The Webex Events Production Studio is our built-in and fully integrated live streaming studio on the Webex Events platform. This article shows how to activate the Webex Events Production Studio, and it covers all the amazing tools available to help you successfully produce a professional-quality live stream.

Inviting speakers is easy — simply share the 'Invite Speakers' link that anyone can use to join with no login required. 🔓 If you want Speakers to control studio graphics and layouts during the stream, have them join the Studio as a host.

In the same modal where you copied the 'Invite Speakers' link, click Launch Studio to open the Webex Events Production Studio in a new tab.
​

The first time you join the Studio, a prompt asks you to grant Webex Events Production Studio access to your mic and camera.

Now, let's take a tour of the Webex Events Production Studio. Hosts and speakers should take plenty of time to explore and get familiar with the Studio before going live. Conducting a test stream is a great idea!

Each numbered section below corresponds to the numbered flags in this image:

This is your live stream "stage" as it appears to attendees in the Event App.

There are six layout options under the live stream preview. As the host, you can change the layout to highlight what you want viewers to focus on before and during the live stream. The layout selection doesn’t affect which speakers or content are on stage. It simply affects how they’re arranged and displayed in your live stream.

If you select a layout before adding the required screen share or speakers to the stage, the Studio keeps the layout in a queue until you add the needed cards for that layout. For example, the 'Grid' layout requires at least two speakers on stage. If you choose this layout while one speaker is on stage, it activates as soon as you add another speaker to the stage.

Webex Events Production Studio has thre types of "cards" – speaker cards, screen share cards, and video share cards. Every person inside the Studio has a speaker card that appears below the stream preview, along with screen share cards for any shared screens, and video share cards for any shared videos People who join the Studio with a speaker link can view their own card and their screen share and video share cards. Hosts can view everyone's cards.

Let's examine how hosts can interact with each card. Each numbered item below corresponds to the numbered flags in this image:

Click Share in the control bar, then Share screen.

Click Share in the control bar, then Share video file, and choose up to five .mp4 or .webm video file from your computer's folders.

1. Click the audio icon to mute/unmute the card, or adjust the volume slider.

2. Click Add to stage to add the screen share card to the stage area. When a video share card is on stage, the button says 'Remove from stage'.

3. Click the Make Cinema Layout icon to show only the video share card on stage. Click the icon again to return to the previously selected layout.

4. Click Play or Pause.
​

5. Adjust the progress bar to easily navigate to a specific moment in the video, or move forwards or backwards.

6. Click the circular arrow Activate video loop button to play the video repeatedly. When looping is activated, the button says 'Deactivate video loop'.

The control bar is located at the bottom of the Studio. Each numbered section below corresponds to the numbered flags in this image:
​

Each numbered item below corresponds to the numbered flags in this image:

The Studio Chat tab lets you send group chats or private direct chats to people in the Studio.

Use the 'Brands' tab to add folders that keep brand-specific colors, themes, logos, and backgrounds organized across all Studios in your event. For each brand, choose a primary brand color and add custom logos and backgrounds to make sure your stream matches your Event App and style! 💃

Click the Add (+) button under the Logo or Background headings to upload custom images. Although you can upload as many as you want, you can only upload 10 at a time.

Click the three-dot (⋯) icon on an uploaded logo to move it to the top-left or top-right corner of the live stream. Click Remove to remove it from the brand folder. Click the three-dot (⋯) icon on an uploaded background to rename it or remove it from the brand folder.

Hover over an uploaded asset and click Show to display it in your live stream. To stop displaying an asset in your live stream, hover over it and click Hide.

The Overlays tab is separated into two collapsible sections — 'Image' and 'Video'. Images and videos always appear on top of everything else when added to the stream, so they're great for sponsor commercials, transitions, welcome and goodbye messages, countdowns, and much more!

Click the Add image/video button to open the library of default overlays plus any files your team previously uploaded. No matter which Studio files were uploaded in, they're available in every Studio's library. Simply click library items to select them, then click Add to add them to the Overlays tab of the Studio you're currently in.

To upload new overlays, click the Upload image/video button and follow the prompts in the uploader. Follow the guidelines below when preparing files for upload to the Studio.

Banners and tickers are a great way to display information you want to highlight during your live stream.

Add a 'Lower Third' type caption to the stream to show a static banner with additional context, quotes, or calls-to-action. Use a ticker for an eye-catching banner that moves across the bottom of the screen.

Create these pre-stream and simply select them at the right moments, or create them during the stream as you need them.

This tab shows attendee chat, Q&A, polls, and a Custom Tab, if they're activated for your Live Stream feature or Agenda Session. Copy and star chat and Q&A items, and show polls, chat, and Q&A in your live stream. Starring chats and Q&A items lets you organize them in a separate list so that they're easy to access when it's time to show them in your stream.

When you're ready to stream to your Event App, click Go live. Use all the tools described above to add or remove speakers from the stream, manage brands, overlays, layouts, and more to create an amazing live stream experience.

While you're live, the 'Go live' button becomes the 'End broadcast' button. After you end your first live stream, a 'Recordings' button appears. Clicking this button opens the 'Download recordings' modal, which contains recordings to download and shows the progress for recordings that are currently processing.

Recordings are also automatically added to the Video Center, so it's easy to use them for Simulive and Video on Demand in Live Stream, Speakers, Sponsors, Exhibitors, and Custom List features and Sessions. Learn more in our Video Center article.

Now that you know about all the controls, it's time to learn about the spacious and convenient Full-screen Controls! Producers and speakers can enter this mode by clicking the full-screen icon located at the bottom right of the stage or by using a keyboard shortcut. The full list of Keyboard shortcuts are listed under Settings then Keyboard Shortcuts.

Like default mode, full-screen mode includes the viewer count and stream duration at the bottom right of the screen. Any mouse movement or keyboard input will display the control bar, at the bottom of the screen, and the sidebar, at the right of the screen. The control bar includes essential tools such as Mute/Unmute mic and Start/Stop camera.

The first item in the sidebar is Layouts, so producers can change the layout when in full screen. Next is Backstage, which lets producers and speakers access and manage the backstage cards. The sidebar also provides access to Studio Chat, Settings, Banners, and all other menus. Click on any menu item to expand the sidebar and access the needed tool.

If there's no mouse movement or keyboard entry, the control bar and sidebar will automatically collapse after five seconds.

In full-screen mode, Interaction Bubbles keep users informed about Studio chat messages and audience interactions (chat and Q&A) in real-time. Message previews appear as bubbles at the bottom left of the screen for five seconds before fading away automatically.

Clicking on an Interaction Bubble opens the relevant sidebar menu with the highlighted message so you can easily interact with the content. For fewer distractions, toggle Interaction Bubbles by clicking Hide/Show Interactions at the bottom left.

That was a long article! Have some ice cream. 🍨 Now, top it off with some pro tips. 🔽