Revent's 2025 Holiday Gift Guide: Sleigh Your Livestream and Conferencing Setup This Season

The holidays are just around the corner, which means there's no better time to deck those halls, open those wallets and upgrade your tech! Whether you’re shopping for a content creator, a remote work traveler, or someone who just wants their video calls to look a little more jolly, Revent has you covered. We've compiled a list of the latest and greatest gadgets to bring joy (and a touch of professionalism) to your home livestreaming and conferencing setup, or for anyone that made the nice list this year. Check out our top picks for 2025 below!

The Ultimate Webcam

Logitech MX Brio

Make every video call crystal clear with the Logitech MX Brio, boasting 4K resolution, auto light adjustment, and AI-powered framing. It’s ideal for business and power users but perfect for anyone who wants to look sharp, whether they’re hosting a livestream or attending a virtual holiday party.

• Price: $199.99

• Where to Buy: Logitech Official Store

Studio-Quality Audio

Elgato Wave 3 Dynamic Microphone

Sound as good as you look with this professional-grade dynamic microphone. The Elgato Wave 3 is tailor-made for podcasters and streamers, delivering exceptional audio quality with easy to access controls while reducing background noise automatically.

• Price: $149.99 $119.99

• Where to Buy: Elgato Official Website

Lighting Perfection

Govee RGBIC Wi-Fi Gaming Light Bars

Brighten up your streams and create a festive holiday ambiance with Govee’s RGBIC Gaming Light Bars. These smart, color-changing lights sync to your voice or music, adding a touch of magic to any setup, while also providing excellent forward facing light for more professional applications.

• Price: $89.99 $54.99

• Where to Buy: Govee Online Store

Seamless Backdrops

Elgato Green Screen

Take your livestreaming, content records and video calls to the next level with the Elgato Retractable Green Screen. It’s easy to set up, disappears into its casing when not in use, and it’s a perfect solution for limited spaces, making your office chair appear as if you were sitting in the studio.

• Price: $159.99 $129.99

• Where to Buy: Elgato Official Website

Essential Connectivity

Anker 543 Slim 6-in-1 USB-C Hub

Increase your inputs in style with the Anker 6-in-1 USB-C Hub, or with any of the USB Hubs offered by Anker that fit your needs. Offering multiple ports in a single unit for Ethernet, HDMI, USB-A and USB-C, this sleek hub is perfect for expanding a laptop’s existing capabilities, and we love the slim design on this one as well. An ideal stocking stuffer for streamers and remote workers alike.

• Price: $39.99

• Where to Buy: Amazon

A Monitor that Travels

Lepow Portable 15.6” USB Monitor

Expand your workspace wherever you are with the Lepow Portable monitor series. This lightweight 15.6-inch portable monitor connects via USB-C and offers Full HD resolution, making it ideal for multitasking during livestreams, displaying presentation slides, video editing, or just general productivity use. A lightweight, low profile monitor will always come in handy on the go, and they’re a must have for our Revent gear bags.

• Price: $109.99 $98.99

• Where to Buy: Amazon

Control at Your Fingertips

Elgato Stream Deck Neo

Upgrade your workflow with the Elgato Stream Deck Neo. Featuring an intuitive touchscreen, advanced customization options, reactive visual display and smart profiles, it's a perfect little device for streamers, professionals and tech enthusiasts looking to enhance productivity and add custom buttons to their computing setup without having to program.

• Price: $99.99 $79.99

• Where to Buy: Elgato Official Website

A Work-From-Home Backsaver

Ergotron WorkFit-Z Mini Sit-Stand Desk Converter

Keep your energy high and legs moving during long virtual meetings or marathon editing sessions with this ergonomic sit-stand desk converter. Resting on top of your current desk to provide height when needed and easily removable when not, it’s sturdy, stylish, and perfect for optimizing the workspace with an eye towards long term health.

• Price: $299.00

• Where to Buy: Ergotron Store

The Home Network Upgrade

TP-Link Deco BE63 Tri-Band WiFi 7 Whole Home Mesh System

Say goodbye to buffering! The Deco BE63 mesh WiFi system from TP-Link ensures your livestreams and video calls stay smooth and uninterrupted, no matter where you are in the house. Featuring cutting edge WiFi 7 technology and data transfer rates of 10 Gigabits per second, the whole family will love the upgrade to your network's consistency and coverage as well.

• Price: $799.99 $579.99 (3-pack)

• Where to Buy: TP-Link Deco Systems Store

As we wrap up, we hope you’ve found inspiration for the tech minded on your holiday shopping list, and a few goodies to add to your own wishlist as well. Happy shopping, and from all of us at Revent, may your holiday season be warm, merry and bright from the monitor glow of your flawless livestreaming setup!

Stuffing Success into Your Hybrid Event: Lessons from Thanksgiving Dinner

As we all start preparing for next week’s Thanksgiving feast here in the US, it got us thinking how many of the same principles that go into planning the big meal (and getting family to the right location) are applicable to hybrid events. Just like the holidays, they require careful coordination, attention to detail, and the ability to meet different needs to keep everyone happy - nobody likes dry turkey or boring content, after all. Let’s gobble up the details and dive in!

1. Know Your Guests’ Needs and Preferences

Before Thanksgiving, you check in with family and friends about food preferences, right? Uncle Joe is now vegan, the kids no longer eat anything red and Mom has gone dairy free… The same goes for a hybrid event: know your audience’s expectations and preferences. Some attendees may want interactive, live sessions, while others prefer to consume content at their own pace. Understanding this will help you craft an experience that satisfies everyone, whether it’s through feedback from previous events or even a question field for attendees to submit during the registration process.

2. Build a Balanced ‘Menu’ of Content

Thanksgiving offers a mix of savory, sweet, a parade, Football games, lying on the sofa and maybe a game of pick up basketball on the driveway.  Hybrid events are similar, balancing foundational content with fresh, engaging activities, and not everything you plan will be for everyone. Plan a mix of sessions that will appeal to both in-person and virtual attendees, along with outside the box activities that focus on networking, entertainment or gamification, making sure your audiences feels apart of the experience no matter how they’re attending and everyone has a favorite takeaway.

3. Set Up Your ‘Dining Room’ and Your ‘Online Table’

It’s often hard for the host to fit everyone at the same table for Thanksgiving, and while it maybe tempting to put some guests in a separate room, moving some furniture around so the entire family can enjoy the meal in the same space is a more inclusive solution. And just like setting a welcoming Thanksgiving table is important, your event venue and virtual platform needs to be inviting and easy to navigate. Ensure that the experience is cohesive and inviting so guests don’t feel disoriented, whether they’re attending in person or online. Clear signage, user-friendly interfaces, and helpful tech support are key to making everyone feel comfortable.

4. Get the Timing Right

Timing the Thanksgiving dinner is all about making sure the Turkey comes out with enough time to bring every dish to the table still hot and ready to eat! A hybrid event also requires careful timing to ensure both audiences experience key moments without feeling rushed or left out. Syncing in-person and virtual sessions can keep energy high and the two-way conversation smooth, but creating unique moments for live and virtual is equally important. For example, when your in-room audience is having in-room cocktails, you can create a private Q&A session with a Keynote speaker or panelist for your virtual audience, keeping everyone engaged before the main course beings.

5. Share the ‘Leftovers’ – Post-Event Follow-Up

Thanksgiving leftovers are the stuff of legends! For many, the best moment of the holiday is the day after, digging into the fridge to carefully craft that Thanksgiving sandwich. Hybrid events benefit from a similar follow-up once everyone has had time to digest. Share your recordings, summaries, or exclusive content with your attendees so they can revisit highlights or catch up on sessions they missed. And keep the platform going so conversations and connections can continue, especially for those that attended live and want to see what everyone else experienced. It’s a great way to keep people engaged for longer and gather valuable feedback for future events.

At the end of the day, planning a big event can feel similar whether it’s a large family gathering with all the fixings or a hybrid presentation for your business. Focus on creating an experience that speaks to all of your “guests” no matter how small the detail and you’ll leave them feeling thankful and satisfied! And of course, adding a knowledgeable chef to the team will always help when it comes to taking the heavy lifting off your plate and ensuring the show runs smoothly so the planners can sit back and enjoy as well. Contact us to start planning your next hybrid event today! (we can’t help with the cooking… sorry).

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Platform Check In: Accelevents

In the era where virtual and hybrid events and meetings have become essential tools for connecting with audiences and employees worldwide, Accelevents is emerging as one of Revent’s go-to consumer and enterprise platforms because of its versatile platform design that is focused on creating engagement and seamless virtual and hybrid experiences. Let’s explore the standout features that make Accelevents the ideal choice for hosting successful online and hybrid events and meetings:

 1. Robust Virtual Event Hosting

Accelevents excels in hosting fully virtual events, but we feel that their deep focus on providing all the tools necessary to create dynamic and interactive online experiences makes all the difference. Whether it’s a conference, trade show, an internal town hall or webinar, Accelevents supports high-quality video streaming, customizable virtual stages, and multi-session events. Attendees can easily navigate between sessions, visit virtual booths, and interact with speakers—all within a branded, immersive environment.

 2. Seamless Hybrid Event Management

Hybrid events, which combine in-person and virtual elements, present unique challenges. Accelevents seamlessly integrates both experiences into one cohesive event. The platform ensures that virtual attendees receive the same level of engagement and access as those on-site, with features like live streaming of physical sessions, virtual networking opportunities, and interactive Q&A. This unified approach ensures that all participants, regardless of location, have a consistent and engaging experience.

 Organizers can create branded virtual spaces that mirror the in-person experience, ensuring a consistent look and feel across all event components. The platform also allows for customized attendee journeys, with personalized schedules and content recommendations based on individual preferences.

 3. Interactive Virtual Environments

Creating a sense of connection in a virtual space is crucial, and Accelevents offers a range of features to achieve this. Organizers can design interactive virtual lobbies, expo halls, and networking lounges where attendees can engage in real-time. The platform also supports live polls, Q&A sessions, and breakout rooms, fostering active participation and collaboration among attendees. Our favorite feature is the ability for a video to auto-play when attendees first join your event that can be used to simply welcome attendees or you can provide a navigation guide to your event and it is another great opportunity to thank your sponsors.

 4. Real-Time Analytics for Virtual and Hybrid Events

Tracking the success of virtual and hybrid events requires detailed insights, and Accelevents delivers with advanced analytics. Organizers can monitor attendee engagement in real-time, track participation across both virtual and physical components, and access comprehensive reports post-event. This data is crucial for understanding audience behavior, measuring event ROI, and making informed decisions for future events.

Accelevents is a powerful platform designed to meet the demands of today’s virtual and hybrid events. With its robust hosting capabilities, seamless integration of virtual and physical experiences, interactive environments, and detailed analytics, Accelevents empowers organizers to deliver engaging and successful events. Whether you’re planning a fully virtual conference, a hybrid seminar or a humble webinar, Accelevents offers the tools and flexibility needed to create impactful experiences for all attendees.

If you are looking for a demonstration, contact the our team to schedule one today!

Top 5 Zoom Fails and How to Avoid Them

Welcome to the wild world of virtual events on Zoom – where technical hiccups and awkward moments converge to create chaos. Let's take a moment to appreciate the comedic gold that virtual events often bestow upon us and learn how to avoid these moments next time.

 1. The Unintentional Mute Symphony

We've all been there – someone starts a heartfelt speech only to realize they've been on mute the entire time. Unless the speaker is a silent film star, it can lead to some awkward moments during your polished webinar.

Solution: Zoom has a feature called “Request Permission to Unmute Participants.” You can turn this on in your Zoom settings and enable it for every meeting/webinar to give the host the power to unmute anyone in the meeting (unless they are co-hosts). As long as the speaker opts in when they join, you can quickly react and make sure they can be heard by all!

 2. The Cat Filter Catastrophe

Remember the lawyer who accidentally turned into a cat during a virtual court hearing? That was just the tip of the iceberg. Picture this: a serious business meeting where the CEO's face is replaced by a talking pineapple. Virtual backgrounds can be a real zoo, even if it’s just body parts disappearing from the screen or a purple mustache.

Solution: Encourage speakers to avoid using virtual backgrounds, as they are often more distracting than helpful. Instead, have them be in a clean room (or even just in front of a plain wall). If your main purpose for virtual backgrounds is branding, Zoom has released a variety of branding offerings from backgrounds that lay behind the videos, to logos, to lower thirds and overlays. Use these instead!

 3. The Unscripted Family Cameo

Who needs reality TV when you can just join a Zoom meeting? Children barging in like tiny tornadoes, partners making surprise cameos in pajamas, or a cat that must make itself seen. Forget carefully curated backgrounds; the real star of the show is the unscripted chaos that unfolds behind each participant.

Solution: Holding your speaking engagement from a room that is separated from the home chaos. If that is not an option for you, consider using an external microphone that has noise cancellation built in and blurring your background (this is our only exception to the virtual background rule).

 4. The Bandwidth Boogie

Oh bandwidth, it can be a fun little bugger that one. From frozen videos to Zoom becoming unresponsive and just disconnecting you all together. When the internet decides to throw a tantrum, it can really impact the impression on your attendees.

Solution: Hard-wired internet is always your safest bet. If that is not an option, here are a few ideas: Stay as close to your Wi-Fi router as possible, ask other members of your household to stay off the internet during your presentation (even their phones!), and worst case scenario, try disconnecting from spotty Wi-Fi and connect to your phone’s 5G hotspot. It’s gotten our team out of a few jams.

 5. The Accidental Share Screen of Shame

In the virtual realm, what happens on your computer doesn't always stay on your computer. A moment of panic sets in when you realize you've just shared your screen, revealing your extensive collection of cat memes or, even worse, you started sharing when someone else was presenting!

Solution: You should avoid sharing an entire screen; only share the application window and practice during the pre-conference to make sure you are sharing the correct item. Also, make sure the host has a copy of your presentation so they can share it on your behalf if needed. To prevent accidentally sharing over someone else, the host can change the screen-sharing permissions so that only hosts can share, and then make only the presenting speaker a co-host.

As we navigate the digital landscape of Zoom events, let's not forget to embrace the mishaps, laugh, and learn from them. After all, the virtual stage is just another platform for us to showcase our wonderfully human, and sometimes technologically challenged, selves. Cheers to the next Zoom event – may it be filled with laughter, surprises, and maybe a cat crashing your video feed.

If you need help on your next Zoom event, do not hesitate to contact the Revent team for more tips and moral support!

Should My Event Be Hybrid?

We hear this question a lot: should I make my upcoming in-person event a hybrid event? While the team here at Revent loves producing hybrids, it is not always the right use case!

What is a Hybrid Event?

A hybrid event is one that has an in-person audience watching a show, presentation, or lecture AND an online audience watching from the comfort of their own homes. For a true hybrid event, your web audience should also have some form of interaction with the onsite room.

 A Quick Story

A few years ago, as we were coming out of Covid, we received a call from a potential client asking if we could assist in making their in-person holiday party a hybrid event. Upon discussing the nature of the event, it became clear that the entire event was essentially a cocktail party. We asked what he expected the web audience to experience by watching other people have fun and quickly concluded that this event should stay in-person only.

Not all decisions to go or not go hybrid are as clear cut as the above example, so let us provide you with some parameters that we use to help our clients decide which is the right path for them:

1. Define Objectives and Goals 

Yes:   Is this event a presentation, speech, or training? These formats work well online.

No:   Is this just a party or a super interactive activity that the web audience wouldn’t be able to take part in?

2. Budgeting and Resources 

Yes:   Do you have a large event budget that can accommodate the costs of a platform, a camera crew, and onsite/virtual support? Hybrid events can be costly, starting around $5K/day/room.

No:   Do you have a very small budget where every penny counts? As an alternative, you can record your event and post the recording on your website afterward.

3. Audience 

Yes:   Is your audience spread across the country/world or do they have difficulty traveling? A virtual option is a great solution.

No:   Is your audience in the same geographical location or even in the same office? In this case, in-person attendance is feasible.

4. Event App 

Yes:   Do you already have an event app for your in-person portion? Adding a hybrid component to the app can be easy and cost-effective with platforms like Accelevents and Whova.

No:   If you don't have an app, adding a virtual platform can be costly. While Zoom is cost-effective, more interactive platforms start around $6K and up.

5. Venue 

Yes:   Are you at a conference center, hotel ballroom, or corporate office? These venues likely have the necessary hard-wired internet.

No:   Are you in a field, a tent outside, or on a boat? Hard-wired internet is a must, and Wi-Fi alone won't suffice for a hybrid event.

If you answered "no" to several of these questions, you should reconsider if making the event hybrid is worth your time, your audience’s time, and your budget. However, if you have many "yes" answers, you are ready to take your in-person event to the next level! Hybrids are a great tool to engage more attendees, whether for fundraisers, internal all-hands meetings, trainings, product launches, or team building activities.

If you need help deciding the best path for your event, don't hesitate to reach out to our team at Revent Consulting.