How to Use Microsoft Teams for Live Events

Microsoft Teams for Live Events

As the country has raced to a work-from-home model for millions of employees, companies are working to reinvent the way they do business.

For companies that need to host events or meetings, the switch to virtual has meant a dramatic shift. Fortunately, there are several solutions available to launch successful online events.

Microsoft Teams has become a standard tool for businesses across the world. The software app lets teams collaborate, has a shared space for documents and files, and allows for video and messaging communication.

Microsoft Teams lets you coordinate teams, employees, and departments regardless of where employees are located. It’s also integrated fully with Office 365, the popular cloud-based version of popular productivity apps like Outlook, Word, and Excel. Third-party apps and plug-ins allow for project management and customer relationship management to be integrated.

How Does Microsoft Teams Support Live Events?

Live Events is a Teams feature that allows for large groups to meet virtually. Participants can tune into a live stream of the event. Live Events can be used for company updates, sales meetings, seminars, conferences. They can accommodate both internal and external speakers or participants.

To use Live Events, your organization needs several requirements, including:

• An Office 365 Enterprise E3 or E5 license
• Permissions in both Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Stream
• Streaming equipment including a microphone and web camera

With Live Events, you can establish planning roles with defined responsibilities, including:

• Organizer. This person creates the event, sets attendee permissions and configures the event features (such as moderated question-and-answer sessions, invites participants, and managed post-event reports.
• Producer. The producer role acts somewhat like a stage manager, starting and stopping the event, sharing video or allowing participants to share video, sharing active desktops or windows, and selecting meeting layouts.
• Presenter. The presenter can show audio, video, or other files or moderates the event.

How Do You Launch a Microsoft Teams Live Event?

To create your event in Microsoft teams:

• Click on Meetings then Schedule a Meeting.
• Select New Meeting then New Live Event
• Add details on your meeting, including title data and start time.
• Add attendees
• Choose whether to allow records to be available for download.
• Schedule your Live Event

To invite attendees to your Live Event:

• Click on Meetings
• Select your new Live Event
• Select Get Link

The link lets you invite participants either through the Teams platform or via email.

To start your Live Event:

• Click on Meetings
• Choose your Live Event
• Select Join

The Quick Start feature gives you fast access to the event features and launch. Alternatively, the Producer UI offers more features and functionality.

One of the significant benefits of using Teams for Live Events is the number of supported platforms and operating systems. Live Events are available on:

• Windows 7 and later operating systems, both 32- and 64-bit
• MacOS 10.10 and later
• Android 4.4 and later
• iOS 10 and later
• The last three versions of Chrome and Firefox
• Edge RS2 and later
• Internet Explorer 11
• Safari

Following your event, there are multiple reports available for download, including an attendee report, Q&A report, transcript, and recording.

At K² Technologies, we help companies around the country with solutions that drive digital transformation. As Microsoft Certified Experts, we work with companies of all sizes and in all industries with training, technology migrations, and support. We can help with Microsoft Office, Office 365 and Asure consulting, migrations, and training. Learn more about how to drive innovation and efficiency at your organization with the experts in Microsoft integrations by contacting us today.