How To Participate as a Viewing Site for Our Broadcasts

How do I get involved?

Contact the MIT Enterprise Forum Global Office by emailing mitef@mit.edu or calling 617-253-0015 and letting us know that you are interested in participating.

How can I watch the program?

There are three methods to view our broadcast, one is live and two are delayed. For live viewing sites, we offer web streamed video to any site with access to a high-speed Internet connection.

Delayed viewing sites may take part either via an archived version of the live program available via web streamed video, or order a DVD copy that we will send to you.

The archived web stream will be viewable one hour following the completion of the live program (so if the live broadcast ends at 7:30pm ET, the delayed web stream will be accessible beginning at 8:30pm ET that same evening.)

It takes a minimum of one week to make DVD copies and deliver them to sites—longer for international sites with non-U.S. broadcast standards—so please schedule your delayed viewings accordingly. Also, there is a small fee of $35 for US sites and $50 for international sites that covers the cost of DVD duplication and shipping.

Anyone can watch?

Yes and no. Anyone that is interested in supporting local entrepreneurship in their area can participate. However, we do not allow individuals to watch the program solo at their computers. Viewing sites must be in a group setting allowing for networking and interaction.

In areas where a viewing site exists along with a local MIT Enterprise Forum Chapter or MIT Alumni Club, we require collaboration with the local Chapter or Club. Where a local Chapter or Club does not exist, we will invite the local MIT alumni community on your behalf once you have provided the details (time, location) of your viewing site.

What is the first step I should take?

You'll need to have a venue that can handle the size of the audience you expect to draw. This venue will need to have video projection capabilities and a sound system.

If planning to take part in the webcast, your venue must have a computer with high speed Internet access (our video is transmitted at a rate of 400 kilobits per second).

Didn't you used to offer these programs live via satellite?

Yes, in fact our first broadcasts were solely available that way. However, fewer and fewer sites were using this transmission option, and in fact, our September 2009 broadcast had zero sites watching via satellite, as all had moved to the web streaming option.

What information will I need to provide you?

Prior to the program, each site will need to let us know the location (and date, for delayed viewing sites) and method you will be using to participate (satellite, Web or delayed). We will also want contact information for a point person from your organization and a technical point person for your venue. And, as stated before, we will want to invite MIT alumni living in your area.

After the broadcast, we will send each contact person a brief online survey to get your feedback on the program. This MUST be filled out in order to take part. One of the main pieces of information we will need to know is your total audience size and how many members of your audience were MIT alumni. Therefore, please be sure that you ask this question on any registration forms.

Are there promotional materials available?

Please feel free to use any information from the MIT Enterprise Forum Web site on your own Web site, or in any email blasts you send to your own constituency, as a way to publicize the program to your local audience. (For this program, please do NOT use the image on our home page for copyright purposes.)

In addition, the Global Office provides all confirmed viewing sites with generic, printer-friendly .pdf files of a broadcast mailer and broadcast program book that can be used to assist in building your audience size.