# Run a live webinar

Enter the EasyWebinar webinar room, prepare in the green room, go live, present with chat, polls, offers and Q&A, then end the session and find your recording.

- Applies to: Live webinars
- Status: Live
- Verified: 2026-10-16
- Canonical page: https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/live-room/run-a-live-webinar/

To run a live webinar in EasyWebinar, you open the webinar room from the webinar's **Overview**, pass a quick camera and microphone check, and arrive in the green room, where nothing reaches your audience. When you're ready you click **Go Live**, present using the panels on the right-hand rail, and finish with **End Session**. The result is a broadcast to everyone registered for the session, with the recording saved to **Library → Recordings** if recording was on.

## At a glance {#at-a-glance}

| | |
|---|---|
| **Where you start** | The webinar's **Overview** → **Enter Room**, or **Go Live** in the **⋮** menu on a card in **My Webinars** |
| **What you need to get in** | A working camera and microphone. You can switch both off once you're inside |
| **Before you broadcast** | The green room. The header reads **Not Live** and nothing is sent to attendees |
| **Recording** | Shown as **Auto Recording Enabled** in the header; change it in **Settings → Recording Settings** |
| **Panels while live** | **Chat**, **People**, **Offers**, **Polls**, **Question**, **Design** and **Theme** |
| **Top-bar controls** | **Settings**, **Reactions**, **EasyCast**, **Full Screen**, **Camera**, **Mic** and **Share** |
| **Streaming elsewhere** | EasyCast sends the session to YouTube, LinkedIn, LinkedIn Organisation pages and custom RTMP destinations |
| **Ending** | **End Session** disconnects everyone, and nobody can rejoin |
| **One at a time** | Only one of your events can be live at once |

## Before you begin {#before-you-begin}

- **Be signed in as a team member.** Any team member signed in to EasyWebinar can open the room. To bring in a co-presenter or moderator, see [The green room and backstage](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/live-room/green-room/).
- **Check your camera and microphone.** The room won't let you past the device check without both.
- **Set chat, Q&A and the attendee list in advance.** Who can see chat messages and how Q&A works are chosen on the webinar's **Engagement** tab. Whether attendees can see each other is **Show Attendees** on the **Settings** tab. These belong to the webinar's setup, not the live room, so decide them before the session.
- **Build your polls and offers.** Create [polls](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/engagement/polls/#create-a-poll) and [offers](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/engagement/timed-offers/#create-an-offer) on the **CTAs** tab. You can keep an offer switched off in the list until you want it.
- **Fill in End of Session.** On the **Settings** tab, **End of Session** is where attendees go when the stream ends. It's empty by default, which leaves attendees on a finished webinar.
- **Connect any streaming destinations.** If you plan to [stream to YouTube or LinkedIn](https://easywebinar.com/easycast/) as well, connect them once under **Integrations → EasyCast** in the sidebar.

## Run the session {#run-the-session}

### 1. Open the webinar room {#open-the-room}

1. Open the webinar. It opens on **Overview**.
2. Click **Enter Room** at the top right.

You can also click **⋮** on the webinar's card in **My Webinars** and choose **Go Live**, which takes you into the same room.

### 2. Pass the device check {#device-check}

You're asked to choose your **camera, microphone and speakers**. Pick each one, then click **Continue to Green Room**.

The button stays greyed out until the room can see a camera and a microphone. If it can't open your camera, you'll see **"Not able to access selected media device"**. Allow camera access in your browser and close any other app that's using the camera. [Camera not detected](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/troubleshooting/camera-not-detected/) walks through the fixes.

If another of your webinars is already live, **Enter Room** shows **"You can only have one event live at a time."** Join the session that's running, or go live with the new one.

### 3. Get ready in the green room {#get-ready}

The green room is the room as it will look, with nothing broadcast. Check your framing, test **Share**, and get your co-hosts in place.

![The green room before going live, with the status badges, top-bar controls, Go Live, the Backstage panel, the side rail and Layout marked](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/images/live-room/step-01-green-room.png)

*The green room: 1 Status · 2 Settings, Reactions, EasyCast and Full Screen · 3 Camera, Mic and Share · 4 Go Live and Exit · 5 Backstage · 6 Side rail · 7 Layout.*

Anyone who joins as a co-host or moderator lands in **Backstage**, not on stage. The [green room page](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/live-room/green-room/) covers backstage, the People panel and presenter links in detail.

### 4. Check recording {#check-recording}

Look at the badge in the header. **Auto Recording Enabled** means the session will be recorded. To change it, click **Settings** in the top bar, then **Recording Settings**.

![The room Settings dialog with Device settings, Recording Settings and Preferences marked](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/images/live-room/step-03-settings.png)

| | Section | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | **Device settings** | Camera, audio and recording |
| 2 | **Recording Settings** | Whether the session is recorded |
| 3 | **Preferences** | Chat moderation, Q&A moderation and appearance |

Keep recording on unless you have a specific reason to switch it off. The replay usually reaches more people than the live session does, and a recording is what you'd use to turn this webinar into an evergreen one later.

### 5. Style the room {#style-the-room}

Click **Design** on the right-hand rail. Do this now: design changes apply immediately, so anything you change once you're live happens in front of your audience.

![The Design panel with Stage and Frame tabs, background presets, Blur Intensity, colours, Frame Overlays, Layout and Theme marked](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/images/live-room/step-01-design.png)

| | Control | What to do with it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | **Stage / Frame** | **Stage** styles what sits behind the presenters; **Frame** styles the area around the stage |
| 2 | **Background presets** | Pick a supplied background, or **+** to upload your own image |
| 3 | **Blur Intensity** | Starts at 0. Raise it to blur whatever is behind you |
| 4 | **Colours** | Use a plain colour instead of an image |
| 5 | **Frame Overlays** | A border, logo bar or lower third over the stage, or **+** for your own |
| 6 | **Layout** | Open **Choose Layout** at the bottom of the stage to arrange presenters |
| 7 | **Theme** | **Light**, **Dark** or **System**, for your own view only |

Blur is the quickest fix for an untidy room. A frame overlay is where [your branding goes](https://easywebinar.com/blog/customizing-webinar-software-for-brand-consistency/), and it carries through to the recording and anything EasyCast streams out. Upload overlays with a transparent background, otherwise they cover the video instead of framing it. Layout matters most with several presenters or a screen share, because it decides whether your slides or your faces take the space.

### 6. Switch on streaming destinations (optional) {#switch-on-easycast}

If you connected destinations in **Integrations → EasyCast**, click **EasyCast** in the top bar of the room. Switch **Stream** on for each destination you want this session to reach. The pencil beside a destination sets the title and description shown on that platform, so your public stream doesn't carry your internal webinar name. **Connect More Channels** takes you to the Integrations page to add another.

EasyCast is set up per account, so a destination connected once is available on every webinar. It covers [**YouTube**](https://easywebinar.com/blog/how-to-stream-webinars-on-youtube-with-easycast/), **LinkedIn**, **LinkedIn Organisation** and **Custom RTMP**.

### 7. Go live {#go-live}

Click **Go Live**. A confirmation asks you to check two things: people in the waiting area will be moved into the webinar automatically, and your offers and polls should already be created. Click **Go Live** in the dialog to start.

![The room broadcasting, with the LIVE timer and Recording badge, a streaming platform icon and End Session marked](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/images/live-room/step-07-live.png)

*Live: 1 LIVE with a timer, and Recording · 2 One icon per EasyCast destination · 3 End Session.*

The header now shows **LIVE** with a timer of how long you've been broadcasting, the recording badge changes to **Recording**, and **Go Live** becomes **End Session**. If you're streaming with EasyCast, a platform icon appears for each destination. Click it to open the stream on that platform and see what viewers there are seeing.

You can switch your camera and microphone off with **Camera** and **Mic** and stay live, which suits a session built on slides or a video rather than your face.

### 8. Present {#present}

Everything you use while presenting sits on the right-hand rail:

| Panel | What you use it for |
|---|---|
| **Chat** | Attendee messages, with **Global Chat** and **Admin Chats** |
| **People** | Presenters and attendees, and moving people on and off stage |
| **Offers** | Pushing an offer to the room |
| **Polls** | Launching a poll. On a live webinar you launch each one yourself |
| **Question** | The Q&A queue, split into **Active** and **Answered** |
| **Design** | Backgrounds, overlays and layout |
| **Theme** | Light, dark or system |

In the top bar, **Share** shares your screen, **Full Screen** expands the stage, and **Reactions** enables emoji reactions from the room.

Polls don't fire on their own in a live session, so [plan when each poll goes out](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/engagement/polls/#launch-a-poll-live). Offers reach the room when you [push them from the **Offers** panel](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/engagement/timed-offers/#show-in-room). The [**Question** panel](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/engagement/questions-answers/#answer-in-the-room) keeps **Active** and **Answered** apart, so you can see at a glance what's still waiting.

### 9. End the session {#end-the-session}

Click **End Session** and confirm. Ending disconnects everyone in the room, and nobody can rejoin, which is why EasyWebinar asks first. If you were streaming with EasyCast, the broadcast stops on every destination at the same moment.

Attendees then go to the URL you set in **End of Session**, if you set one.

## Verify the result {#verify-the-result}

- **While live:** the header shows **LIVE** with a running timer and the **Recording** badge. With EasyCast on, there's one platform icon per destination.
- **Recording:** open **Library → Recordings**. The recording is named after its webinar, with its duration and the date it was recorded.
- **Session history:** on the webinar's **Overview**, the session moves to the **Past** tab of the **Sessions** panel.
- **Attendance:** the webinar's **Analytics** tab shows **Live Attended** for people who joined the broadcast. See [Webinar analytics](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/analytics/webinar-analytics/).

## What the live room is {#what-it-is}

The live room is where you present a live webinar. You arrive in a green room where nothing is broadcast, then go live when you're set. The same room holds backstage, chat, polls, offers, questions and the recording controls.

| Question | Live room answer |
|---|---|
| Is anything broadcast before you start? | No. The header reads **Not Live** until you confirm **Go Live** |
| Where do co-hosts wait? | **Backstage**, out of sight until you move them on stage |
| Where does the recording go? | **Library → Recordings** |
| Which webinar types use it? | Live webinars. Simulive and evergreen webinars play a recording instead |

To run a recording at set times without presenting, see [Create a simulive webinar](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/getting-started/create-a-simulive-webinar/).

## Why running the room well matters {#why-it-matters}

### What it's for {#what-its-for}

The live room is where a live webinar actually happens. Everything you set up beforehand leads to this hour. The room gives you a private place to prepare, a clear start, the tools to engage and sell, and a definite end.

### How it helps {#how-it-helps}

- **You can prepare in private.** The green room lets you fix audio, lighting and screen sharing with nobody watching.
- **The start is controlled.** Nothing is broadcast until you confirm **Go Live**, and people in the waiting area are moved in automatically when you do.
- **Selling happens in the room.** Offers and polls are pushed from the same rail you use for chat and questions.
- **The recording is automatic.** With recording on, the session lands in your Library without an extra step.
- **One session can reach more places.** EasyCast sends the same broadcast to YouTube and LinkedIn.

### What happens without it {#without-it}

Without a staging area, presenters test their microphones in front of the audience, and a co-host's first words are an apology about echo. Without a confirmation step, a webinar can start before the offers exist. Without automatic recording, the [replay you planned to send to no-shows](https://easywebinar.com/blog/using-webinar-replays-to-increase-sales/) may not exist at all.

### Why buyers care {#why-buyers-care}

It matters most to teams whose live session is a public moment: a launch, a recruitment event or a sales presentation. Those teams are choosing a [live webinar platform](https://easywebinar.com/live-webinars/), and the test comes in the first five minutes of the first session.

## The EasyWebinar approach to the live room {#approach}

{/* 5P */}

Take a typical case. A university admissions office runs a live open evening each term for prospective postgraduate students. Two admissions officers present, a current student joins for the last twenty minutes, and around 200 applicants from several countries register.

The usual workaround is a general video meeting tool, set up by whoever is free that week. It may work, but the student often joins straight into the broadcast and tests their microphone in front of everyone. Questions can get lost in a busy chat, and the recording may end up in one person's account.

What changed is the stakes. An open evening is a recruitment event, so it has to look composed from the first minute. Applicants who can't attend live still need to see it, so the recording matters as much as the session.

EasyWebinar handles this inside the live room. EasyWebinar puts co-hosts and moderators backstage when they join, so the student can sort out their audio unseen and come on stage when called. EasyWebinar keeps questions in their own **Question** panel, split into **Active** and **Answered**, and with recording on the session lands in **Library → Recordings**.

One fact is easy to check before you start. In the green room the header reads **Not Live**, and nothing reaches attendees until you confirm **Go Live**. That private room is one of the capabilities covered in How the live room compares, below.

## How the live room works with other features {#works-with}

### Chat and Q&A settings {#with-chat-and-qa}

How chat and questions behave in the room is set on the webinar's **Engagement** tab. **Hosts only** makes each attendee's messages private to your team, **No Chat** removes the panel, and Q&A can be public, private or disabled. See [Live chat](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/engagement/live-chat/) and [Questions and answers](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/engagement/questions-answers/).

### Polls and offers {#with-polls-and-offers}

Polls and offers are created on the **CTAs** tab and shown from the room. A row's toggle in the CTAs list keeps an offer ready without showing it. Switch on **Countdown timer** in the offer editor to put a [countdown on an offer](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/engagement/countdown-timers/#set-up-offer-countdown).

### Replays and the Library {#with-replays-and-library}

Your recording appears in **Library → Recordings**. With the replay page set to **Webinar Replica**, the replay shows the same video, offers, polls and chat replay as the live session. See [Replay pages](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/media/replay-pages/) and [The Library](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/media/library/).

### Evergreen from a live session {#with-cloning}

A webinar's type can't be changed, so the way to automate a successful live session is to clone it as **Evergreen** and pick its recording. See [Clone a webinar](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/getting-started/clone-a-webinar/).

### EasyCast {#with-easycast}

[EasyCast multistreaming](https://easywebinar.com/easycast/) sends the live session to YouTube, LinkedIn, LinkedIn Organisation pages and custom RTMP destinations, connected once under **Integrations → EasyCast** and switched on per session in the room. Facebook isn't offered as a destination; its RTMP details may work under **Custom RTMP**.

## Who runs live webinars, and how {#who-uses-it}

These are typical patterns, shown to illustrate how the live room fits different teams.

### Coaches and consultants {#coaches}

A coach runs a [live masterclass](https://easywebinar.com/webinar-platform-for-coaches-course-creators/) alone. They blur the background in the green room, keep recording on, launch a poll about the audience's situation halfway through, and push a booking offer near the end. **End of Session** sends everyone to the booking page.

### SaaS and product teams {#product-teams}

A product manager presents a [release walkthrough or product demo](https://easywebinar.com/use-cases/product-demos/) while a colleague moderates. The colleague waits backstage, handles the **Question** queue during the demo, and comes on stage for the last ten minutes to answer the top questions. **Share** carries the product demo, and the layout favours the screen.

### B2B marketing teams {#b2b-marketing}

A marketing team runs a panel webinar with branded frame overlays and streams it to the company's LinkedIn page through EasyCast. Registered attendees watch in the webinar room, and the overlay carries the brand into the recording too.

### Course creators {#course-creators}

A creator runs a training live a few times with recording on, then clones the strongest session as an [evergreen webinar](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/getting-started/create-an-evergreen-webinar/) using the recording from the Library. The [course creator's guide](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/use-cases/sell-courses/#live-then-automate) follows that route end to end.

## How the live room compares {#compare}

EasyWebinar's live room gives you a private green room, a backstage for co-hosts, and streaming out to YouTube and LinkedIn from the same screen you present from. EasyWebinar is the only platform in this table that does all three.

Live room features, from each platform's public documentation:

| Platform | Private room before going live | Co-hosts wait backstage | Stream out to YouTube and LinkedIn |
|---|---|---|---|
| **EasyWebinar** | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| **Demio** | Yes (room opens 24 hours before) | Not in docs | Yes |
| **WebinarJam** | Yes (off air up to 60 minutes) | Not in docs | Partly (YouTube and Facebook only) |
| **Livestorm** | Yes (green room) | Not in docs | Yes |
| **Zoom** | Yes (practice session) | Yes | Partly (Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, custom) |

*Yes: documented and built in. Partly: documented with a limit, shown in brackets. Not in docs: not found in the vendor's public documentation.*

### Why EasyWebinar is the stronger choice for the live room {#compare-stronger}

- **Co-hosts arrive out of sight.** In EasyWebinar, co-hosts and moderators land backstage and stay unseen until you move them on stage. Demio describes presenters choosing **Go On Stage** to appear immediately, and Livestorm's public docs describe no backstage. See [EasyWebinar vs Demio](https://easywebinar.com/compare/easywebinar-vs-demio/) and [EasyWebinar vs Livestorm](https://easywebinar.com/compare/easywebinar-vs-livestorm/).
- **LinkedIn company pages built in.** EasyCast lists **LinkedIn** and **LinkedIn Organisation** next to **YouTube** and **Custom RTMP**. Zoom's livestreaming setting names Facebook, YouTube, Twitch and a custom service. See [EasyWebinar vs Zoom](https://easywebinar.com/compare/easywebinar-vs-zoom/).
- **Destinations connected once.** An EasyCast destination is connected once for the account and switched on in the room. WebinarJam has you choose the streaming service for each webinar in its configuration wizard, from YouTube Live and Facebook Live. See [EasyWebinar vs WebinarJam and EverWebinar](https://easywebinar.com/compare/easywebinar-vs-everwebinar-webinarjam/).

*Competitor details checked against each vendor's public documentation on 21 October 2026. Features and plans change, so confirm with the vendor before you decide.*

## Limits and things to know {#limits}

- **A camera and microphone are required to enter,** even if you switch them off afterwards.
- **Only one event can be live at a time.**
- **Polls are launched manually** on a live webinar.
- **Design changes apply immediately,** including mid-broadcast.
- **Theme is personal.** Light, dark or system changes your view, not the attendees'.
- **Ending is final.** **End Session** disconnects everyone, and nobody can rejoin.
- **Chat, Q&A and Show Attendees are setup controls.** Set them on the webinar's tabs before you go live.
- **EasyCast is for live webinars.** Simulive and evergreen webinars play a recording rather than broadcasting.

## Common questions {#common-questions}

#### Is anything broadcast while I'm in the green room? {#faq-green-room-broadcast}

No. The header reads **Not Live** until you click **Go Live** and confirm.

#### Why is Continue to Green Room greyed out? {#faq-greyed-out}

The room needs to see a working camera and microphone before it lets you in. See [Camera not detected](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/troubleshooting/camera-not-detected/).

#### Can I go live with my camera off? {#faq-camera-off}

Yes. You need a camera to enter, but you can switch **Camera** and **Mic** off in the green room and still go live.

#### Is my webinar recorded automatically? {#faq-recorded}

When the header shows **Auto Recording Enabled**, yes. Change it in **Settings → Recording Settings**.

#### Where does the recording go? {#faq-recording-location}

To **Library → Recordings**, named after the webinar with its duration and recording date.

#### Do polls appear on their own during a live webinar? {#faq-polls-manual}

No. On a live webinar you launch each poll yourself from the **Polls** panel.

#### Can I share my screen? {#faq-share-screen}

Yes, with **Share** in the top bar.

#### Can I stop attendees chatting with each other? {#faq-stop-chat}

Yes. Before the session, set chat to **Hosts only** on the **Engagement** tab, or choose **No Chat**.

#### What happens to people waiting when I go live? {#faq-waiting-area}

People in the waiting area are moved into the webinar automatically when you go live.

#### Can I restart a session after ending it? {#faq-rejoin}

No. Ending disconnects everyone and nobody can rejoin, so make sure you're finished before you confirm.

#### Why can't I enter the room for a second webinar? {#faq-one-live}

Another of your events is live. EasyWebinar allows one live event at a time.

## Related {#related}

- [Create and schedule a live webinar](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/getting-started/create-a-live-webinar/): set the session time and registration before you open the room.
- [The webinar Overview tab](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/setup/overview-tab/#enter-room): where **Enter Room** sits, and where past sessions are listed.
- [Sharing links](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/registration/sharing-links/#co-presenter-join-link): the co-presenter and moderator links that bring people backstage.
- [Webinar analytics and live attendance](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/analytics/webinar-analytics/#read-the-funnel): how many registrants turned up to this session.