This page provides HYMS‑specific guidance for planning and running Microsoft Teams Town Hall events using your HYMS Microsoft 365 account. Town Hall is the recommended replacement for Teams Live Events for new large‑scale events.
Microsoft is retiring Teams Live Events and recommends Town Hall for all new large‑scale events. Live Events will be phased out during 2026, with limited support continuing for previously scheduled events. HYMS users should plan all new broadcast‑style events using Teams Town Hall.
Teams Town Hall overview
What is a Teams Town Hall?
A Teams Town Hall is a broadcast‑style Teams meeting designed for large audiences where communication is primarily one‑to‑many (presenters to attendees). It is suitable for HYMS events such as:
- All‑staff briefings
- Student inductions
- Public lectures or webinars
- Conferences and large announcements
Choose a Town Hall
Use Teams Town Hall when:
- You expect a large audience (hundreds or more)
- The session is presentation‑led, not discussion‑based
- You need controlled production (who appears on screen, what content is shown)
- The event may need to be recorded and shared afterwards
Capacity and availability
- Town Halls support up to 10,000 attendees with standard Teams licensing
- Larger events may require Teams Premium and advance planning
- Maximum event duration is 30 hours
Roles
Town Halls use the following roles:
- Organizer – Creates the event, manages settings, publishes the event, and controls access.
- Co‑organizer – Assists the organizer during the event (similar to a producer role).
- Presenter – Shares audio, video, or screen content and may help moderate Q&A.
- Attendee – Watches the event live or on demand and participates via Q&A. Attendees cannot unmute or turn on cameras, helping maintain a professional broadcast experience.
Run a Town Hall event
Schedule a Town Hall (HYMS accounts)
- Open Microsoft Teams using your HYMS account.
- Select Calendar.
- Choose the arrow next to New meeting.
- Select Town hall.
- Enter:
- Event title and description
- Date and start / end time
- Organizers, co‑organizers, and presenters
- Set Event access:
- Your organisation (HYMS users)
- People and groups
- Public (if permitted for your event)
- Select Publish to schedule the event and send invitations.
Do not edit Town Hall details in Outlook after publishing. Always make changes directly in Teams to avoid configuration issues.
Preparing your event
- Test microphones, cameras, and screen sharing
- Coordinate with other presenters
- Prepare content without attendees seeing it.
HYMS recommends joining 15–30 minutes early for all Town Hall events.
Before going live:
- Confirm who will control on‑screen content
- Assign a presenter to moderate.
Running the Town Hall
During the live event, organizers and presenters can:
- Control what attendees see on screen
- Spotlight multiple presenters
- Share slides, applications, or external video feeds
- Moderate questions using the Q&A panel.
A short broadcast delay is normal for large events and should be communicated to presenters in advance.
Attendee experience
HYMS attendees:
- Join with microphones and cameras turned off
- Can watch live or use playback controls
- Can submit questions through moderated Q&A
- Can use live captions and translated captions (subject to licensing).
Recording and after the event
- Town Halls can be recorded
- Recordings are saved to the organizer’s OneDrive
- Organizers can then set permissions and share the recording via a Teams channel, Teams Chat or email.
- Attendance and engagement reports are available after the event
- Enable live captions for all Town Halls
- Share slides or materials in advance where possible
- Clearly explain how attendees can ask questions
- Run a short rehearsal for high‑profile or public events
If you are unsure whether Town Hall is the right option, or if you are planning a large or public‑facing event, contact HYMS IT Support. For Microsoft documentation please click on the following link; Get started with Town Hall in Microsoft Teams.