Screen sharing, from backstage, to webinar

[PraxRob]

We are well versed in producing Zoom webinars, and are currently trialling Events; predominantly for the backstage area (a terrific innovation). However, it does not appear to allow the host to remain backstage whilst screen sharing directly into the live webinar. Is there a solution available here that allows the host to remain backstage whilst screen sharing to attendees?

[YaBoiB]

Hello @PraxRob, 

 I apologize but if the host is presenting in the webinar then they will not be able to remain backstage. That is one of the limitations of the functionality. 

https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/4710061514381-Using-Webinar-Backstage

Regards, 

Brandon 

[PraxRob]

Hi Brandon, thanks for the prompt reply!

Our use case is a little different - our host is the webinar producer, who is playing a video which includes pre-recorded/edited presentations by the presenters. The presenters then join the webinar for live Q&A upon conclusion of the video.

Is there any way that any panellist can share their screen, to attendees, from backstage?

[YaBoiB]

@PraxRob, 

No, I am sorry, but the host, co-host, and presenters are limited to presenting their screens only in the webinar. Panelists backstage can still view and hear the live session, allowing them to follow the presentation and know when it's their cue to rejoin. This can also be useful for webinar moderators or production assistants, who would prefer to remain off screen, but still need panelists’ access to chat, polling, and Q&A features.

Thanks,

Brandon

[PraxRob]

Thanks again for the prompt response and clarification on this query.

How does one submit functional suggestions to the product development team? This feature would be fantastic and help to further even up the playing field between Zoom and On24/similar products.

[YaBoiB]

Hi @PraxRob, 

 Our product development team reviews all inquiries here at zoom.us/feed which is our feedback channel, or if your account has a CSM (Customer Success Manager) or TAM (Technical Account Manager) you can filter your feature requests to them individually. 

No problem at all. I am always happy to attempt to help our wonderful customers. 

Regards,

Brandon

[B-Lloyd]

Great use case, would love to see this as a feature enhancement by zoom!
@PraxRob Our current workaround is for our producer to change their zoom name once in the webinar, so when they share, it looks like the host is sharing, but it just off camera at the moment. It works well overall, until a more streamlined sharing solution can be provided. If the host is on-stage then we either will rename as Host - Presentation (so Rob Presentation) or leave as Presenter/Presentation. It doesn't look as nice, but it does work.

@YaBoiB Maybe for the feature enhancement, it can be a requirement to have A host in the webinar stage, since that's a requirement for a webinar, but then a backend presenter can run a slide deck or share screen.

[YaBoiB]

@B-Lloyd, 

 I agree with you. If you do not mind please fill out the form at zoom.us/feed so that our product team can take this into account. The more customers that ask for features to be developed the better the chance of us moving the priority of that functionality to a sooner future release. 

I use this example a lot, but during the pandemic, the education community asked for a lot of different functionality and we (Zoom) listened. They in part made the Zoom desktop client and web app what it is today. 

Regards,

Brandon 

[B-Lloyd]

Can do @YaBoiB . Is it better to fill out the zoom.us/feed or work directly with our TAM/CSM?
Thanks for your help.

[PraxRob]

Nice workaround @B-Lloyd. We've trialled a different approach; our producer logs in via 2 devices - one as host to  stay backstage and the other to share screen to attendees. By unselecting "Show Non-Video Participants" in the view options and then forcing the attendees to see the host's view, the screen-sharing profile is then invisible to attendees, for optimal viewing experience of the shared video.