Choosing the Right Microsoft Teams Meeting For Your Event-2025 Update

If you are choosing between Microsoft Teams Meetings, Webinars, Town Halls, Live Events, and Virtual Appointments, start with your event goal and audience. From there, you can match your scenario to the Teams format that fits your size, interaction level, and reporting needs.

This updated guide walks through each Microsoft Teams event type, the latest limits and features, and how EventBuilder supports more complex, high-volume programs that run on Teams.

Start With Your Teams Event Goal

Before you pick a Teams event type, get clear on what you are trying to achieve and who needs to be involved. A short checklist helps you quickly narrow the options:

Audience

• Internal only, external only, or a mix?
• Any special privacy or compliance concerns?

Size

• Under 300 participants, 300 - 1,000, 1,000 - 10,000, or larger?

Interaction Level

• Fully collaborative discussion?
• Presenter-led with moderated Q&A?
• Broadcast-style viewing?

Content and Format

• Single session or multi-session series?
• One-time event or recurring program?

Data and Security

• Registration data needed?
• Attendance and engagement reporting?
• Extra controls for high-profile or regulated events?

Keep this list in mind as you compare each option below.

Microsoft Teams Event Types At-a-Glance

Microsoft Teams offers a variety of meeting and virtual event types:  regular Teams meetings, Teams Town Halls, Teams Live Events, Teams Webinars, and Virtual Appointments. Let's compare the options for you:

Standard Teams Meetings

For familiarity, ease of use, and flexibility, Microsoft Teams meetings   is a smart choice for collaborative meetings and small virtual events with a simple, manageable presentation environment. It allows for screen sharing, whiteboard use, and two-way interaction.

Teams Meeting Privacy Consideration!

Attendee names are visible to all Teams meeting room participants.

Ideal Use Cases

• Cross-functional project meetings
• Instructor-led training and internal enablement
• Small- to medium-sized external sessions where everyone may speak or share

Key Features: 

• Participation and Capacity
  • Up to 1,000 participants can unmute, turn on cameras, and share content. Organizers/Presenters also have the option to mute attendees and/or turn off their webcams.
  • A view-only streaming experience is available for participants over the 1,000 person Teams meeting cap (up to 11,000 participants), useful for overflow audience situations.
• Access and Security
  • Participants can join with or without a Teams account via browser, app, or dial-in (if enabled). 
  • Lobby controls, meeting options, and policies give organizers control over who can bypass the lobby, present, and record.
• Interaction Tools
  • Chat, hand raise, and reactions are available
  • Polls and Q&A (when enabled). 
  • Breakout rooms for up to 300 participants per meeting when breakout rooms are in use. 
  • Captioning and recording.

Choose a standard Teams meeting if:

• Your priority is interaction and discussion, not a highly produced broadcast.
• You expect under 1,000 active participants and do not need a formal registration process.
• You want to use breakout rooms for small-group work.

Teams Webinars

Teams Webinars a more structured experience on top of the meeting foundation, including registration an event-style defaults. 

Ideal Use Cases

• Lead-generation webinars for customers and prospects
• Partner enablement or customer education series
• Training sessions where you want registration and attendance reports

Key Features

• Capacity and Experience
  
  • Webinars support up to 1,000 attendees
  • Attendee and presenter roles are clearly separated, with controls that help reduce disruptions
• Registration and Branding
  
  • Built-in registration form and confirmation emails
  • Event capacity settings, waitlists, and registration approval options  
  • With Teams Premium,  you gain more customization for registration and event branding
• Interaction and Breakout Rooms
  • Polls, chat, and Q&A are available when enabled
  • Breakout rooms can be used if your attendee count stays under 300; beyond that, breakout rooms are not supported

When Teams Webinars Are a Good Fit

Choose a Teams Webinar if:

• You want registration, simple branding, and attendance reporting without extra tooling.
• You need more control over attendee permissions than a standard meeting provides.
• You are hosting up to 1,000 attendees and do not need full broadcast-style production.

Teams Town Halls

The newest addition to the Teams virtual event options, Teams Town Hall moved in where Live Event has moved out. The best Microsoft Teams event format for large audiences, Town Halls are built for larger, one-to-many events.

Ideal Use Case

• Executive town halls and company all-hands
• Global announcements to internal or mixed audiences
• Investor briefings or external updates where attendee interaction should be structured

Key Features

• Scale
  • Standard Town Halls support up to 10,000 attendees
  • With Teams Premium, Town Halls can scale up to 50,000 attendees, including moderated Q&A and additional concurrent events across your tenant.
  • Microsoft has begun rolling out support for even higher concurrent attendee counts (up to 100,000 for some Teams Premium customers working with Microsoft's event assistance services), so it's important to confirm the latest availability for your tenant.
• Presenter and Attendee Experience
  • Limited number of presenters; organizers can manage what attendees see on screen. 
  • Attendees participate primarily through Q&A, reactions, and captions, not open microphones.
  • Presenter green room, private presenter chat, and event templates help production teams prepare.
• Recording and Reporting
  • On-demand recordings and attendee engagement reports are available to organizers.

Teams Live Events

We should note that for Teams Live Events Microsoft is allowing time for customers to upgrade and transition on their own schedule. Live Events are also in the one-to-many broadcast category. 

Note: Microsoft recommends transitioning to Town Hall as support for Teams Live Events will eventually cease.  

Ideal Use Cases

• Organizations with existing Live Events workflows and training
• Broadcast scenarios where current Live Events feature sets already match the requirement

Key Features

• Scale and Duration
  • Live Events Support up to 10,000 attendees by default, with temporary limit increases that allow for events with up to 20,000 attendees, 50 concurrent events per tenant, and event duration of up to 16 hours, extended "until further notice."  
• Experience
  • Producer-style interface and moderated Q&A.
  • External presenters supported, with clear role separation.

Where Live Events Are a Good Fit

Choose Teams Live Events if:

• Your organization already has established Live Events processes and tooling that you are not ready to change.
• You have events where Live Events capabilities are already documented and approved, and there is no immediate need to move to town hall.
• You are planning a transition to town halls over time and need predictable continuity for near-term events.

Need some help deciding? Catch the recording of our events expert-led webinar, "Choosing the Right Microsoft Meeting Type For Your Event"

Virtual Appointments

Virtual Appointments focus on one-to-one or small group customer meetings managed through Microsoft Bookings and Teams, with scheduling, reminders, and a dedicated join experience.

Ideal Use Cases 

• Customer consultations and account reviews
• Healthcare and financial services appointments where clients join from a browser
• One-to-one demos, interviews, and support calls

Key Features

• Scheduling and Reminders
  • Centralized appointment calendar through Microsoft Bookings in Teams
  • Email confirmations and reminders sent to both staff and customers
• Access and Waiting Room
  • Customers join through a browser join link, with no requirements to install Teams.
  • Waiting room and queue features help staff manage back-to-back appointments.
  • With Teams Premium, organizations can add SMS reminders, custom waiting rooms and richer analytics.

When Virtual Appointments Are a Good Fit

Choose Virtual Appointments if:

• You are supporting recurring one-to-one or small group customer meetings rather than large events.
• You want to reduce friction for people who may be new to Teams.
• You need consistent reminders and a clear, repeatable appointment

Where EventBuilder Can Fit with Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams provides the core event and meeting experience. EventBuilder focuses on expanding what is possible around those meetings and events, especially when your programs become large, complex, or security-sensitive.

EventBuilder has successfully delivered over 60,000 Microsoft-run events using it's software and professional event management services.

Where EventBuilder Adds Value

Advanced Registration and Access

• Configurable, branded registration pages that can support multiple session types and event formats.
• Registration flows that accommodate internal and external audiences with different access rules.
• Options for allowlists, denylists, and registrant verification for sensitive events.

Program-Level Structure

• Multi-event listing pages and content hubs for series, summits, and on-going training programs.
• Event templates that keep branding, layout, and key settings consistent across a large portfolio of events.

Data, Reporting, and Security

• Detailed views of registration, attendance, engagement activity, and recording consumption.
• Data visualization to help program owners understand performance at the event and program level.
• Additional security options layered on top of Microsoft’s controls for regulated or high-profile audiences.

Production and Event Services

• Planning, rehearsal, and live support for Teams meetings, webinars, town halls, and Live Events.
• Support for complex, multi-session events where multiple Teams event types are used together.

EventBuilder is a good fit if:

• You run high-volume training programs where consistency and reporting across many events matter.
• You deliver virtual summits or multi-day conferences using Teams as the delivery platform.
• You host executive town halls or public-facing webinars that have elevated security and production expectations.
• You need a partner to help design registration flows, manage data, and support your internal team during live delivery.

Quick Scenarios: Which Teams Meeting Type Should I Choose?

• Internal team sync or project working session
  → Standard Teams meeting.
• Customer webinar with registration and follow-up
  → Teams webinar; add EventBuilder if you need more complex registration flows or multi-event listings.
• Company-wide town hall with executive presenters and moderated Q&A
  → Teams Town Hall; consider Teams Premium for higher capacities and more controls, and EventBuilder for registration and production support.
• Large public announcement that already uses an established Live Events workflow
  → Teams Live Events now, with a plan to move toward town halls when your organization is ready.
• High-touch customer consultation or interview
  → Virtual Appointments
• Multi-day virtual summit or conference using Teams sessions
  → Combine Teams meetings, webinars, or town halls with EventBuilder for program-level registration, listing pages, templates, and reporting.

EventBuilder Success Stories

Find out how we operate in the "real world" of virtual events and webinars to get an idea of how we can make yours rock:

• EventBuilder for High Volume Training Programs
• EventBuilder for Complex Teams Live Townhall
• EventBuilder for Virtual Summits
• EventBuilder for Channel Partner Events

FAQ

1. What is the attendee limit for a standard Microsoft Teams meeting?
Teams meetings can support up to 1,000 fully interactive participants, plus up to 10,000 additional view-only attendees, for a total of 11,000 participants.

2. How many people can attend a Teams webinar?
Teams webinars support up to 1,000 attendees. For the most current limits, always check Microsoft’s Overview of meetings, webinars, and town halls and Limits and specifications for Microsoft Teams pages. 

3. How many people can attend a Teams Town Hall?
Standard town halls support up to 10,000 attendees. With Teams Premium, organizers can host town halls for up to 50,000 attendees, with higher limits available to some customers working with Microsoft’s event assistance services and roadmap features.

4. When should I move from Live Events to town halls?
Plan a move when:

• Your organization wants to use newer features that Microsoft is delivering only to town halls.
• You are starting new large-scale events without existing Live Events dependencies.
• Your event size or interactivity needs align better with town hall capabilities and Teams Premium features. 

EventBuilder’s team can help you evaluate your current event catalog, map which scenarios should move first, and support your production teams through the transition.

Power Your Teams Events With EventBuilder

Our event experts guide you every step of the way toward realizing your goals and easing your administrative load; custom, complex registration, event security options, attendee engagement tools, reporting, technical support, and more.

Easily produce and deliver professional webinars and virtual training programs, engage your audience, create registration and listing pages, gather analytics, and automate cloud-based recording and sharing with our professional services and feature-rich software. We've delivered more than 50,000 of Microsoft's own events, and we'll deliver for you, too. Schedule a free strategy session with our experts today!

Disclaimer: This article was created with some help from AI, but thoroughly edited, revised, reviewed, and fact-checked by a living, breathing, coffee-drinking human writer.