Case Study: Imperial College London delivers a virtual graduation to 50,000+ global viewers with Dacast

How Imperial College London Hosted a Virtual Graduation for 50,000+ Guests

Imperial College London, a top-ten global STEM university, faced the challenge of moving its May 2020 graduation online with an expected audience of 50,000 students and supporters worldwide. The university needed a streaming partner that could present a prerecorded ceremony as a live event, support live chat engagement, and guarantee global delivery — including reliable access in China. Imperial chose Dacast for its customizable video hosting solution and the ability to reach viewers in China.

Dacast provided video hosting, embed code, and technical support (including use of Dacast’s Kiosk mode) to integrate the stream into Imperial’s website and polish the site for the event. The prerecorded ceremony aired like a live broadcast with departmental video submissions combined into a seamless presentation; Dacast successfully delivered high-quality streams to 50,000+ viewers on multiple devices, with China representing the second-largest audience after the UK. Imperial reported the event as a major success and continued its partnership with Dacast for subsequent ceremonies.

Imperial College London

Katie

Head of Institutional Events and Engagement