Live stream from Prague International Design Festival 2019

About the project

The Prague International Design Festival (a.k.a. Designblok) is the most extensive design and fashion festival in the Czech Republic. The main theme of the 21^st annual show, which took place at the Prague Exhibition Grounds, was the future. In keeping with it, the organizers wanted to try new ways of reaching out to greater audiences, so they decided to live stream the event. “Allowing not only the people at the Prague Exhibition Grounds but everyone online to connect with the thoughts and ideas from experts and professionals in the field via a live stream is a progressive way to go. At the end of the day, the future is everyone’s concern,” says Designblok project manager Jan Makalouš. He continues: “Although Designblok is a relatively well-known event, there are still opportunities to grow. With live streams, we wanted to address potential visitors who weren’t familiar with the show yet.”

Technical solution

The live stream from the main stage – which hosted two international conferences and numerous talks, fashions shows, and lectures – was provided by an AXIS M5525-E PTZ network camera with the CamStreamer App onboard. The camera’s pan-tilt-zoom features enabled Full HD live streaming from the main stage as well as from other areas during breaks in the program. Moreover, it allowed the production team to prepare camera preset positions in advance and then change the angle of the camera with a single click on a PC or smartphone.

The CamStreamer App broadcast two live streams simultaneously. One went directly to the Facebook streaming platform, while the other stream was sent in HDMI format via a video decoder to the production team’s mixing console and to a large screen on the show’s main stage. The video was also locally downloaded for later content usage. Additionally, an AXIS Q3515 network camera pointed at the venue took a time-lapse video of the action. This appealing content format was intended for the event’s social media in order to attract visitors during the festival. The time-lapse sequence was captured on site with the help of the upcoming service called CamStreamer Cloud. You can watch the sequence on YouTube here.

Conclusion

The organizers of the show consider the live streaming a success. “Our expectations were fully met with the CamStreamer solution. We utilized the broadcast on-site on the large LCD screen as well as virtually on our social media. We’re happy about the engagement rate and viewership the live broadcast brought to our Facebook page, and we're eager to continue live streaming during next year’s show. After this year’s Designblok, we have a clear idea of the possibilities and benefits of live streaming with the CamStreamer App,” concludes Mr. Makalouš. He’s decided to do even more live streaming from design and fashion festivals to come.

What do you need?