Live streaming vs video conferencing – all you need to know
What exactly is the difference between a live-streamed event and a video conference? We explain all you need to know.
Virtual and hybrid events come in all shapes and sizes. If you’re thinking of creating your own – you might be wondering which is better for your goals: a live streamed event, or a video conference.
So, what exactly is the difference between these two types of digitally-enhanced events?
Thanks to today’s tech, the lines between them can get a bit blurred (more on this below). But in general, the important differences to be aware of are that:
- Live streamed events tend to be bigger in scale and generally involve a virtual audience watching something such as a talk or music performance. There can be elements of interaction, but much less so than with a virtual conference.
- Video conferences tend to be smaller in scale and have more of a virtual ‘meeting’ or ‘workshop’ feel. They’re very interactive and involve a smaller group of people participating in an interactive session of some sort.
In this guide, we cover:
- What is a live streamed event?
- What is a video conference?
- Live streaming vs video conferencing – the main differences
- What goals can live streaming help you achieve?
- What goals can video conferencing help you achieve?
- The best of both worlds – integrating live streaming and video conferencing
- Live streaming vs video conferencing – which is right for me?
What is a live streamed event?
A live streamed event is an event that’s broadcast in real-time over the internet to a virtual audience. There may be an in-person element to the event – say, a music concert where there are in-person attendees, as well as a virtual audience. Or, the entire audience for the event may be online. So, for example, a singer broadcasting their performance online without actually having any in-person attendees.
Live streamed events can vary massively in size and nature. A major conference could be live streamed across multiple platforms to an audience of tens of thousands of people. Or, one person could deliver a live-streamed talk or class to their much smaller social media audience.
Some popular live streaming platforms include:
We have a full guide covering how to live stream an event, which may be useful.
What is a video conference?
At its most basic, a video conference is an online meeting between a group of people. Although it sounds very ‘business-y’ – this type of online event can take many forms. For example, a video conference could facilitate an online creative workshop, say, in wreath-making or writing. Or, it could facilitate a roundtable of some sort, whether for a charity, local community group, or something else.
During a virtual conference, attendees can easily share their own work with the group (via screen sharing or presenting). And everyone generally plays an equal role in the event – although there might be one leader or key facilitator.
Some popular video conferencing platforms include:
Live streaming vs video conferencing – the main differences
A live streamed event generally focuses on a one-to-many type of communication – picture an industry leader’s talk being broadcast to a virtual audience of thousands. On the other hand, a video conference involves a fully collaborative and interactive experience between a group of people.
But, thanks to technology, the lines between the two mediums are becoming increasingly blurred. Today, it’s common for large live streamed events to also have interactive elements. For example, the industry leader we mentioned above might use technology to take live questions from their virtual audience. Likewise, a virtual conference can be large in scale, with lots of options for smaller breakout groups and elements of one-to-many communication.
However, there are still some key differences that can help you determine which type of online event is right for you:
A live streamed event:
- Usually focuses on one-to-many communication – the audience spends all or most of the time watching the event, as opposed to participating in it.
- Has an unlimited audience size.
- Is often used as a way to broadcast entertainment or informative events to a wider audience.
- Depending on the scale, might require more specialist broadcasting equipment and a higher internet bandwidth.
A video conference:
- Has a meeting or workshop feel. Everyone plays an equal role, with the whole event involving collaboration, discussion, and interaction.
- Works better for smaller groups – if the audience gets too big, interaction and collaboration becomes difficult.
- Is usually used as a way to bring people together for interactive sessions.
- Must have the appropriate equipment and internet bandwidth to ensure seamless two-way communication.
What goals can live streaming help you achieve?
Live streaming an event comes with tons of benefits, and could be a great idea for you if you want to:
✅Reach a much wider audience
All physical barriers to attending your event are eradicated with live streaming. Meaning you can connect with people all across the globe. And the truth is – over the past few years, watching live streamed content has increased rapidly in popularity. In fact, 7.6 billion hours of live streamed content was watched in the last quarter of 2023 alone. Plus, a sizable 27% of internet users watch live streamed content on a weekly basis.
The takeaway? Broadcasting your events live has the potential to open them up to a vast new audience. One that’s hungry to watch great content in real-time online.
✅ Increase the accessibility of your events
Live streaming your events is a great way to make them more accessible to those who would struggle to attend an in-person event. Through making your live event available to watch online, you help to expand its inclusivity through enabling participation from a much wider audience – whatever their individual needs are.
✅ Create content that can be reused
When you live stream an event, it’s possible to save the material you record – which can then be used again and again. This can be a fantastic way to increase the ROI of your event, and continue to get engagement with it long after the fact. For example, you could sell your live stream material as a download. Or, you could break it up into bite size pieces to use as social media content.
What goals can video conferencing help you achieve?
Video conferencing is about so much more than just getting a group of people together online. It could be well worth a try if you want to:
✅ Expand your offering with online workshops or classes
Video conferencing can be a great way to facilitate online workshops or classes. You might be a farm owner looking to enter the world of cooking classes, for example. Or a yoga teacher who wants to take things online to reach a wider audience. Whatever your goals, running interactive sessions online can help you to grow your following and increase your profits – all from the comfort of your own home or studio.
✅ Remove physical barriers for potential attendees
Just like with live streamed events, video conferences remove many of the physical barriers that potential attendees would face for an in-person event. Say, for example, you want to open up your local writing workshops up to a more national audience. Running sessions online means you can do this easily, enabling you to grow your attendee base exponentially.
✅ Host interactive sessions without the need for a venue
Finding the perfect venue can be tricky when it comes to running workshops and classes. Hosting them online via video conferencing removes the need to find an appropriate place – helping you to cut down costs. And it can actually make your sessions even more productive, thanks to the fact video conferencing platforms usually come with a whole host of useful features designed specifically to enhance the collaborative experience. For example, participants can take part in polls, share their work and ideas on-screen to the group, and record sessions to look at at a later date.
The best of both worlds – integrating live streaming and video conferencing
Live streaming and video conferencing don’t have to be used in silo, but can be deployed together to create an even richer, more engaging event.
For example, it’s possible to:
- Set up video conferencing breakout sessions during a live streamed event, where small groups of attendees can collaborate together.
- Live stream an interactive workshop so that a wider audience can watch the event and learn (without actually collaborating).
- Host a video podcast via video conferencing, while also choosing to live stream the podcast to a wider audience.
- Host a webinar where contributors connect via video conferencing, while the event itself is live streamed to a wider audience.
Tip: Learn how to host a webinar on Zoom without the webinar add-on >
Live streaming vs video conferencing – which is right for me?
By now you should have a pretty good idea of whether you want to run a collaborative, interactive event – or a one-to-many event that’s broadcast to a limitless audience.
And there’s your answer 👆. The former requires setting up a video conference on a platform that allows participants to interact with each other freely, much like they would in a face-to-face meeting. This set-up is perfect for recording podcasts, running workshops and classes, and hosting roundtables.
The latter requires a live streaming platform and tech that allows you to broadcast your event in real-time to an audience that watches on without necessarily participating. This is an ideal set-up for everything from music events, industry events, and educational talks through to comedy gigs and tech reviews.
Using a combination of live streaming and video conferencing is also an option, which can be a great way to create a rich, multi-faceted event that incorporates the best of both worlds.
Ticketing for your online events – sorted
Ready to hit the ground running with your next online event? Ticket Tailor can help ensure things run smoothly with a full suite of bespoke ticketing features and integrations built specifically for webinars, live streamed events, virtual conferences and more.
Find out about our seamless, low-cost ticketing for online events >
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