Using Zoom Webinar to host your live talks? Here's a step-by-step guide to setting it up.
You've picked Zoom as your webinar platform. And why wouldn't you? Zoom is simple and allows you to broadcast your talks live. HeySummit allows you to create an online conference with Zoom, and each conference can support one or more talks. You can connect to Zoom webinar for live talks, and HeySummit will automatically create a link with Zoom.
Once created, the Zoom Join URL is sent to the speaker before the talk is scheduled to go live. Note that attendee emails (e.g. Daily Digest, schedule, reminder and replay emails) never include the exposed links to webinars or live streams for privacy reasons. The emails will only include the link to the HeySummit talk page where they will be redirected to the appropriate platform after clicking the "Watch now" button found there (if logged in with the correct ticket).
N.B. Zoom Webinar and Zoom Meetings aren't the same thing and require different steps. To set up Zoom meetings, check this help doc out.
Also, if you have multiple sessions scheduled on HeySummit running at the same time and you're planning on using Zoom Webinar for these overlapping sessions, you'll need the corresponding number of Zoom Webinar licenses and HeySummit Hosts set up.
Quick Start
Step One: Add a Host
When setting up a Zoom webinar for your live talks, begin by creating your host. To set up your Zoom webinar host for your talk, go to Event Setup > Webinar Hosts.
A host is someone who will host a talk for your event. The host may or may not be the speaker or presenter of the talk, but they are required to connect to your webinar provider.
To add a host, click on the Add Host button at the top right of the page and enter their name and email information.
Step Two: Link a Zoom Account to the Host
Once the host has been created, you can now connect them to their Webinar Provider. Click the Connect button to go to the Webinar Provider settings page.
On this page, you'll see the host you just added and underneath, five webinar platform options. To connect to Zoom, click the Zoom button.
A pop-up window will appear (as below), which lists the requirements you need to connect to Zoom and the actions you want to take to ensure your talk's smooth delivery. HeySummit will send out notification emails to Hosts, Speakers, and Attendees. To avoid duplication, go into Zoom's settings and turn off all email notifications.
Click Yes - this will automatically take you to Zoom.us, where you can sign in with your Zoom login details to authorize this connection.
Once you have connected your Zoom account, you'll be sent back to HeySummit, where you'll now see that your Zoom account is marked as Active.
You can hover your cursor over the Host to check the email address of the webinar license the Host is attached to.
Step Three: Create a Speaker and Talk
Now that you are linked to your Zoom account, you can create your first Speaker and Talk. A Speaker is a guest you invite to speak during the online conference you are conducting; a Talk is their presentation.
To add your speaker, return to the menu in the left sidebar and select Content > Speakers. In the new window, click the Add Speaker button located at the top right of the screen.
In the Speaker form, you must set the Speaker's name and email address at a minimum.
To add your talk, return to the menu in the left sidebar and select Content > Talks. In the new window, click the Add Talk button located at the top right of the screen.
Step Four: Link the Host to the Talk
On the next screen, you have four options for broadcasting the talk. When using Zoom, select the Live Webinar or Meeting option. Next, select the host that you previously created and click the Save button.
Step Five: Wait for the Zoom Webinar to be Created for the Talk
While the Zoom webinar is being created, the status bar will display Creating Live Webinar.
After 2-3 minutes, refresh the page to see if the status has changed (it should have a green check if the talk is ready). You can copy the Zoom link by clicking the green check to the left of the talk you just created.
You're all set! Each Talk you create in HeySummit (and that you link to the Host that you connected to a Zoom Webinar license) will be synced to Zoom. When this happens, a unique Zoom webinar will be created on your Zoom account for the Talk in question. The Talk's title, description, and date/time are used when creating the webinar. Also, any speakers you have linked to the Talk will be added to the Zoom webinar as additional hosts. You can set up your session with the same webinar ID or same room in Zoom.
Some things to take note of:
Please note that your attendees will be redirected to the webinar platform once the session starts. The only time your sessions are embedded into the HeySummit page is when you're using our Pre-recorded option or our Live Stream option with one of our supported live streaming providers, Vimeo or Youtube.
We recommend leaving a good amount of buffer time between configuring your video settings for a Talk and the time the Talk will go live to allow the connection to propagate.
If you set up a session with Zoom and the date passes and you want to change the dates on HeySummit, you have to reset the webinar details in the talk record. It will not update automatically.
However, if you have a Talk with Zoom set for the future and change the date on HeySummit before it passes, the dates will change automatically after a couple of minutes.
If you're offering Replays, remember to record your Zoom webinars and upload them to a third-party video streaming service before you upload them to HeySummit- this is not an automated process.
If you're having issues with your Zoom host and webinar integration, please take a look at this help doc to walk you through some troubleshooting steps.