Livestreaming is here to stay in 2021, and we anticipate many school districts to hold hybrid or virtual high school graduations this year.
Last year, Hurricane Productions worked with several schools and universities to set up a private, professional stream of their hybrid graduation ceremonies, complete with audio-visual (AV) equipment like mics and speaker systems for in-person presenters.
This decision allowed our clients to keep the number of live attendees to a safe maximum while increasing the overall audience size. Students and their families loved the experience, as those who wouldn’t have been able to attend regardless of COVID-19 were still able to tune in and cheer the grads on.
With state-of-the-art audio and video equipment, a virtual high school graduation can provide your school’s community with a safe, comfortable, and high-quality event experience from the comfort of home. Here’s how these hybrid ceremonies work and how we can help you plan your 2021 graduation livestream event.
How do hybrid graduation ceremonies work?
A hybrid graduation involves students and speakers attending in-person (sitting six feet apart and wearing masks, of course!) while their loved ones tune in via livestream. The entire ceremony is broadcast, usually through a private YouTube or Facebook link, and virtual attendees are able to watch and chat during the event.
When planning a hybrid graduation ceremony, your school may need to host several events depending on the number of students in the graduating class. For example, when we worked with East Brunswick High School for its 2020 graduation, the day was split up into four separate ceremonies over two days to ensure the safety of the students attending.
How to stream hybrid and virtual high school graduation ceremonies in 2021
If your school or university is looking to livestream its 2021 graduation ceremony, here are some tips to ensure a smooth and seamless event.
Don’t stream from a smartphone.
While smartphones and social media apps have the capacity to livestream, the video and audio quality is often poor. A proper virtual graduation should be broadcast with professional-grade sound and video equipment to give viewers an optimal experience.
Check your network bandwidth.
Livestreaming requires a strong, steady internet connection. Test your network speed with a trial broadcast before you stream the real ceremony live to make sure there are no lags or disruptions.
Consider the entire experience for those in-person and at home.
Students attending their graduation ceremony can see the behind-the-scenes setup as it’s happening, but you don’t want those watching at home to be sitting around watching a blank screen. Before the ceremony begins, you may choose to play a slideshow of pictures of the graduating class while viewers wait for the event to start.
From a technical standpoint, the streaming platform you use should be easy to access and simple to navigate. Consider choosing one with a live chat feature so participants at home can send their good wishes to the new grads.
Partner with a livestream and hybrid event expert.
Overwhelmed at the thought of livestreaming a virtual high school graduation on your own? Fortunately, you don’t have to.
Partnering with Hurricane Productions allows you to provide a superior user experience to students and their families without the stress. We’ll handle all the technical details — including on-site AV and full livestream video setup — so you can stay focused on the day itself. Contact us to get a quote for your livestreamed event.
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