Turn a recording into a Simulive

A Simulive is a past recording run again as a scheduled live session. People register and join as usual, and everyone watches the same moment together. You do not have to present it again, but you can drop in to answer questions, and even go live on camera when the recording ends.

Pick what to play

There are three ways in:

• On Your webinars, choose the Simulive card ("Replay a past recording as a scheduled live session").
• In a past webinar's Recording tab, press Replay as Simulive on a ready recording.
• On an ended webinar's results, the Run this again on autopilot card has Schedule a Simulive.

The Schedule a Simulive page lists your ready recordings, newest first. Each has Replay as Simulive and Preview.

Or upload a video

You can also play a video you made elsewhere. Under Upload a video, drag a file in or click to choose one.

Uploads count toward your recording storage. Keep the page open while it uploads. If the upload stops, choose the same file again and it carries on from where it left off. Afterwards the video is checked to make sure it plays in every browser.

Schedule it

Choosing a recording opens the usual scheduling form with the type locked to Simulive. The title, summary and description are copied from the original webinar, and the duration is set to the length of the recording. Change whatever you like.

In The recording section you can switch between Use a recording and Upload a video, preview it with Play, or press Change recording.

How it starts

Under How it starts pick one of two modes:

• Start automatically at the scheduled time: it plays for everyone at the start, whether or not you are there. This is the default.
• I'll start it: you or a co-host start it yourselves. It does not start on its own, and if nobody starts it, it lapses at its scheduled end.

Doors open sets how early people can come in to wait and chat: at the start, or 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes before. If you want to run it soon, the quick buttons next to Start in (5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes from now) fill in the time for you.

A Simulive is never recorded again; it already is a recording. Press Schedule and you will see Simulive scheduled.

Curate the replayed engagement

With engagement replay switched on, the original session's chat, questions and answers appear at the same moment in the video as they did the first time, and its reactions float up again. Polls and quizzes open and close at their original times. Your new audience votes and sees its own results; the original votes are never shown.

Names from the original session are shortened (for example "Priya S."), and phone numbers and emails are removed.

To choose what replays, open the webinar's Setup tab and find Engagement replay:

• Filter by All, Chat, Q&A, Polls & quizzes or Reactions.
• Search the replay, or type a time such as 12:30 and press Jump.
• Press Hide on anything you would rather not replay. Hiding a question also hides its answer.
• Hide all and Show all work on the current filter, and the counter tells you how many items will be replayed.

On the day

Your webinar page has an Enter room button. You can go in any time before the start without starting it, and wait with the early arrivals.

In the room, a host bar shows the state: when it starts, how many people are waiting, and whether the doors are open. Before the start you can:

• ▶ Start now, or start In 2 min, In 5 min or In 10 min,
• Delay 5 min or Cancel start,
• Open doors now to let people in early.

For an I'll start it Simulive you can also press ▶ Start Simulive on the webinar page.

What your audience sees

Before the start, attendees see a countdown and Everyone starts together. Say hello in the chat while you wait. Once it plays, there is no pause, seek or speed control; everyone stays on the same moment. Someone who joins 20 minutes late lands 20 minutes in, with the replayed chat and questions up to that point already showing.

Drop in while it plays

You and your co-hosts can join at any time to chat and answer new questions as they come in. Your camera and mic are not added over the recording, and nobody is brought on stage while it plays.

Go live after the replay

Many hosts like to finish with a live Q&A. In the room, press After the replay: go live with your camera to check your camera and mic privately (nothing is sent while the replay plays), then Use these when I go live.

When the recording ends:

• If you or a co-host are in the room, the session carries on live. You get the stage with your camera and mic off at first, and the audience moves to the live room. Attendees see That's the end of the recording and Stay a moment — the host may join you live.
• If nobody from the host team is there, the session ends.

Want to finish the replay early? End replay early and go live stops the recording for everyone and takes you straight to the live part. The live part is not recorded. It ends when you choose End webinar for everyone, or shortly after the last of the host team leaves.

To stop a Simulive without going live, press End Simulive and confirm.