November/December 2003
Webcasting

Webcasting, especially live for the masses, is expensive and requires vast amounts of bandwidth. The truth is not every virtual attendee is willing to interrupt his day to attend a Web event. Webcasting isn’t dead, however. Here are some tips for using the medium today.

By Linda Chandler

The pitfalls of synchronous Webcasting
The timing — It will be difficult to get a live audience to interrupt schedules, adjust for time zones and put a Webcast on their priority lists. It’s more realistic to make the presentation available for 30, 60 or 90 days on the Web and allow the audience to view it at their convenience.

The variables — Any live production is subject to glitches. The program may start late. The speaker may have trouble with the microphone. A light may go out. Avoiding a live broadcast gives the tech staff time to edit and correct problems so the program has no distractions.

The cost — Webcasting live from an event may require more cameras and editors, as well as encoders to convert video to Web on site, adding to the expense. Also required is ample bandwidth on site to broadcast the event. Many meeting and exposition facilities now accommodate bandwidth requirements, but it must be checked and can be expensive.

Marketing with Webcasting
Karen McElroy Hunter, Director of Events for Cincinnati-based ST Media Group International, says she uses Webcasting to create excitement for the International Retail Design Conference. It saved her 30 percent in direct mail costs. Here’s what she did:
• Hire a commercial company to produce a 60-second video spot.
• Provide a Webcasting company with the spot to encode, manage and distribute to prospective customers and exhibitors.
• Create an e-mail promotion with a link to the spot. 
• Track results immediately. It’s possible to update data, know who saw the Webcast and how long they stayed.
• Offer this streaming model to exhibitors. It can enhance relationships and add value for advertisers and exhibitors. 

Will exhibitors pay for Webcasting?
Webcasting is gaining in popularity as a marketing medium, and chances are exhibitors’ ad agencies will consider this media buy. According to a study by Arbitron Inc.:
• 56 percent of ad agencies are exploring Webcast advertising in the next year.
• 69 percent of those who have placed ads or sponsorships of Webcasts expect to make more Webcast buys.

How much would agencies expect to pay for a Webcast?
Prices are cost per thousand:

Source: Arbitron Inc.
• The average price agencies expected to pay was $27 per thousand.
• To close the deal, agencies will want to know how attendees will be driven to the Webcast.

Costs
Here’s what you might expect to pay for the basics (session timed at approximately one hour):

Audio recording synchronized with PowerPoint slides	$300 to $500 per session
Video capture for keynotes	$1,500 to $3,000  per session
Hosting (more hours hosted,rates come down)	$15 per month per session

In addition, these items will cost extra:
• Indexing, creating searchable transcript files so users can jump to a point of interest.
• Tracking, capturing the number of visits to the site, who came, or how long they stayed, depends on the sophistication of the information to be captured.
• Pay-per-view or online ordering/purchasing facilitation on the Web site.
• Online tests or scans for end-user equipment.
• Tech support online to report problems or trouble-shoot.

Sample pricing
Here’s some sample pricing from Conference Archives:
30-session event requiring Webcasts to be available for 60 days
Hosting = 30 sessions x $15 x 2 months = $900 hosting fee
Production = audio and video work for three keynote speeches (one hour each) + production costs for taping audio (not video) on 27 sessions + creating four searchable transcription files that could search content
Total: $13,000

Webcasting providers
www.avwtelav.com
www.communicast.com
www.conferencearchives.com
www.eventstreams.com
www.loudeye.com
www.streamingmedia.com
www.webcasting.com

Sources
Gary Clark, AVW-TELAV Audio Visual Solutions, (214) 623-1349
Karen McElroy Hunter, ST Media Group, (800) 925-1110
Jason Jones, eVENT STREAMS,
(404) 816-1114
Todd A. Wagner, Conference Archives Inc., (814) 536-3356