Sarah Perriam
- Apr 18, 2019
- 3 min read

5 Reasons you will be LOVED for going LIVE

Updated: Oct 15, 2019

I can hear the thunder of popularity towards live-streaming rolling into the next decade.

It's the growing demand of your audience banging down the door to be let in to the conversation - wherever they physically are.

And when it's now reliable to live-stream events in TV broadcast quality with real-time audience interaction (on & offline) at a fraction of the price - why wouldn't you?

Scared you'll lose the ticket sales / audience numbers? Read on.

Sarah backstage setting up for the FMG Young Farmer of the Year live-stream

2013 - the first year I worked with Deer Industry New Zealand to provide a multi-camera livestream of their conference complete with TV ad breaks and TV-like graphics.

I was beyond excited in the Napier War Memorial Centre seeing this come together. The viewers not only complimentary about the stream quality, but were in rural locations in New Zealand.

I have now completed six annual Deer Industry Conference live-streams with our contractors and we are booked in for 2020 in Invercargill.

Over the past 6 years I have gone on to production manage many events live-streamed such as the annual Beef Expo at Manfeild Park, PGG Wrightson Annual bull sales, NZ Agri-Food Week and most recently the FMG Young Farmer of the Year.

It's been interesting talking to many other organisations over the years suggesting live-streaming because it is so reliable and affordable to an assumed "No thanks, we will lose audience at our events." I said 'assumed' ah?!

The Deer Industry only grew their online audience every year without losing physical attendees. And that online audience in the early days became physical attendees in on-going years. Sponsors of the event got more measurable reach and the organisation has respect as a thought-leader from it's levy-paying farmers.

Are you JUST putting on an event to make money OR seeking true connection and thought leadership?

Sarah moderating a panel at Boma Grow Summit in 2019 on important topics such as gene-editing v's regenerative agriculture to a paying crowd of 650

Fact of life - humans will always like to physically network, but humans are busy and can't physically attend everything.

If the goal is thought-leadership, then true leaders pull up everyone behind them not just their buddies in the board room, which is how I feel about conferences not being live-streamed.

So I go back to the original point your audience are banging down the door to be let in to the conversation - wherever they physically are.

I think there will be an inevitable tipping point like any communication technology where your audience (customers), will TURN OFF you if you don't go live from your events.

Think about if a business didn't have a CUSTOMER SERVICE PHONE NUMBER or a FACEBOOK PAGE, you just wouldn't engage with that business.

Your brand should be available to your audience how they want you to be; everyone wants to be heard and respected. And if it's about money or sensitive information you can put it behind a pay or member-only wall.

ASB Perspective 2025 live-stream to Newshub.co.nz

Sarah hosted the ASB Perspective 2025 & Perriam Media provided the live-stream on Newshub

The thrill of throwing a thought-provoking idea out there to debate with 1) a panel of 8 female leaders on stage 2) an audience in the town hall of 250 3) and 400+ people watching online in their PJ's all throwing their 2 cents in with questions, polls & surveys ALL at the same time is exhilarating because you know everyone's voice is being heard!