Starting a zoom event

[Totara]

Hi all, 

I'll be running a Zoom event for the first time on Wednesday this week. I wanted to ask a really basic question. 

If I want to start the session ten minutes earlier than the start time of the event how do I do that? E.g. the event starts at 3pm but I would like to start the event for everyone at 2:50 pm. What do I press? Everytime I go to start it it takes me to a practice session. I assume the practice session goes away once the event actually starts? However that would mean starting at exactly 3pm and I'd like to start earlier to get speakers set up etc. 

Any support here would be useful! 

[Ray_Harwood]

Welcome to the Zoom Community, @Totara.

You can start the session any time.  The listed time is the scheduled time for the benefit of the attendees … but the actual start time is up to you. 

[Totara]

Hi @Ray_Harwood is it literally just the case of pushing Start like you would for a webinar. When I go to do that for this event it just gives me the option to start a practice session rather than the actual event. 

[Ray_Harwood]

Hi, @Totara.  Yes, Zoom’s terminology isn’t always the clearest!

Zoom Webinars are almost always started as a “Practice Session” where attendees are not permitted to enter, and transition from “Practice” to “Webinar” upon pushing the little blue “Start Webinar” button which allows attendees to join. You can literally do this any time, and even multiple times before the scheduled Webinar time.

I think the reason the button says “Start Practice Session” is that an owner of a Zoom Events Unlimited license has an option of starting webinars in Backstage mode, and if they’ve enabled it for their Webinar, the button reads Start Backstage. But you’re unlikely to see that.