstage for the other types of stream providers that's why the backstage link is not there. A workshop session doesn't have a backstage as well, when speakers enter, they go directly to the session.
Broadcast a Speaker
1. Access the link in your speaker email
Earlier, we sent an invite to the speaker, in that email the speaker should see the link to go directly to the My Speaking Schedule tab in the virtual event hub and the backstage link to that session.
Click the first link from the email (My Speaking Schedule link)
Click Join the Studio to open a new tab that redirects to the backstage (this is the second link from the email). This will not start your broadcast yet, you're just entering the backstage.
2. Check your Camera and Microphone Settings
Once you access the backstage, it will ask you to choose which camera and microphone you want to use then join the backstage. Once inside, check the following to know that everything works fine:
Make sure that your browser allows camera and microphone access
Make sure your camera and microphone are enabled in your Accelevents Studio
Make sure to check the volume and camera output settings of your Accelevents Studio
3. Start the Broadcast
After checking everything and you're ready, click Start Broadcast to start live streaming.
20 to 30 seconds of latency is actually expected. So when the speaker clicks the Start Broadcast button, attendees will see the start of the broadcast in about 20 to 30 seconds.
If other speakers cannot see the Start Broadcast button and you want them to be able to start / end the broadcast, then you'll need to assign them as moderators.
Sign Up for the Event as an Attendee
1. Access the event page
Click the View Site button and select View Event Site
Since you’re an admin, when you access that page, you’ll be logged in already.
Log out or open the event page through an incognito window so that you can sign in / register and purchase a ticket just like a regular attendee
2. Access the virtual event hub
Click the Enter Event button from you event page. This will take you to the Virtual Event Hub
Go to Sessions
Click Join to see the live broadcast
Stop the Broadcast
When you're done testing, click the Stop Broadcast button from the backstage
We suggest to wait up to 30 seconds before you hit the stop broadcast button to take into consideration the delays in broadcasting. If you stop early, attendees may not see the last 20 to 30 seconds of your presentation.