Dream Broker Studio powers webinar event with game-changing webcast technology

From left to right: Mika Ahokas, Outi Särkkä, Katherine Greatrex, Kalle Valkama, Sami Siekkinen, Lauri Heikkilä


Dream Broker Studio software is constantly developed to empower customers to revolutionise their communication with online video. On 23rd November 2022, the company organised its first webinar event, Dream Day 2022, with up to 500 participants.

Dream Day 2022 Webinar was successfully powered by Dream Broker Studio’s webcasting technology. Webinar participants had the first-hand opportunity to experience how seamless and easy it is to launch their own webcast event live during the demonstration.

In the two-hour event, Dream Broker showcased the latest game-changing features, Webcasting, VideoHub and DreamTV App. Participants heard expert insights and gained best practices from customer speakers, Katy Greatrex (Commercial Product Information Manager, Vaisala Oyj) and Outi Särkkä (Senior Communications Manager, Caverion Oyj) on the revolution of communication with online video. Participants also learnt about the newest opportunities Dream Broker Studio has to offer. If you missed Dream Day 2022, you can contact us for a recording of the webinar event.

Using Dream Broker Studio with Webcasting, organisations can take advantage of both on-demand video and live video streaming to reach their targeted audiences, internally and externally. They can maximise the effects of their content depending on their use cases for communication, leadership, and training.

“Dream Broker Studio software with webcasting technology fulfils the most important communication, leadership and training needs of any organisation and makes it smooth to choose between on-demand and live video communication on a daily basis.”

– Mika Ahokas, CEO

Webcasts can be easily and securely shared via the Dream Broker Studio’s existing channel structure. Users can start their own live webcasting event without the need to hire external professionals or invest in expensive equipment. After the webcasting event ends, the recording can be processed immediately for editing and further distribution within Dream Broker Studio’s channels.

At the end of the webinar, Dream Broker gave participants a sneak preview into the future of communication and introduced a new software product, Dream Broker #One. The first cyber secure, all-in-one communication software solution from Europe.

Contact us to learn how you can be the first to try Dream Broker #One.

Additional Information:

CEO, Mika Ahokas, Dream Broker Ltd, Tel. +358 40 583 7782, mika.ahokas@dreambroker.fi

PR & Communications: Alexandra Taimitarha, Dream Broker Ltd, Tel. +358 40 410 8188, alexandra.taimitarha@dreambroker.fi

Dream Broker introduces Webcasting, enriching your video communication with live video.

With more than 14 years of video communication technology experience and after becoming a market leader in on-demand video communication solutions in Northern Europe, Dream Broker is launching today its first live video communication technology – Webcasting. As a part of Dream Broker Studio, Webcasting is Dream Broker’s first live video communication solution and a major milestone in our journey to become an online video software powerhouse with a complete range of video communication technologies covering all the communication needs of our customers.

Using Dream Broker Studio with Webcasting, our customers can take advantage of both on-demand video and live video streaming, maximising the effects of their content depending on their use case.

Internally or externally, Webcasting allows the targeting of audiences in relation to the style of content being communicated. For example, timely information such as CEO reports, monthly townhall meetings or important new product launches, all could be effectively communicated with Webcasting.

“Dream Broker software with Webcasting fulfils the most important communication, leadership and training needs of any organisation and makes it smooth to choose between on-demand and live video communication on a daily basis. Once you have it, you will love it.” – Mika Ahokas, CEO

Webcasts can be easily and securely shared via the Dream Broker Studio’s existing channel structures and communication workflows. In the same way that anyone in an organisation can create, edit, manage, share and analyse on-demand videos, they can now choose to start their own live webcasting event without the need to hire external professionals or expensive equipment.

Dream Broker Studio with Webcasting is an end-to-end and easy-to-use live video communication solution for any organisation. It enables the users to choose how they communicate their content in order to achieve the greatest impact, either as a live video, or an on-demand video. Users can even combine the two, with webcasts being recorded simultaneously and automatically added to the presenter’s Dream Broker Studio account upon ending the live session. This enables the webcast recording to be edited, managed and shared in exactly the same way as any on-demand video, all within the Dream Broker Studio online video platform.

With this new release, our customers are gaining even more flexibility and value in their most important communication, leadership and training use cases.

Join the revolution of communication in a fun, natural and productive way with video. Anywhere, anytime and on any device. Dream Broker is welcoming all its existing and future customers to Live it. Live.

Watch this short video to find out how it works:

Follow the link to learn more: https://resources.dreambroker.com/webcasting

Additional information:

CEO, Mika Ahokas, Dream Broker Ltd, Tel. +358 40 583 7782, mika.ahokas@dreambroker.fi

PR & Communications: Alexandra Taimitarha, Dream Broker Ltd, Tel. +358 40 410 8188, alexandra.taimitarha@dreambroker.fi

How Nordic Sports and Outdoors Giant XXL Unlocked Their Success and Compounded Their Growth

In the Nordics, when someone is looking to purchase some sports or outdoor equipment, chances are they will go to an XXL store. This is because they trust that they will find the predictability of well-known brands, enjoy a wide selection of products, and they won’t be overcharged. It is through these simple business values that XXL grew to become the market leader in the Nordics, with over 90 megastores selling well-known sports brands and outdoor gear.

Sometimes, meteoric growth can be attributed to luck, but in the case of XXL, it was hard work, intelligent business decisions and a strong culture of ‘doing things right,’ that led to the company achieving such enviable business success. So, what can we learn from this burgeoning Norwegian company that can be applied to other businesses?

There are many pillars required to sustain the growth of a business, and it is no secret that communication is key in every business, of any size. However, some keys are difficult to use, and just having the key does not enable the door to be unlocked.

Simply knowing that communication is critical to business success is not enough to achieve it. As it was one of the world’s fastest growing retailers of sports and outdoor goods, XXL recognised this and began extensive research and investigation into how to turn “communication” from an obscure caption on a motivational poster, into concrete business gains. Jon Harald Espolin Johnson is the Head of Training and Development – Group Operations at XXL, and in commenting about their successful growth, he stated: “All in all, we are about 5,000 people. To be successful, we need highly skilled and motivated people. In general, we are increasing our online training capacities, and COVID-19 accelerated this”.

The trademark grey buildings, with the neon green signage are practically a part of the landscape of Northern Europe, almost as recognizable as the Golden Arches. For years, this iconic Norwegian brand has been steadily growing and expanding, providing a textbook example of scalable business growth to a population who are no strangers to successful business.

In addition to the well-known and popular physical stores, Johnson explains that they “…have a very strong and growing e-commerce business”. Obviously, the entire global economy underwent significant changes due to COVID-19, with e-commerce being a major focus worldwide.

Without disregarding this trend, XXL believes that a healthy balance between online retail and physical stores is important. Managing Director of XXL Austria, Magnus Kreuger said “In these challenging times, it is particularly gratifying that we will open the eighth [Austrian] branch in Klagenfurt in 2021. I am very proud of it. Now is the right time and the location is perfect.”

With news channels flooded with reports of companies like Amazon reporting it “had doubled its quarterly profits with net sales rising by 40%” (The Guardian, 18/11/21), it could seem that e-commerce was leaving brick-and-mortar stores in the dust. This makes it easy to question XXL’s decision to continue investing in physical stores. However, reports by such publications as the Financial Times suggest that the data tells a different story. A dive into the 2019 FT 1000 ranking of Europe’s fastest growing companies claims that “The answer is online, or with a calibrated mix of web and bricks-and-mortar sales.”

Clearly, focusing on both e-commerce and physical stores is one of the successful strategies that XXL employed. But this is easier said than done, because as we have already established, communication is key. For a company as large as XXL, especially one that is growing at a similar rate, having effective, meaningful communication systems in place is absolutely critical.

One of the traps a lot of businesses fall into, is relying on outdated methods of communication, such as email, to handle things such as trainings, updates or announcements. A manager or CEO may spend days creating and honing a company-wide email, notifying staff of a particular update, new system or process, with the result often being only marginally better than not communicating at all.

The reason for this is that as a method of communication, email is relatively limited, and almost dangerously ineffective. In this and practically every cases where information is coming from a senior management position and being transmitted to large swathes of employees, an email is a one-way communication method.

Nobody ever replies to these kind of emails, so there is no direct response that the information was received. Worse than that, it is almost impossible to get any data or metric on how many people saw the email and/or opened it. Even if this data is accessible, there is no way to know if the whole email was read. Even worse still, speaking of accessible data, email as a medium is not cyber secure!

In addition, no matter how carefully the email is crafted, there is nothing inspiring about it. Email has become the most reviled communication tool in business, representing a faster, cheaper fax machine. Well respected business magazine Forbes has published a plethora of content, damning the medium;

“Today, we get excited when we manage to empty an inbox, as if it were an accomplishment. The effort we put into this daily disposal ritual is silly, considering most of what we receive is clutter. Email is failing because it’s not productive to spend hours managing your means of communication.”

One of the reasons why email is still so widely used, is because everyone has it. But for larger companies, emails are far from the best solution to communication. The above reasons are just a few examples as to why. So, what is the solution?

Like all of us, XXL recognised that communication was critical to their continued success. What they did differently, is they understood that it required further development. As an example, companies with large and/or scattered workforces can struggle to manage employee trainings. Online training has been largely underdeveloped in recent history, and suddenly became an international necessity with the COVID-19 pandemic. With companies all around the world looking for ways to successfully manage the training of their employees, the search for solutions has grown drastically. Jon Harald commented:

“A key question we asked ourselves was what is high quality training content? We realised that to reach out and engage our people, we need to create more video-based training content. So last year we searched the market and luckily, we found Dream Broker”

One of the key findings that XXL realised, was the value of video based content. The explosive growth of video content consumption in just the social media sphere recently indicates a new pattern in the Information Age;

If we consume so much content in video form in our private lives, why wouldn’t it work in a business environment?

As a medium, it is rivalled only by face-to-face (f2f) meetings in terms of how effectively information is exchanged and absorbed and although it may come as a surprise, utilising video in a business environment is more accessible than ever. It no longer requires huge budgets, reels of film and a lifetime of filmmaking skills. With the right tools, an effective, professional video can be created by anyone in less time than it takes to prepare for an in-person meeting.

Another thing to consider is that once made, a video is a reusable asset, unlike a manager’s time. A video can be replayed over and over, without requiring any further time for meetings. This is one example of how a video can prove to be even more advantageous than a f2f meeting.

But beyond repeatability and saving time, video affords another metric that is oft overlooked when compared to f2f meetings, and that is trackability. It can be widely assumed that if someone is present in the meeting room, that they are absorbing all the knowledge and information that is coming at them during the meeting. But listening, and understanding are two very different things. How often have you noticed someone whose attention wanders in the middle of a meeting?

There has been a recent uptick in journals and medical papers publishing evidence to corroborate that which most of us already assumed; we all learn differently. Some people may have the ability to sit and absorb information as it flows to them, for hours on end. There are many others, though, who may absorb information better a different way, and this does not make them any less effective.

So, whilst someone may be physically in the meeting room, they may not be absorbing all the information. It is not acceptable to just get up and walk out of a meeting when your attention wavers. A video, however, can be paused, and returned to when it suits you best, meaning you are able to consume the information on your own terms, in a way that best suits your learning method. Furthermore, with access to analytic data like this, you have a much more comprehensive review of what information has been consumed and understood, not just delivered.

In Dream Broker Studio, you can capture, edit, share, manage and analyse video content on anywhere, on any device, all in one entirely cyber secure platform. When asked about why he chose Dream Broker, Johnson commented:

“In Dream Broker, it is so easy to capture, to edit and to share, and we’ve seen that after just two hours of training, our employees are ready to launch self-made videos. Regarding support, Dream Broker offers local offices in our operating countries. To be honest, we are really impressed by the service level they offer, and there are no hidden costs. To sum up, we are really happy working with Dream Broker.”

Dream Broker Studio enables you to onboard new employees faster and continue to train existing ones. Reinforce the employer brand and let your employees tell their stories. Build a culture of sharing know-how through video. Reach and teach your employees no matter where they are located.

Whether you work in HR, IT, Marketing, or any function in the organisation, you can save time and costs by using online videos as a communication and leadership tool.

At Dream Broker, we help our customers lead their markets. That is how we became market leaders ourselves. We don’t simply sell a software, we help our customers reach their business goals through effective leadership, training, and communication.

Dream Broker makes a general donation to MIELI Finnish Mental Health Association and tightens collaboration with Lapinlahden Lähde Oy

In December 2020, Dream Broker announced that it will donate 5 euros on behalf of each of its enterprise customer, directing it to MIELI ry. With the donation, the aim is to support the association’s valuable work in developing mental healthcare services. By exceeding the level of a thousand enterprise customers by the end of the year, Dream Broker promised to increase donated amount per customer to 10 euros. At the end of the year 2020, the number of enterprise customers grew to 1026, resulting in a total donated amount of 10 260 euros. The donation is considered a general donation and it was granted to MIELI ry in March 2021.

In addition, Dream Broker has started the collaboration this year with Lapinlahden Lähde Oy, a subsidiary of MIELI ry. Operating as their technology partner, Dream Broker provides its Smart TV technology, software solutions and expertise for their use. This enables Lapinlahden Lähde to stay more effectively connected through online video communication with their important stakeholders, especially during the corona times.

Dream Broker’s collaboration with MIELI ry and Lapinlahden Lähde will tighten in other areas as well. In April 2021 Dream Broker will become one of the tenants in the Lapinlahti Hospital, where the rented facilities are dedicated to support research and development projects of Dream Broker and activities related to art, science and culture.

In the meanwhile, Dream Broker is actively working to secure the future of Lapinlahti area and its historical hospital together with other collaboration partners. As soon as the ongoing investigation of the future of Lapinlahti Hospital is completed, the ultimate goal of Dream Broker is to join forces with other like-minded stakeholders to secure the future of the hospital.

Additional information:

CEO, Mika Ahokas, Dream Broker Ltd, Tel. +358 40 583 7782, mika.ahokas(a)dreambroker.fi

A safe video messenger for staying in touch with your loved ones

Dream Broker publishes a new video messenger to honour the Independence day of Finland: Nian is truly a Finnish and an European solution for connecting with your friends and family when meeting physically is not possible. Finally there is an alternative and innovative video messenger available where you do not need to worry that your privacy or personal data are compromised. Nian is developed with the highest cyber security standards, the data is stored securely in Finland and your data will never be sold. With Nian you can always trust that your personal moments are safe.

Nian has been created by a Finnish online video software company Dream Broker Ltd, and is delivered by Dream Broker’s subsidiary Black Adamant Technologies Ltd. Dream Broker is known for its cyber-secure approach and video-first technologies since its establishment in 2007. Company that has previously provided high-quality video solutions for enterprises only, now for the first time offers a solution to make the everyday life easier for all people and citizens.

Simplicity at the core

What makes Nian special is its simple design and trustworthiness. All generations from children to grandparents can easily use the application to connect with each other. Mindfully chosen features allow users to focus on what truly matters – staying in touch with the loved ones.

– During the last decade, we recognized that in today’s world of being constantly connected, it is paradoxically becoming increasingly difficult and complex to stay in touch with those who matter the most, your loved ones. With Nian we introduce a safe, easy-to-use and innovative video messenger for everyone. We have considered all users when developing this user friendly, safe and trustworthy solution for all regardless of their age or technological capabilities. In order to honour our home country and roots we decided to publish Nian on the Independence Day of Finland in our home country Finland and also in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Iceland and the United Kingdom, celebrates Mika Ahokas, the CEO of Dream Broker Ltd.

Nian in a nutshell

SEND AND RECEIVE VIDEOS

Show your loved ones what’s happening in your everyday life by sharing safe video messages.

If a picture tells more than 1000 words, imagine what a video can do.

GROUP CONVERSATIONS

Stay in touch with your circle of friends and family. Give the group conversation a cute name or mute notifications when you need time to focus on something else.

SHARE LOCATION

Let your loved ones know where you are so they know you are safe. You can also share your location when travelling to exciting new places. Let your loved ones follow your adventures.

THINKING OF YOU

We all have moments when a loved one crosses our mind, but it’s not the best time to reach out to them. Simply hold down the record button to let them know you’re thinking of them.

MULTI DEVICE USAGE

With Nian, you can access all your video conversations from smartphones and tablets.

NIAN UNLIMITED

Nian is free to download from App Store and Google Play marketplaces.

Nian Unlimited is a monthly paid subscription, which unlocks unlimited storage and other functionalities for you to stay in touch with your loved ones.

  • Store unlimited number of video messages
  • Create unlimited number of permanent groups
  • Invite unlimited number of friends
  • The price of Nian Unlimited subscription is 0,99 € / month

Read more: www.mynian.com

Additional information

CEO, Mika Ahokas, Dream Broker Ltd, Tel. +358 40 583 7782, mika.ahokas(a)dreambroker.fi

PR & Communications: Helmi Lindström, Dream Broker Ltd, Tel. +358 40 586 2822, helmi.lindstrom(a)dreambroker.fi

Media: www.mynian.com/media

Information video contributing to the prevention work against the coronavirus

After receiving the latest updates from public authorities and several healthcare sector customers of Dream Broker, we wanted to also contribute to the prevention work against Coronavirus epidemic.

Get a direct link to the video here.

At the beginning of this year, an epidemic caused by the new coronavirus began in China, that causes respiratory symptoms similar to those caused by influenza. The virus spreads from person to person through droplet transmission. The patients’ symptoms include fever, coughing and shortness of breath. The incubation period for the virus is on average 5 days. If you are experiencing any aforementioned symptoms visit your occupational healthcare provider or the closest public healthcare center in your municipality.

Recommended precautions to stop the spreading of the virus:

  • Avoid travelling to the epidemic areas.
  • Wash your hands frequently and thoroughly (for at least 20 seconds) or if not possible use a disinfectant.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
  • Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
  • Stay informed and follow advice given by your healthcare provider and take extended care of your fellow citizens and coworkers.

Follow this link to the Finnish institute of health and welfare Coronavirus update page:

https://thl.fi/en/web/infectious-diseases/what-s-new/coronavirus-covid-19-latest-updates

Disease advice from World Health Organisation:

https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/

We hope that you found this information and video to be useful in your organisation.

Kind regards,

Kati Suard
Director, Customers 
kati.suard(a)dreambroker.fi
+358 50 381 0836

“Trust Drives All Business” – Your most efficient corporate event in less than 3 hours

Between March and May 2019, hundreds of like-minded professionals from all industries and functions meet across six European capitals, to discuss how they use online video communication to establish and build trust with their employees and clients as trust drives all business.

Every Dream Broker PLAY event is an exclusive invitation-only gathering for decision makers. The interactive program provides the participants with valuable networking opportunities and broad insight to the event theme “Trust Drives All Business” from multiple angles. Annually, the tour attracts over 600 business professionals who share their vision, experiences and ideas on how to revolutionise their communication.

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Cyber secure video communication with GDPR+ compliance

Security and privacy have always been our top priorities in software design and development and in the ways our personnel processes data. We are proud to be able to offer our customers a genuinely European solution, which doesn’t transfer personal data outside the EEA. Dream Broker Studio is our own software and hosted using hardware and server systems owned and operated by us. This provides our customers peace of mind, which has always been crucial for entities who are revolutionising their communication and expanding the use of online videos in all functions of their organisation.

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Maintenance Break 20.5.2017 22:00 – 21.5.2017 06:00

Notification of an upcoming maintenance break in Dream Broker Studio video platform. The maintenance is scheduled for May 20th – May 21st, 2017 from 10pm to 6am (UTC +0300).

During the maintenance window, we are performing regular performance and security updates to the production environment of Dream Broker Studio. This operation does not require any action from our customers. During the maintenance, breaks in availability of the software are to be expected. We aim to minimize all inconvenience caused by the maintenance.