How to run a live webinar

Table of contents

  1. 1. Create a live webinar
  2. 2. Creator settings
  3. 3. Prepare the session and open the room
  4. 4. Broadcasting
  5. 5. After the session — recordings, chat and offer
  6. 6. Make an automated webinar from the recording
  7. Minimal test path
  8. Participant list (sign-ups before the event)
  9. Common issues
  10. Related

1. Create a live webinar

  1. Sign in to the panel.
  2. Open the Dashboard.
  3. Switch to the Live tab (next to Auto).
  4. Click New live webinar.
  5. The Webinar creator opens.

Without the Live add-on (chosen room size) you cannot start a full broadcast — you can still use sandbox (up to 5 people) on Starter/Pro. Add the add-on under Payments & invoices.

2. Creator settings

Same step order as automated webinars, with the differences below.

StepWhat to set for live
BasicsName, title
VideoDo not upload a VOD file up front — you broadcast from the Broadcast room. You can still prepare offers and chat like in an automated webinar. Turn on recording in the Broadcast room
ScheduleOne-time only — set the start date and time
Registration / Thank you / Integrations / NotificationsSame as automated webinars
FinishCopy registration and player links for attendees

You can change the date later in the creator. A new live session (entering the Broadcast room again after ending the previous one) uses another monthly slot — see Limits.

3. Prepare the session and open the room

  1. On the Dashboard (Live tab), click Broadcast room for the webinar.
  2. The room opens 30 minutes before the scheduled start.
  3. Click Turn on camera and microphone — you get a local preview (you are not live yet).
  4. Set recording / chat capture. Participants can enter the room only at the scheduled webinar start time.
  5. Before going live you can Upload PDF (preferences) — then during the broadcast Show presentation. You can also share your screen (prefer a window or the entire screen).

If it is too early, the panel shows a countdown until the room opens.

4. Broadcasting

  1. After the preview, choose Start live broadcast or Start test (up to 5 people) (sandbox).
  2. If you go live before the scheduled time, a countdown appears over the video. With recording enabled, recording starts automatically at the webinar start time (you can also start it manually earlier).
  3. Attendees see the stream in the player from the scheduled start; you can chat and show / hide offers.
  4. Mid-broadcast you can Start recording if you did not enable it earlier (also in sandbox — then the session limit is 15 min).
  5. The attendee counter and session time limit (sandbox without VOD up to 120 min / with VOD up to 15 min; full live up to 120 min) appear in the room header.
  6. When finished — End the broadcast.

If you end without ever going live, the monthly slot may be refunded — see Limits.

5. After the session — recordings, chat and offer

  1. Open Recordings (/auth/recordings) from the menu.
  2. For the webinar: Download (MP4), Show in window, Download chat (when an export exists), Make auto-webinar.
  3. The Chat export column is the copy for timed chat in an automated webinar — not “whether anyone wrote during live”. Live chat is saved during the session; you can also run Export chat manually.
  4. An offer shown or hidden by the host during live is saved with the time from go-live. After End, those moments are written to the offer timeline — in replay the offer card appears at the same point in the recording. A link typed in chat comes back separately via chat export (timed chat).
  5. If you recorded several sessions of the same webinar (e.g. test + production): in the creator → Video you will see the session list. The latest recording is active by default; Use as replay switches the VOD. You can also download the MP4, edit it outside Webivio, and upload it via Change video.

6. Make an automated webinar from the recording

  1. On the recordings list click Make auto-webinar.
  2. In the confirmation dialog you can include chat from the live session and offer display times (both on by default).
  3. A copy opens as an automated webinar — finish the creator (evergreen / watch now, etc.).

This keeps a successful broadcast safe if you run another live on the same webinar later.

Minimal test path

  1. New live webinar with a start ~35 minutes from now (a full session needs the Live add-on) or sandbox alone.
  2. In the Broadcast room: Turn on camera and microphone → recording / chat → Start test (up to 5 people) or Start live broadcast.
  3. Short test broadcast and End (or wait for auto-end at the limit).
  4. Check Recordings and the player link for a test attendee.

Participant list (sign-ups before the event)

On Participants, the date range defaults to registration date (when someone signed up). Webinar date filters by session/room start — for a live event, pick the event date to see everyone assigned to that session. The instances table still lists session start times.

Common issues

  • Room closed — too early vs schedule (T−30 window) or the slot expired; set a new date or create a new webinar.
  • No camera — browser permissions / another app using the camera (Zoom, Teams).
  • No recording on the list — recording was not enabled (before start or mid-broadcast), or upload/HLS is still processing.
  • Frozen image when sharing a browser tab — choose a window or the entire screen instead; keep the broadcast room in a separate window.
  • Chat export: not exported — click Export chat; raw live chat may still have been saved during the session.
  • Monthly limit — the dashboard shows live usage this month; a new session will not start after 2/2.
  • Empty participant list for live — check Registration date vs Webinar date (see above).

Related