How To Participate as a Viewing Site for Our Broadcasts

How do I get involved?

Contact Greg Wymer at 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, two are live and one is delayed. The program can be seen live either via a satellite downlink (North America only) or Web-streamed video. Sites can watch the program at a later date via a DVD copy of the broadcast that we will send to you. [Please note: 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. To receive the live broadcast, it needs to be able to receive either C-band satellite signals or have a computer with broadband or faster Internet connection (a sustained available bandwidth of at least 220 kilobits per second).

What are the benefits of satellite vs. Web streaming and vice versa?

Satellite provides image and sound of broadcast-television quality. Unfortunately, the number of venues that can receive C-band signals is limited, and there may be a cost involved in downlinking.

Web streaming can be done in any venue with the proper high-speed Internet access, making it much more accessible. However, since Web streaming has not yet matured as a medium, and since you are likely to be sharing a network with other users, there is a greater chance for technical difficulties than there is with satellite. Also, the image and sound quality will not be broadcast quality, even on the fastest of connections.

The MIT Enterprise Forum Global Office does set up test procedures for new viewing sites participating via the Web. This allows sites to ensure that they will be able to receive a quality signal.

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.