How do I organize a Simulive session?

What is a Simulive session?

Simulive sessions refers to simulated live sessions - they are not actually happening in real time but are being presented as if they are live to the audience. This session type can offer a great deal of value to events by allowing them to prepare the content in advance to ensure the best quality of video is being presented during the session. 

Simulive sessions tend to be popular for virtual events as they offer the engagement of a live session, while also allowing a high level of control over the content and quality of the video. Since the session content itself is pre-recorded in advance, the event organizer has the opportunity to cut or edit the content of the session as needed - not only does this help to ensure that the session stays on time, but it also helps to avoid the risk of issues or mishaps during the session. 

How are Simulive sessions presented during a session?

Simulive sessions use livestreaming to share a pre-recorded video with an audience. Delivering the session content can be done in a few different ways, depending on the type of platform you are working with. 

Option 1: Livestream while sharing your screen
A simulive session can be delivered using your livestream platform of choice while you are sharing your screen with the pre-recorded video playing in fullscreen mode. 

If you are delivering the session in this way, you will want to consider having a dedicated person who will be responsible for managing the livestream and playing the video from their computer at the specific date and time of the session. It will be important to make sure that the computer that is streaming the video has a strong internet connection and speed to offer the video in the best quality possible. Additionally, the person streaming the video will want to reduce the number of programs that they are running from their computer to reduce any possible interruption to the video. 

You can find detailed instructions on how to set up a Zoom livestream in the following article. 

Option 2: Use a video platform with scheduled video play
Video platforms such as Onestream and  Restream offer you the ability to schedule your pre-recorded content to play at a specific date and time. This platform can minimize the amount of coordination and organization amongst your team, but we do recommend testing out the platform to ensure that the delivery and quality of video will create the right experience for your audience. 

Option 3: Change the visibility of the session in your Agenda 
Pre-recorded videos that have been embedded into sessions will be available to play on-demand, meaning that the user will have access to start the video content when they choose to do so. If you are looking to deliver pre-recorded content on a specific schedule during your event, then adjusting the sessions that are included in the Agenda section itself can help! 

Both Session Tracks and the Section Filter on the relevant Agenda section will need to be used to display the sessions (and the videos) from the section as needed. These changes will need to be made from the Experience Manager by a member of your team using the steps outlined below:

• In the Track area of the Session library, create a new track (this will be used to help you in making the session available from the Agenda, so make sure to name it accordingly - i.e. based on the date that the session will be delivered, etc.)
• In the Sections area of the Experience Manager, edit your Agenda section to 'Show Specific Tracks' and then select the track that you had created, along with any other session tracks that you may want to display from the section. 
  
  
• When creating your simulive sessions, leave the 'Track' field blank to prevent the session from being made visible from the Event Space. 
• When you are ready to make the session visible to attendees, visit the Sessions library to edit your session and assign to the track that is being filtered into the Agenda section of your Event Space. 

It is important to note that a member of your team will need to edit your sessions to display from the Agenda track at the date and time that you wish them to display. Attendees will also need to update (refresh) the Event Space to see the new content that has been made visible. For this reason, we recommend making the videos visible a little earlier than the scheduled time and using an announcement to instruct attendees on how to access the sessions. 

Can I preschedule the videos from the Experience Manager?

When setting up your Session Experience, you will notice options for both a Pre-State and Post-State available. These options allow you to incorporate an image, text or a video that will appear before and after the session. In addition to setting the Pre-State and Post-State Type, you will also have the option of setting when the Pre-State and Post-State should stop displaying to attendees - this can be at the schedule session time or you can set the number of minutes before or after the session as needed.