OnAIR Version 3.0
OnAIR Version 3.0 was released September 22, 2020 and includes new streaming technologies that are built into OnAIR, avoiding the need for external licensing.
OnAIR Version 3.0 Overview Video
Introducing the AIRCast Streaming Platform
AIRCast is the streaming platform built into OnAIR and powers all aspects of the OnAIR virtual experience, including sessions, poster presentations, video meetings throughout OnAIR, networking functions and live host broadcasts.
AIRCast uses different technologies and is curated and managed by OnAIR. Once enabled, AIRCast is available throughout OnAIR and is billed at the end of each month’s service.
AIRCast offers significant advantages, including the elimination of licensing external streaming services, such as Twilio, Zoom or GoToWebinar. AIRCast provides ultra-low latency streaming, typically less than a 5-6 second lag from initial broadcast to viewed content in OnAIR.
AIRCast also offers redundant streaming as an added security measure and provides auto session recording. Please note that you still need either Vimeo or YouTube to store your recordings.
AIRCast provides three services for streaming your sessions:
- Stream your sessions directly to OnAIR, replacing Zoom or GoToWebinar
- Automatically stream a Zoom Meeting through AIRCast, eliminating the need to license webinar add-on licenses for Zoom or GoToWebinar
- Provide an RTMP Feed for external content you or your AV studios provide
AIRCast Pricing
AIRCast can be enabled for specific events by visiting Event Preferences in Settings and enabling AIRCast for the current event. You will be asked to agree to the pricing and billing and then AIRCast is automatically made available for all OnAIR functions.
Once you select AIRCast for your streaming service, you will be billed each month for viewed streams (billed in five minute increments).
AIRCast Studio
AIRCast Studio is the session production environment where you, your team and your presenters operate in to manage all content and presentations broadcasted to your virtual attendees.
Main Stage for Managing Your Live Presentations
AIRCast Studio lets you broadcast up to 9 streams at one time, and you are able to organize videos of your presenters, external media, screen shares and more in multiple layouts shown on Main Stage. As Host, you are able to change the layout at any time, spotlight specific presentations and create a dynamic and varied presentation design.
Green Room as Your Presenter Waiting Room
Your presenters can queue in the Green Room. This is where you can prepare your presenters before they go onto the Main Stage.
Invite External Guests and Attendees to the Main Stage
Two additional tools included in AIRCast Studio are the ability to invite an external guests to the Main Stage, even if they are not registered in your virtual program and the ability to invite a member of your audience to your main stage. External guests can be sent a link that they simply click on to enter your Green Room. Your attendees/audience can use the Raise Hand feature and as the host you can invite them to the Main Stage Your attendees/audience can use the Raise Hand feature and as the host you can invite them to the Main Stage.
Media Management
Using the Media Panel, you are able to bring in any external videos or images onto the Main Stage.
Recording Management
AIRCast Studio automatically records all content and you can access/download that content for up to 70 hours from the end of a presentation. A useful feature is that recordings begin at the start of the presentation, avoiding the need to edit out any empty video sections at the beginning of your recording.
Breakout Rooms
You are able to create breakout rooms for attendees to have small group conversations with video and screen sharing. See next section for additional details.
Additional Presentation Functionality
All other presentation functionality such as Live Q&A, Live Polls, Discussion Forum and more are also part of AIRCast Studio.
Breakout Rooms
A major enhancement of OnAIR is the ability to use AIRCast Studio to manage breakout rooms. These are rooms that your attendees can move into for smaller breakout meetings and conversations during a session.
You can allow AIRCast Studio to create as many breakout rooms as needed, and you have the option of naming up to 10 rooms where attendees can join based on the room topic.
In either scenario, you can define the capacity of each room (up to 20 participants), and AIRCast Studio will automatically create as many breakout rooms as required to meet your attendance levels.
In each breakout room, attendee videos are displayed, and all participants can speak and share screens. Hosts and presenters are also able to visit any breakout room they wish, and the host can also choose to broadcast the Main Stage content directly to each breakout room.
Attendee Badge Categories
You can now define virtual attendee badge categories wherever attendee details are displayed in OnAIR.
Defined in Registration Categories, you can display the registration category in a color bar under each attendees name and organization (similar to name badges you may have used at live events).
For example, you may wish to differentiate attendee categories such as Attendee, Presenter, Exhibitor, Sponsor, Staff or any other category you may wish to display.
Session Timer on External Device
Presenters or panelists can scan a QR code and open the current session's countdown timer on an external tablet or mobile phone.
This can be especially useful if a presenter has only one screen and removing the timer to an external device frees up valuable screen real estate.
Session Undock
Undocking a session is an enhancement available in all session formats. With Session Undock, you are able to undock a session video, where it will float in a resizable window that will stay visible to the attendee no matter where they navigate to in OnAIR.
With Session Undock, an attendee can view a session in an undocked window while engaging in a video chat with Live Support or watching a Poster Session.
This powerful option allows attendees to more efficiently multi-task their OnAIR virtual experience with any number of viewing options.
Additional Enhancements Included in OnAIR Version 3.0!
OnAIR 3.0 offers many enhancements and new functionality that we know you will find useful to your virtual programs. There are too many enhancements to highlight above, so we've listed the many new enhancements and updates below!
New Host Session Role
You are now able to indicate any session role as an AIRCast Studio Host. The host is the party that controls the AIRCast Studio presentations, manages breakout rooms and can invite attendees or external guests to the main stage.
You are able to assign multiple Hosts for any given session; however, only one host at a time may be in control of presentations and AIRCast Studio management. Alternate hosts can take control at any time and also assist with other services such as working with presenters in the Green Room or management of Breakout Rooms.
An alternative to setting hosts in Session Roles is to assign one or more hosts globally in OnAIR Portal settings (in Session Settings).
Analytics Dashboard Enhancements
The Analytics Dashboard has been greatly enhanced in OnAIR 3.0, adding many new statistical views as well as a new reporting dashboard. You can now view real time exhibitor statistics and poster session analytics that both show useful data such as number of attendees in meetings and queues as well as numbers of brochure downloads and more.
The Reporting Panel provides detailed reporting across all aspects of your OnAIR programming, including the option to export your reports. A new report category called Attendee Journey has been created that details every step of each attendee's OnAIR experience, from login to logout.
Pre-scheduled Meetings
Using the Meeting Matching portals and features, any prescheduled 1-to-1 meeting will show in the OnAIR timeline for both Attendees and Exhibitors.
Exhibitor Video Gallery
If enabled, exhibitors can now have one or more videos displayed in a video gallery that can be viewed by attendees visiting their stand, even if the virtual exhibition is not open.
Starred Favorite Reminders
Virtual Attendees can star any session, function, poster presentation or exhibitor stand as a favorite. The OnAIR portal will remind attendees that their starred item is about to start.
Virtual Exhibition Filter
You can now filter access to the Virtual Exhibition, allowing only targeted virtual attendees to enter the exhibition.
Session Terms and Conditions
You can choose to enable terms and conditions for a specific session, requiring acceptance of those T&Cs prior to entering the session.
Send to AV Partner (AIRCast)
This option will create separate feeds of each stream appearing in the Main Stage of AIRCast Studio. These feeds can be sent to your AV partner or production team that can mix and manage the content and stream directly back to OnAIR.
Update to Networking Functions
If you are using AIRCast, you can now increase the number of participants in a Networking Function to 20.
Default Privacy Settings
In Portal Setup, you are now able to choose either of the privacy options as your default - either first name/last initial or full details.