This chapter covers Microsoft Teams Live Events and Webinars, two key features for hosting large-scale virtual gatherings. For the MS-900 exam, understanding the differences between these two modalities, their licensing requirements, and their use cases is important, as questions on this topic appear in the 'Describe Microsoft productivity solutions' domain (Objective 2.1). Expect approximately 5-8% of exam questions to touch on these features, often comparing them to standard Teams meetings. We will explore the architecture, capabilities, and administrative considerations for each.
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Think of a Live Event as a live television broadcast. The producer (organizer) controls the entire production: cameras, microphones, and pre-roll videos. The audience watches the broadcast on their TV sets; they cannot speak to the producer or interact with other viewers. Their engagement is limited to watching and perhaps sending a text message to a studio phone number that the producer may or may not read on air. The broadcast is one-way from the studio to the viewers, with a small feedback channel for moderation. In contrast, a Webinar is like an interactive seminar in a conference hall. The presenter (organizer) speaks from the stage, but attendees can raise their hands, ask questions via microphone, and participate in polls. The presenter can see the audience, respond to questions, and even invite an attendee to the stage. The interaction is two-way between presenter and attendees, though attendees cannot directly talk to each other. In Microsoft Teams, Live Events use a broadcast architecture optimized for large audiences with limited interaction, while Webinars use a meeting architecture that supports richer engagement features like Q&A, polls, and attendee video. The key difference is the direction and depth of interaction: Live Events are primarily one-way broadcast, Webinars are two-way presenter-audience interaction.
What are Teams Live Events and Webinars?
Microsoft Teams offers three primary meeting types: standard meetings, webinars, and live events. Standard meetings are designed for interactive collaboration with up to 1,000 attendees (with view-only for up to 10,000 using Large Meeting mode). Webinars are structured meetings that support registration, attendee management, and interactive features like Q&A and polls, with up to 1,000 attendees. Live Events are broadcast-style events designed for large audiences, supporting up to 10,000 attendees (or 100,000 with dedicated support) with a producer-presenter model that limits attendee interaction.
Live Events Architecture
Live Events use a broadcast architecture that separates event production from consumption. The event is produced using either Teams or an external encoder (e.g., Wirecast, vMix) and streamed to an Azure Media Services endpoint. The production team includes organizers, producers, and presenters. Organizers create and manage the event. Producers control the live feed, switch between video sources (e.g., presenter cameras, screen shares, pre-recorded videos), and manage the Q&A moderation. Presenters are the speakers who appear on screen.
Attendees join via a link and watch the stream in near real-time (latency ~30 seconds). They can interact only through a moderated Q&A channel, which is separate from the video stream. Attendee video, audio, and chat are not available. The stream is hosted in Azure Media Services, which provides global distribution and reliability.
Webinars Architecture
Webinars are built on the standard Teams meeting platform but with added features for registration and attendee management. When a user schedules a webinar, they can set up a registration page, configure email reminders, and manage attendees (approve/deny). The webinar itself is a Teams meeting with up to 1,000 attendees. Presenters can share their video and screen, and attendees can interact via chat, Q&A, polls, and raised hands. The organizer can also enable attendee video (e.g., for questions) but this is limited. Webinars support breakout rooms (up to 50 rooms) and recording.
Key Differences
Attendee limit: Live Events: 10,000 (or 100,000 with support); Webinars: 1,000.
Interaction: Live Events: one-way broadcast with moderated Q&A; Webinars: two-way with chat, Q&A, polls, and optional attendee video.
Production: Live Events support external encoders and multiple producers; Webinars use standard meeting controls.
Registration: Both support registration, but Live Events registration is optional and can be disabled; Webinars require registration by default.
Recording: Live Events are automatically recorded and stored in Azure Media Services (or SharePoint/Stream); Webinars are recorded as standard meeting recordings.
Licensing: Live Events require a Teams license (included in M365 E3/E5, Business Basic/Business/Enterprise); Webinars require a Teams license plus a license for the organizer (same as Live Events) but attendees do not need a license.
Scheduling and Configuration
To schedule a Live Event: 1. Go to Teams Calendar > New meeting > New live event. 2. Choose who can present (people in org, specific people, etc.). 3. Select production type: Teams or external encoder. 4. Configure Q&A settings. 5. Set event capacity (up to 20,000 with special setup).
To schedule a Webinar: 1. Go to Teams Calendar > New meeting > Webinar. 2. Fill in title, date, and description. 3. Set registration settings (require approval, allow everyone). 4. Configure email reminders. 5. Manage attendees from the event page.
Default Values and Timers
Live Events: Default recording retention in Azure Media Services is 30 days; can be extended.
Webinars: Registration closes 1 hour before start by default; customizable.
Live Events: Q&A is moderated by default; can be changed to allow unmoderated.
Webinars: Attendees can join 15 minutes early by default.
Administrative Controls
Admins can control Live Events and Webinars via the Teams admin center. Key settings: - Live Events policies: Allow scheduling, set who can join, enable recording, set Q&A moderation. - Webinar policies: Enable registration, set email templates, manage attendee approval. - Meeting policies: Affect webinars as they are based on meetings.
Interaction with Related Technologies
Azure Media Services: Hosts Live Event streams; provides encoding, transcoding, and global delivery.
Microsoft Stream: Stores recordings of Live Events (if configured) and webinars.
Power Automate: Can automate webinar registration workflows.
Power BI: Can analyze webinar attendance data.
Exam Focus: Common Scenarios
The MS-900 exam often tests your ability to choose the right meeting type based on requirements. For example:
If a company needs to broadcast an all-hands meeting to 15,000 employees with no interaction, a Live Event is appropriate.
If a marketing team wants to host a product launch with Q&A and polls for 500 attendees, a Webinar is better.
If a training session requires breakout rooms, a Webinar (or standard meeting) is needed.
Key Numbers
Live Events max attendees: 10,000 (standard) or up to 100,000 with Microsoft support.
Webinars max attendees: 1,000.
Live Events production team: up to 10 producers/presenters (practical limit).
Webinars: up to 100 presenters.
Live Events recording retention: 30 days default in Azure Media Services.
Common Misconfigurations
Using a Live Event when interactive features are needed (e.g., polls, chat).
Using a Webinar for >1,000 attendees.
Forgetting to enable Q&A for Live Events.
Not setting up external encoder correctly for Live Events.
Verification Commands
In Teams admin center, you can verify Live Event and Webinar settings:
- Get-CsTeamsMeetingPolicy in PowerShell to check meeting policies.
- Get-CsTeamsLiveEventsPolicy to check Live Event policies.
- Get-CsTeamsWebinarConfiguration to check webinar settings.
Example PowerShell to check Live Event policy:
Get-CsTeamsLiveEventsPolicy | Format-Table Identity, AllowLiveEventsSummary
Live Events and Webinars serve different purposes. Live Events are for large-scale broadcast with limited interaction; Webinars are for interactive sessions with up to 1,000 attendees. Understanding their capabilities and limitations is crucial for the MS-900 exam.
Identify Business Requirement
Begin by determining the purpose of the event. Is it a one-way broadcast to a large audience (e.g., CEO town hall) or an interactive session with Q&A, polls, and attendee participation (e.g., product training)? Also consider audience size: if over 1,000, a Live Event is necessary; if under 1,000, a Webinar may be suitable if interactivity is needed. This step is critical because choosing the wrong meeting type leads to feature limitations or licensing issues.
Schedule the Event in Teams
In Teams Calendar, select 'New meeting' and choose either 'Live event' or 'Webinar'. For Live Events, you must select a production type (Teams or external encoder). For Webinars, you must set registration settings. This step involves filling in title, date, time, description, and presenter list. For Live Events, you can also set Q&A moderation options. At this point, the event is created in the Teams backend and an invite link is generated.
Configure Registration (Webinars)
For Webinars, registration is required by default. You can customize the registration page, set approval requirements (automatic or manual), and configure email reminders. Attendees must complete registration to receive the join link. This data is stored in the event's roster and can be exported. For Live Events, registration is optional and can be disabled entirely. If enabled, attendees register and receive a link to watch the event.
Produce the Event (Live Events)
For Live Events using Teams production, the producer controls the live feed by switching between video sources (presenter cameras, screen shares, pre-recorded videos) using the Teams interface. The producer can also start/stop the event and manage Q&A. For external encoder production, the producer uses third-party software to send a single video stream to Teams via RTMP. The event is then distributed via Azure Media Services. Latency is typically 30 seconds.
Attendee Experience
Attendees join via a link. For Live Events, they watch a video stream and can submit questions to a moderated Q&A. They cannot share video or audio. For Webinars, attendees see presenter video and can interact via chat, Q&A, polls, and raised hands. They may also be allowed to share their own video if enabled by the organizer. The experience is similar to a standard meeting but with structured registration and management.
Post-Event Management
After the event, recordings are processed. Live Event recordings are stored in Azure Media Services (or Stream/SharePoint depending on configuration) and are available for download or streaming. Webinar recordings are stored in OneDrive/SharePoint as standard meeting recordings. Attendance reports can be downloaded from the event page in Teams. Q&A data can be exported. For Live Events, the recording retention period is 30 days by default but can be extended.
Scenario 1: Company-Wide All-Hands Meeting
A multinational corporation with 15,000 employees needs to host a quarterly all-hands meeting. The CEO will present, and there will be a few slides. No attendee interaction is required beyond a Q&A that will be read aloud. The IT team chooses a Live Event with Teams production. They schedule the event, set up a few presenters (CEO, CFO), and a producer to switch between slides and the CEO's camera. The Q&A is enabled for attendees to submit questions, which the producer can moderate and forward to the CEO. The event is recorded for those who cannot attend live. The main challenge is ensuring network bandwidth for the stream; they configure Azure Media Services to deliver at multiple bitrates. Misconfiguration might include forgetting to enable Q&A or setting the wrong time zone, causing confusion.
Scenario 2: Product Launch Webinar
A marketing team wants to launch a new product to 500 potential customers. They need to present slides, show a demo video, and engage the audience with polls and a live Q&A. They choose a Webinar. They set up registration with automatic approval, send email reminders, and prepare polls. During the event, presenters share their screens and answer questions. Attendees can use the chat and Q&A. The organizer enables attendee video for one question from a customer. After the event, they download attendance data and the recording for follow-up emails. The main risk is exceeding the 1,000 attendee limit if registrations spike; they monitor registrations and could switch to a Live Event if needed. Another common issue is that attendees may not receive the join link if email reminders are not configured correctly.
Scenario 3: External Training Session
A consulting firm hosts a training session for 200 external clients. The session includes breakout rooms for group discussions. They choose a Webinar because it supports breakout rooms (up to 50 rooms). They set up registration with manual approval to vet attendees. During the event, they use breakout rooms for 15 minutes and then reconvene. The Q&A is used for questions. The recording is shared with attendees. The challenge is that breakout rooms in webinars are limited to 50, so for 200 attendees, they need to plan room assignments carefully. Misconfiguration might include not enabling breakout rooms in the meeting policy.
What MS-900 Tests
MS-900 objective 2.1 'Describe Microsoft Teams' includes understanding the differences between meetings, webinars, and live events. The exam tests your ability to select the appropriate meeting type based on scenario descriptions. You will see questions like: 'Which Microsoft Teams meeting type should you use for an interactive session with up to 500 attendees that requires polls and Q&A?' Answer: Webinar. Or: 'Which meeting type supports up to 10,000 attendees with a broadcast-style experience?' Answer: Live Event.
Common Wrong Answers
Choosing 'Meeting' for large audiences: Candidates often think a standard Teams meeting can handle thousands of attendees. In reality, standard meetings max out at 1,000 (or 10,000 with Large Meeting mode, but that is view-only, not interactive). The exam expects you to know that for >1,000 attendees, Live Events are required.
Confusing Live Events and Webinars: Some candidates think Live Events support polls and breakout rooms. They do not. Webinars support these features. The exam may present a scenario requiring polls and ask for the meeting type; choosing Live Event would be wrong.
Overlooking licensing: Questions may hint at licensing requirements. Both Live Events and Webinars require a Teams license for the organizer. Attendees do not need a license. However, external attendees may need to be guests in the tenant for some features. The exam might test that Live Events can include external presenters without licensing issues.
Assuming registration is mandatory for Live Events: Live Events can be scheduled without registration. Webinars require registration by default. The exam may test this nuance.
Specific Numbers and Terms
10,000: Default max attendees for Live Events.
1,000: Max attendees for Webinars and standard meetings.
30 seconds: Latency for Live Events.
30 days: Default recording retention for Live Events in Azure Media Services.
Q&A: The only attendee interaction in Live Events.
External encoder: Supported for Live Events (RTMP).
Edge Cases
Live Events can be scaled to 100,000 attendees with Microsoft support (special event).
Webinars can have up to 100 presenters.
Live Events can be produced using Teams or an external encoder; the exam may ask which is appropriate for a scenario requiring multiple camera angles.
How to Eliminate Wrong Answers
If the scenario mentions 'polls', 'breakout rooms', 'chat', or 'attendee video', eliminate Live Event.
If the scenario mentions '10,000 attendees', 'broadcast', 'producer', or 'external encoder', eliminate Webinar (unless the scenario explicitly says 'interactive' but then the attendee limit would be exceeded).
If the scenario mentions 'registration' and 'approval', both Live Events and Webinars can support registration, but Webinars have it by default. Read carefully: if 'registration' is a key requirement, either could work, but look for other clues like attendee limit or interactivity.
Live Events support up to 10,000 attendees (or 100,000 with Microsoft support); Webinars support up to 1,000.
Live Events are one-way broadcast with only moderated Q&A; Webinars support polls, chat, Q&A, and breakout rooms.
Attendees do not need a Teams license to join Live Events or Webinars.
Live Events can be produced using Teams or an external encoder via RTMP.
Webinars require registration by default; Live Events registration is optional.
Live Event recordings are stored in Azure Media Services by default; Webinar recordings are stored in OneDrive/SharePoint.
The MS-900 exam tests your ability to choose the correct meeting type based on attendee count and interaction requirements.
These come up on the exam all the time. Here's how to tell them apart.
Live Events
Attendee limit: 10,000 (up to 100,000 with support)
Interaction: one-way broadcast with moderated Q&A only
Production: supports external encoders and multiple producers
Registration: optional (can be disabled)
Breakout rooms: not supported
Webinars
Attendee limit: 1,000
Interaction: two-way with chat, Q&A, polls, and optional attendee video
Production: standard meeting controls (no external encoder)
Registration: required by default
Breakout rooms: supported (up to 50 rooms)
Mistake
Live Events support polls and breakout rooms.
Correct
Live Events do not support polls or breakout rooms. They are one-way broadcast with only moderated Q&A for attendee interaction. Polls and breakout rooms are available in standard meetings and webinars.
Mistake
Webinars can host up to 10,000 attendees.
Correct
Webinars are limited to 1,000 attendees. For larger audiences, use a Live Event. The 10,000 limit applies to Live Events, not webinars.
Mistake
Attendees need a Teams license to join a Live Event or Webinar.
Correct
Attendees do not need a Teams license. They join via a link in a browser or the Teams app. Only organizers and presenters need a license. External attendees can join as guests.
Mistake
Live Events are recorded by default and stored in Stream (classic).
Correct
Live Events are automatically recorded, but the default storage location is Azure Media Services. The recording can be moved to Stream (on SharePoint) or downloaded. With the deprecation of Stream (classic), new storage is in SharePoint/OneDrive.
Mistake
Webinars require attendees to be in the same organization.
Correct
Webinars can be open to external attendees. Registration can be set to allow anyone to register. External attendees can join without being guests in the tenant, but they may need to provide their email address.
Reveal each answer, then mark whether you got it right. Score 60%+ to unlock the next chapter.
The default maximum is 10,000 attendees. With Microsoft support, this can be increased to 100,000 for special events. The MS-900 exam expects you to know the 10,000 figure as the standard limit. For comparison, webinars and standard meetings max out at 1,000.
Yes, but only through a moderated Q&A channel. Attendees can submit questions, which the producer can approve and answer. There is no chat, polls, or attendee video. This limited interaction is a key difference from webinars, which support richer interactivity.
No special license beyond a Teams license is required. Any user with a Teams license (included in M365 E3/E5, Business Basic, etc.) can schedule Live Events and Webinars. Attendees do not need a license. However, some advanced features like external encoder support in Live Events require additional configuration but not a license upgrade.
Go to Calendar in Teams, click 'New meeting', and select 'New live event'. Fill in the event details, choose the production type (Teams or external encoder), set presenters, and configure Q&A. Then click 'Schedule'. The event will appear in the calendar and attendees will receive a link.
The main differences are attendee limit (10,000 vs 1,000), interaction level (one-way broadcast vs two-way interactive), and production tools (external encoders vs standard meeting controls). Live Events are for large-scale broadcasts; Webinars are for interactive sessions with up to 1,000 attendees.
No, polls are not supported in Live Events. If you need polls, use a Webinar or a standard Teams meeting. Live Events only support moderated Q&A.
By default, Live Event recordings are stored in Azure Media Services for 30 days. After that, they are automatically deleted unless you download them or configure a longer retention. You can also move the recording to SharePoint or Stream. Webinar recordings follow standard meeting recording retention.
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