How to Create and Manage Live Sessions

Live sessions is a tool that allows you to create live broadcasts for your hybrid or online events. Holacon offers three different options for live streaming in its live session system.

The "Holacon Internal Broadcasting Interface" is ready and practical. You can add your speakers and get ready for live broadcasting directly.

You can transfer your private broadcasts via "RTMP". It supports tools such as StreamYard, OBS, and Yolobox.

You can easily add ready-made players from YouTube or Vimeo using the "Embedded Player" tool.

To organize your event as hybrid or online, you need to create at least one live session. Click on the "Live Sessions" menu on the left to view or create a new live session

You can create a new live session by clicking on the "Add Session" button in the top corner of the opened screen.

When you open the screen, you need to decide on the method you will use to broadcast. Remember, this option cannot be changed later. After giving a name for your session (e.g. Main Hall), you must enter the start and end date and times accurately. Then, you can customize your session visually by adding an interesting cover photo for your live session. Cover photo dimensions are 1120 pixels x 500 pixels, which is consistent throughout Holacon. Finally, don't forget to click on the "Save" button to create your session.

For instance, let's assume that you have created a broadcast using the "Holacon internal broadcast system." When you want to edit the created session, you will encounter a screen as shown in the image. You can navigate through the "Information", "Speakers", "Stages", and "Settings" options in the top menu to make the necessary changes in the relevant area. The changes made will be reflected in the session simultaneously. The "Information" tab contains the necessary detailed information about the session.

For example, let's say you have created a broadcast using the "Holacon internal broadcasting interface." When you want to edit the session you created, you will be presented with a screen as shown in the image.

You can navigate between the "Information," "Speakers," "Scenes," and "Settings" options in the top menu to make changes to the relevant area. Any changes made will be reflected in the session in real-time.

The "Speakers" tab displays the speakers who will be broadcasting during the session. These speakers must have already been registered in your participant list in advance. In the Holacon system, the speaker role is also a participant role. You can use the search bar at the top to search for a participant you want to add as a speaker by typing in their name, and then add them to the list by selecting the result.

There are three types of roles available for added speakers:

• "Broadcaster" is the person who broadcasts using their computer's webcam and microphone.
• "Moderator" is the person who manages the session. No special actions are currently defined for moderators.
• "Translator" is the person who translates the foreign language used in the session. If there is a translator in a session, participants can watch the session in both the original language and the translated language. The translator's voice is only heard in the translated language, and the speaker's voice is not heard.

When the "Broadcasting Keys" for a speaker are enabled, they can enter the session with their speaker features active when they join from the participant application. During entry, they will be presented with a screen where they can adjust their microphone and camera settings. If the "Broadcasting Keys" are disabled, these settings will not appear on the screen, and they will only enter as a viewer.

During a live broadcast, if a speaker with disabled "Broadcasting Keys" opens them and clicks "Save," their page will automatically refresh, and they will be included in the broadcast with their webcam and microphone enabled if they are on the session screen.

If a speaker with enabled "Broadcasting Keys" closes them and clicks "Save," their speaker features will be removed, and their page will automatically refresh, and they will join the live session as a viewer. The same result will occur if a speaker is removed from the list and "Save" is clicked.

The "Stages" tab allows you to make transitions and changes in the pre-prepared background and upper/lower banner contents for the live session. You can create designs specific to speakers and topics. When you make changes to the design and click the "Save" button, the session visuals are automatically updated instantly. With the "Stages" tab, you can easily manage the visual aspect of your live session to make it more engaging and professional.

For example, let's say you have created a broadcast using "RTMP". When you want to edit the created session, you will see the "Broadcast" tab instead of the "Speakers" tab as shown in the image. All other features work the same way.

To stream via RTMP, you need to enter the URL and key provided for the broadcast into your broadcasting tool such as OBS. It is important to ensure the security of the key, as unwanted consequences may arise otherwise.

To read our article on streaming with OBS, click here.

Let's say you have created a live session using the "Embeded player" option. When you want to edit the session, you will see the "Broadcast" tab instead of "Speakers" as shown in the image. All other features work in the same way.

With this option, you can stream using the player information from sources such as "Vimeo", "Youtube", and "Twitch.tv". The streaming sources you add are directly transferred from the provider to the platform without any intermediaries.

The URL that should be entered in the "Source" section should be the video embed code from the relevant platform. Please note that it will not work if you add the website URL instead.

You can make detailed settings for the relevant live session from the "Settings" tab, and any changes made in these settings are updated real-time on the platform.

When the "Show" option is turned off, the live session cannot be accessed through attendee applications. If this option is turned off during the broadcast, all attendees will be removed from the room and the broadcast room cannot be viewed or accessed through applications.

The "Live Broadcast" option determines whether the relevant live session will be broadcasted to attemdees instantly or not. For example, during a rehearsal or when the speakers are preparing for the session before the start time, the attendees cannot watch the live broadcast. Instead, a countdown timer showing the start time of the broadcast is displayed.

When the "Show the number of audience" option is enabled, it shows how many attendees are currently watching the live broadcast.

The "Control Point" determines which controller will control the access to the relevant live session. This allows you to ensure that only specific segment attendees can watch the session. To learn more about "Control Points," click here to read our article.

To monitor an active broadcast during the event, click the "Play" button on the relevant broadcast. (Broadcasts transmitted via the Embed player cannot be monitored from here.)

To monitor an active broadcast, click the "Play" button on the relevant broadcast. (Broadcasts transmitted via Embed player cannot be monitored from here.)

All broadcast formats except for the "Embed player" option are saved as mp4 files in Holacon's broadcast recording system. These recordings are stored based on the "Storage" size included in your subscription package and can be downloaded later. To view recordings, click the "Live broadcast recordings" button in the top right corner or click the "Broadcast recordings" button on the relevant broadcast to access all recordings and download any recording as an mp4 file.

For a high-quality live broadcast experience, note the following:

• Ensure that speakers have an uninterrupted internet connection with a minimum of 16 Mbps download and 8 Mbps upload speed.
• Connections made via Wi-Fi can result in instant internet issues and delays. It is recommended that computers broadcasting via Ethernet cable are connected to the internet.
• For speakers using an internet infrastructure with specific security procedures and restrictions, it is recommended that connection permissions, controls, and rehearsals be performed prior to the broadcast to avoid any access issues.
• The recommended browser for Windows speakers is the latest version of Chrome.
• For broadcasting from macOS devices, it is mandatory to use the latest version of Safari or Chrome.
• To broadcast from iOS devices, it is mandatory to use the latest version of Safari.
• To broadcast from Android devices, it is mandatory to use the latest version of Chrome.
• Ensure that the device's camera, microphone, and screen sharing permissions are fully granted.