# Conference Recordings After the Event: What to Do

> What to do with conference recordings after the event: where the file lives, who can watch, how long to keep it and what to agree with speakers.

- Canonical: https://www.amphi.cc/en/blog/conference-recordings-after-event
- Language: en
- All pages: https://www.amphi.cc/llms.txt

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# Conference Recordings: What to Do After the Event

A conference recording stays with the provider that streamed it, so after the event you confirm each file, caption it, set who can watch, link it from its session page and set a review date. Provider defaults can break an archive: Microsoft Teams deletes meeting recordings after 120 days unless an admin changes the policy.

Jakub Miřejovský, Founder of Amphi · Published 19 August 2026 · Updated 21 October 2026 · 10 min read

## Key points

- Microsoft Teams deletes meeting recordings and transcripts after 120 days by default; a recording moved from its original location is no longer affected.
- Zoom can auto-delete cloud recordings a set number of days after creation, and a recording's share link can expire after a number of days or on a set date.
- FASEB gives registrants one full year of on-demand access and records keynote, invited and oral presentations, not posters.
- Under GDPR Article 7(3), a speaker can withdraw consent at any time, and withdrawing must be as easy as giving consent.
- Amphi streams talks and hosts uploaded recordings on its Premium plans, or embeds them from YouTube, Vimeo or SlidesLive; the event space is kept for 2 years from the start of archive.

## What should you do with conference recordings once the event is over?

After a conference, check that every recording exists with the stream provider, caption it, set who can watch it, link it from its session page, tell attendees and set a date to review or remove it. Without a review date, outdated or withdrawn talks stay online by default.

1. **Confirm every recording landed.** Check each session with the provider the day after the event. YouTube can archive live streams shorter than 12 hours automatically; a longer stream may not be captured at all [\[9\]](#source-9). Run separate streams per conference block.
2. **Trim and add chapters.** Cut pre-roll and breaks. YouTube chapters need a first timestamp of 00:00, at least three timestamps in ascending order and a minimum chapter length of 10 seconds [\[11\]](#source-11).
3. **Add captions.** WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.2.2 (Level A) requires captions for prerecorded audio in synchronised media [\[20\]](#source-20). EU public sector bodies must apply the Web Accessibility Directive to prerecorded media published from 23 September 2020 [\[21\]](#source-21).
4. Set visibility and retention at the provider to match the event page (see the next two sections).
5. Link each recording from its session page, next to the abstract, speaker profile and slides.
6. Tell attendees where the archive is and until when it stays available.
7. Set a review date for each recording: when it will be checked, hidden or deleted.

## Where do conference recordings live after the event?

A conference recording lives with the provider that streamed or recorded it, such as YouTube, Vimeo, Microsoft Teams, Zoom or SlidesLive; the event page only embeds or links to it. The provider's retention and sharing rules decide whether your archive still works a year later.

| Provider | Default that affects the archive | Access control | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Microsoft Teams | Meeting recordings and transcripts deleted after 120 days by default; set in the Teams admin center [6] | Admin policy | Change the policy, or move the file: a moved recording is no longer affected [6] |
| Zoom (cloud) | Optional deletion a set number of days after creation; optional 30-day trash recovery [7] | Anyone with the link, signed-in users of your account, passcode, download on or off [8] | Turn off auto-delete and share-link expiry (days or date) [8] |
| YouTube | Live streams under 12 hours can be archived automatically [9] | Public, unlisted, private [10] | Keep each stream under 12 hours |
| Vimeo | Domain-level privacy: embedding on up to 50 listed domains, all plans [12] | Listed domains only [12] | Add the event page's domain |
| SlidesLive | Talks kept in its Library "for as long as you'd like" [13] | Public or private [13] | Agree the hosting period in the order |

Provider help pages checked 15 October 2026.

Microsoft calls Teams expiry a storage feature that "doesn't enforce compliance requirements" and, for recordings with retention requirements, points to a SharePoint library with Microsoft Purview retention policies [\[6\]](#source-6). For streaming settings, prices and embed options per provider, see [comparing YouTube, Vimeo and SlidesLive for conference streaming](https://www.amphi.cc/en/blog/youtube-vimeo-slideslive-conference-streaming).

## Should conference recordings be public, attendee-only or invite-only?

Make recordings public when reach matters more than ticket value, attendee-only when the recording is part of what people registered or paid for, and invite-only when the content is internal or sensitive. Decide per session if only some talks are confidential.

| Access level | Who can watch | Use it for | Watch out for |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Public | Anyone | Thought leadership, lead generation, educational communities | Adds no value to paid tickets |
| Attendee-only | Registered, signed-in attendees | Paid conferences, member events | Provider link must not be public |
| Invite-only | Named people | Internal training, sensitive talks | Someone has to keep the list current |

FASEB makes on-demand access part of the ticket: registration gives one full year of access, viewers cannot download the videos, and in-person attendees get on-demand access at a discount [\[14\]](#source-14).

Page access and provider visibility must match. An unlisted YouTube video can be watched and reshared by anyone with the link, without a Google account; a private one only by you and people you choose [\[10\]](#source-10). An attendee-only page embedding an unlisted video is only as closed as that link. For content that never leaves the organisation, see [internal webinars and online training](https://www.amphi.cc/en/blog/internal-webinars-online-training).

## How long should you keep conference recordings?

Keep a conference recording available for as long as it serves the purpose you published it for, then review it. If the recording identifies people, GDPR's storage limitation principle applies: personal data may be kept in identifiable form "for no longer than is necessary for the purposes" of processing [\[17\]](#source-17).

Provider clocks run regardless of your plans: Teams deletes recordings after 120 days by default, and Zoom can auto-delete recordings or expire their share links [\[6\]](#source-6), [\[7\]](#source-7), [\[8\]](#source-8). Check these settings before you publish the archive, not when a link stops working. FASEB's one-year on-demand window is one published benchmark for paid access [\[14\]](#source-14).

Decision rules:

- **Edition-specific content (programme news, prices, regulatory updates):** review when the next edition opens.
- **Evergreen keynotes and tutorials:** keep while accurate; review once a year.
- **Internal training:** follow your organisation's retention policy, not the provider default.
- **A speaker withdraws:** remove the recording from the page and the provider together.

Write the review date into the event plan and the speaker agreement.

## What do you need from speakers before you publish a recording?

Before you publish, you need each speaker's informed agreement to be recorded and published, confirmation that they can share everything in their slides, and a working way to withdraw. This is a practical checklist, not legal advice; check the primary texts with your counsel.

1. **Announce recording in the call for papers.** In NANOG's community, speakers are told in advance that sessions are recorded and can ask the Program Committee not to record a session with sensitive material [\[15\]](#source-15).
2. **Ask at submission.** FASEB includes a section on recordings in registration and abstract submission, where presenters can opt out [\[14\]](#source-14).
3. **Say where and for how long:** provider, access level, review date.
4. **Clear the slides.** Under Article 3 of Directive 2001/29/EC, authors have the exclusive right to authorise or prohibit making their works available on demand, and performers have the same right for recordings of their performances [\[19\]](#source-19). Ask speakers to confirm they may share third-party images, clips and charts.
5. **Decide about audience voices.** Cut the Q&A, or announce recording before the microphone opens.
6. **Plan withdrawal.** Under GDPR Article 7(3), consent can be withdrawn at any time and must be as easy to withdraw as to give [\[17\]](#source-17); after withdrawal the data can no longer be processed on that basis [\[18\]](#source-18). Know who removes the recording, and how fast.
7. Keep the record of each speaker's choice next to the session.

## Do recordings reduce in-person attendance?

We found no study that measures this. The published accounts come from technical conference communities, and they treat recordings as part of the offer rather than a substitute for attending.

In a NANOG community thread on conference videos, one contributor calls the archive of slides and video recordings "an essential part of NANOG's educational mission" [\[15\]](#source-15). In the same discussion on the NANOG mailing list in March 2017, a message quoted by UKNOF's Chris Russell described UKNOF meetings as showing "around 3x growth since we started streaming", and Russell added that UKNOF gets complaints when it does not webcast content [\[16\]](#source-16). These are self-reported remarks, not a study.

FASEB's rules leave reasons to attend in person: only keynote, invited and oral presentations are recorded, not posters; viewers cannot download; in-person attendees get on-demand access at a discount [\[14\]](#source-14). The levers are what you record, who can watch and when: if in-person sales matter most, record fewer formats, or release recordings to registrants first.

## How does the conference archive work on Amphi?

Amphi is a conference platform that delivers the video itself or embeds it from another provider. After the event you upload each recording into its session or paste the recording's URL, and the same session page becomes the archive [\[3\]](#source-3), [\[4\]](#source-4).

On Premium Webinar and Premium Conference you can upload the recording to Amphi, which handles hosting and playback; the Free tier embeds only. Embeds work with YouTube, Vimeo, Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google Meet or any iframe, with SlidesLive named as preferred partner. Uploaded and streamed video counts against video hours (one hour of video to one viewer): 5,000 per Premium Conference, 2,500 a month on Premium Webinar; embeds consume none [\[1\]](#source-1), [\[4\]](#source-4). With an embed the file stays with the provider, so a recording deleted there also stops playing on the Amphi page. Details: [embedding a recording](https://www.amphi.cc/en/features/guides#video-streaming).

Talk visibility in Amphi is set to Public, Visitors only (register for the event first) or Only those registered for the talk [\[1\]](#source-1); the pricing table lists Premium Webinar video availability as "Signed-in only" [\[2\]](#source-2).

Archive mode is the final state of an Amphi event in which the public page and its recordings stay online but the event can no longer run.

| Plan | Archive mode starts | Event space deleted |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free | Not available [1] | 2 years after an admin last worked on the event [1] |
| Premium Webinar | When a renewal payment fails, or manually [1] | 2 years from the start of archive [1] |
| Premium Conference | Automatically 365 days after the 30-day talk window ends, or manually [1] | 2 years from the start of archive; at most 1,125 days from the first talk day (calculated) |

Archive mode in Amphi is irreversible: the page keeps its address and you can edit or hide talks and recordings, but you cannot add talks, send reminders, collect feedback or use chat, and recurring billing stops [\[1\]](#source-1). See [how archive mode works](https://www.amphi.cc/en/features/guides#archive-mode).

Innovation Week has run five editions on Amphi. Its live streams were for registered attendees only, with no public broadcast; its post-event archive stays live and keynotes from past editions are still picking up new views [\[5\]](#source-5). Read the [Innovation Week case study](https://www.amphi.cc/en/use-cases#case-02), or see the archive among other criteria in [choosing a conference platform](https://www.amphi.cc/en/blog/how-to-choose-conference-platform).

## Frequently asked questions

### How long should conference recordings be available?

As long as they serve their purpose, then review them. Under GDPR, personal data should be kept no longer than necessary. FASEB gives registrants one year of on-demand access. Set the date yourself, because defaults such as Teams' 120-day expiry may decide for you.

### Should conference recordings be public or for attendees only?

Public when reach matters more than ticket value, attendee-only when recordings are part of the ticket, invite-only for internal or sensitive content. Match the provider setting: an unlisted YouTube video can be reshared by anyone with the link.

### Do I need speaker consent to publish a conference recording?

Ask every speaker before the event, ideally at submission, and offer an opt-out. Speakers hold rights in their talk and slides, and GDPR consent can be withdrawn at any time. This is not legal advice.

### Why did my Teams meeting recording disappear?

Microsoft Teams deletes meeting recordings and transcripts after 120 days by default. An admin can change the number of days, and a recording moved from its original location is no longer affected. Pages embedding the deleted file stop playing it.

### Can I put a Zoom recording on an event page?

Yes, if the recording and its link stay valid. Zoom can auto-delete cloud recordings after a set number of days, and share links can expire. Turn both off for recordings you keep in the archive.

## Your next event can run on Amphi.

One place for the whole event.

Build the programme, manage speakers and attendees, communicate with participants, and keep live content and recordings together, before, during and after the event.

- Organisers who want recordings on the event page after the event

    Archive mode is part of the Premium plans; compare what each plan keeps and for how long.

    [Compare plans](https://www.amphi.cc/en/pricing)
- Teams planning their first online event

    Start on the Free plan for up to 100 attendees, embed your stream and set up the agenda.

    [Start for free](https://www.amphi.cc/en/begin)
- Agencies and organisations with many events or retention requirements

    Ask about Enterprise, which lists custom data retention.

    [Ask about Enterprise](https://www.amphi.cc/en/contact)

## Sources

1. Amphi, Guides (Video streaming, Talk visibility, Licensing model, Archive mode): [amphi.cc/en/features/guides](https://www.amphi.cc/en/features/guides)
2. Amphi, Pricing (plan comparison table): [amphi.cc/en/pricing](https://www.amphi.cc/en/pricing)
3. Amphi, Context: [amphi.cc/context](https://www.amphi.cc/context)
4. Amphi, llms-full.txt (Features, Guides): [amphi.cc/llms-full.txt](https://www.amphi.cc/llms-full.txt)
5. Amphi, Use cases (Innovation Week): [amphi.cc/en/use-cases](https://www.amphi.cc/en/use-cases)
6. Microsoft Learn, Manage Microsoft Teams meeting recording options (last updated 21 April 2026): [learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/manage-meeting-recording-options](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftteams/manage-meeting-recording-options)
7. Zoom Support, Managing cloud recording settings: [support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm\_kb&sysparm\_article=KB0065362](https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0065362)
8. Zoom Support, Managing and sharing cloud recordings: [support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm\_kb&sysparm\_article=KB0067567](https://support.zoom.com/hc/en/article?id=zm_kb&sysparm_article=KB0067567)
9. YouTube Help, Archive live streams: [support.google.com/youtube/answer/6247592?hl=en-GB](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6247592?hl=en-GB)
10. YouTube Help, Change video privacy settings: [support.google.com/youtube/answer/157177?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/157177?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop)
11. YouTube Help, Video chapters: [support.google.com/youtube/answer/9884579?hl=en](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9884579?hl=en)
12. Vimeo Help Center, How do I set up domain-level privacy?: [help.vimeo.com/hc/en-us/articles/30030693052305-How-do-I-set-up-domain-level-privacy](https://help.vimeo.com/hc/en-us/articles/30030693052305-How-do-I-set-up-domain-level-privacy)
13. SlidesLive, homepage: [slideslive.com](https://www.slideslive.com)
14. FASEB, Conferences On-Demand FAQ: [faseb.org/meetings-and-events/faseb-conferences-on-demand-faq](https://faseb.org/meetings-and-events/faseb-conferences-on-demand-faq)
15. NANOG Community, Conference videos (thread): [community.nanog.org/t/conference-videos/50417](https://community.nanog.org/t/conference-videos/50417)
16. NANOG mailing list archive (MIT mirror), Chris Russell, Re: Conference Videos, 14 March 2017: [diswww.mit.edu/charon/nanog/194067](https://diswww.mit.edu/charon/nanog/194067)
17. EUR-Lex, Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR), Articles 5(1)(e) and 7(3): [eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj/eng](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2016/679/oj/eng)
18. European Commission, What if somebody withdraws their consent?: [commission.europa.eu/law/law-topic/data-protection/rules-business-and-organisations/legal-grounds-processing-data/grounds-processing/what-if-somebody-withdraws-their-consent\_en](https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-topic/data-protection/rules-business-and-organisations/legal-grounds-processing-data/grounds-processing/what-if-somebody-withdraws-their-consent_en)
19. EUR-Lex, Directive 2001/29/EC (InfoSoc Directive), Article 3: [eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2001/29/oj/eng](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2001/29/oj/eng)
20. W3C WAI, Understanding SC 1.2.2: Captions (Prerecorded), WCAG 2.2: [w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/captions-prerecorded.html](https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/captions-prerecorded.html)
21. EUR-Lex, Directive (EU) 2016/2102 (Web Accessibility Directive), Article 1(4)(b): [eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2016/2102/oj/eng](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2016/2102/oj/eng)