The introduction of live discussions on the Backstage platform is a game-changer, enhancing the experience for both speakers and attendees. This development brings with it a host of benefits, making virtual sessions and webinars more interactive and efficient than ever before.

The integration of Live discussions within the Backstage platform bridges a gap that has existed. Previously, speakers and moderators would often find themselves switching between the Event App and the Backstage App to keep tabs on what was happening during a session. This constant toggling not only proved distracting but also led to the risk of missing out on crucial interactions in real-time.

With the advent of live discussion on the Backstage platform, speakers and moderators now can seamlessly view all attendee interactions as they happen. Whether it's the ongoing chat, the inflow of questions, or responses to polls, everything is readily accessible within a single interface. This unified experience eliminates the need to navigate between apps, making the event management process smoother and more intuitive.

One of the most significant advantages of this feature is that it empowers speakers and moderators to engage with their audience in real time. By having a live feed of discussions, questions, and poll responses, they can respond promptly and meaningfully. This level of direct engagement fosters a deeper connection between presenters and attendees, leading to a more engaging and interactive event.

Introducing a game changer New Feature for your streams: The ability to Play a Video File into the Backstage.

This addition allows moderators to upload pre-recorded video files into the Backstage and stream them live to the audience, improving the way live sessions or webinars are conducted.

The Backstage has once again raised the bar by incorporating this new feature. The moderator now has complete control over the video content, with a range of options at their fingertips. One of the key benefits of this feature is the ease with which videos can be added to the main stage. With a simple upload process, moderators can incorporate video files into their Backstage sessions. This flexibility allows moderators to integrate videos into their talks, lectures, or product/service demonstrations.

Once the video is on the main stage, the moderator gains full control over its playback. The play and pause functionality allows for precise timing, ensuring the video is showcased at the perfect moment. Additionally, Moderators has the ability to jump to any part of the video. They can navigate to specific sections or key moments within the video.

Furthermore, Backstage's video feature grants moderators the ability to remove a video and replace it with another on the fly. This dynamic adaptability ensures that moderators can adjust their content on the fly, ensuring an uninterrupted experience for their audience.

This feature empowers moderators helping them to captivate and engage their audience like never before.

🎉 The future of digital presentations is here, and it looks more captivating than ever.

Some great improvements will be added to this feature in the near future :

• Ability to have video Storage allowing Moderators to reuse easily the same video files from one session to another
• Ability to set the sound volume of the video
• Ability to loop the video

In virtual/hybrid events, interactive sessions have become a crucial component to engage participants and foster meaningful discussions. To enhance this experience further, a notable development has taken place with the introduction of new customization capabilities on the Session Interaction container. This update offers organizers the ability to tailor their session interface by hiding or unhiding tabs and reordering them according to their preferences.

Prior to this update, the Live Interaction container consisted of three tabs, each serving a specific purpose. These tabs were Live Discussion, Questions, and Polls. While these tabs provided valuable features, their static order limited the flexibility and personalization options available to session organizers.

With the recent enhancements, organizers now have the ability to hide or unhide each tab based on their requirements. This customization feature enables organizers to streamline their session's user interface, presenting participants with only the relevant tabs for a specific event. By hiding unnecessary tabs, organizers can reduce clutter and create a more focused and tailored interaction container.

Furthermore, the ability to reorder the tabs adds an additional layer of flexibility and customization. Previously, the fixed order of the tabs restricted organizers from adapting the session interface to their desired flow. However, with the new update, organizers can rearrange the tabs to match their event's structure and priorities. For instance, if questions take precedence over live discussions in a particular session, organizers can reorder the tabs accordingly, placing the Questions tab before the Live Discussion tab.

Finally, the interactions container that was named initially “Live Discussion” can now be renamed:

In addition, these new features have also been extended to the default Session settings. This means that all sessions created after the update will automatically adopt the customized settings, eliminating the need to manually update each individual session. By applying these settings at the default level, organizers can ensure consistency and save time by defining the visibility and order of tabs, but also the interactions container name, universally across their sessions:

Managing virtual events and webinars can be a challenging task, especially when it comes to controlling Backstage Sessions. Before, this role was shared among multiple organization members, leading to coordination issues and potential production problems. However, a new feature has emerged to address this concern: the ability to assign a unique moderator among event members for the Backstage Session.

The moderator assignment feature streamlines Backstage Session management by establishing clear hierarchy, enhancing communication, improving accountability and enhancing professionalism

How to assign a Moderator?

In a Session detail in Studio, you now have the option to select the moderator with a search bar that will search among all the event members.

The moderator assignment feature is a significant advancement in Backstage management, addressing the challenges of shared moderation and contributing to a more professional and stress-free event experience.

We enhanced Engagement with Simulive Sessions

Organizers are constantly seeking ways to maximize audience engagement and ensure participants don't miss out on crucial moments. Recognizing this need, an exciting new feature has been introduced to Simulive Sessions, empowering organizers to set a custom streaming availability date.

Traditionally, Simulive Sessions allowed for a synchronized streaming experience, where the Session start time and the streaming start time were identical. However, with the latest update, organizers now have the flexibility to set a different date for the Session start and the Streaming start. This small yet impactful change incentivizes attendees to join the Session earlier, preventing them from missing the beginning of the streaming.

Why is this feature a game-changer? Consider a scenario where participants are eagerly waiting for a virtual conference to commence. With the custom streaming availability date, organizers can choose to initiate the Session a few minutes prior to the actual streaming. This strategic move piques the interest of attendees, prompting them to log in early.

Simulated-Live Sessions have gained popularity in virtual and hybrid events, allowing organizers to deliver pre-recorded content as if it were happening live.

However, a significant limitation was the inability to preview the session before it went live.

Fortunately, we fixed it, enabling organizers to preview their pre-recorded content within the Studio. This capability empowers them to ensure the content fits what they planned to showcase.

This new feature allows moderators and speakers of a Backstage session to communicate with each other in a secure and private chat. The private chat is accessible only to them, ensuring that conversations remain exclusive to the intended audience.

The private chat has all the features that are available in the usual session live discussions, including reactions, answering messages, and file uploads. This means that moderators and speakers can collaborate and share information with each other in real-time.

Furthermore, when a message is sent, the chat box opens automatically. This feature ensures that everyone in the Backstage is aware of the ongoing conversation and can join in if needed.

In summary, the private chat for moderators and speakers inside the Backstage is an essential feature that enhances communication and collaboration. It makes it easier for moderators and speakers to work together and deliver an outstanding session experience for all attendees.

Try it out today!

Previously, we’ve updated the Studio to ensure that every time a session is updated, it’s automatically reflected in real-time in the Event App.

This new release provides the same real-time functionality that now includes any updates to the session’s streaming schedule including date and/or time.

Now, users won’t have to refresh the session details page to see the updated session’s streaming availability date and/or time.

See the example below and watch the session’s length update in real-time:

If you have set up an RTMP Session using a third-party provider or through our own Backstage solution, and if you recorded it with the option enabled from the Session details in Studio, it is now possible to turn it into an On-demand Session.

How to turn an RTMP Session into an On-Demand Session?

When your Session is over, you now have a new “Convert to on demand” button just below the Format option in the Session details within Studio:

Clicking on it will open the following pop-up window:

From this window, you are able to select which recording you want to use, click on “Save changes” and it’s created like magic. Your Session has now been converted into an on-demand Session and it will display the recording you selected.

We completely revamped our Sessions editor in Studio to make it easier to use, clarify all the session formats we provide, and have a smoother session creation/edition path.

Session creation is now much easier, thanks to new format list options when creating one.

Depending on the format chosen, the pop-up window will ask you to upload a video, refer a video URL, etc. The creation path is now much more guided.

Once the session is created, all the session format settings are collected in a new tab “Format & video” which allows you to focus only on this information.

The session creator/editor layout has been turned into a two-column layout to make the navigation and comprehension easier.

We also added alert messages while updating and changing the session format. This way, potential mistakes are reduced:

Also, trying to update any session date (the session date itself or the streaming availability date), a brand new pop-up window will open that gathers all the date parameters to help make those changes easier:

In the Sessions list in Studio, we also added an indicator next to the session format value in the “Format” column with additional information.

This way:

• For an on-demand session, you can know whether it is:
  • A video file
  • An embedded video
• For a livestream session, you can know whether it is:
  • An RTMP
  • A Backstage Session
  • An embedded video
• For a prerecorded session, you can know whether it is:
  • A video file
  • An embedded  video