Hybrid events have caught the attention of event planners, and many experts are still trying to understand and learn how to host events on virtual platforms. However, how do you organize and manage a hybrid event in 2021?
In a recent poll carried out by international organizations, 70% of participants said it was the new trend for event-hosting.
A live event is quite different from an online experience. It is essential to create exclusive content and create a unique experience for your guests. If you’re interested in creating and organizing a hybrid event, this blog post is an ideal post for you. You can also learn here how to turn your face to face event into a virtual or hybrid event with interpretation
Because of the pandemic, the event industry is experiencing its most challenging time ever. It will continue to be challenged due to no clear ending of the pandemic in the foreseeable future. Because of this, organizers of events have had to change their approach to how they plan events, making them more accessible and striving to ensure that they succeed in a new environment.
However, even though the event industry has gone online, but the necessity for in-person interactions with people is still in place. When restrictions begin to ease hybrid events will be an integral part of the way events are managed, providing attendees the benefits of both.
How to Plan a hybrid event?
The planning of an event is extremely crucial, and the last-minute details of even the tiniest on-site event are important. When you are organizing a conference online that has two participants, the plan should be more precise and detailed.
Your content may be more crucial when you are hosting a hybrid event, than during an on-site event. It’s much easier to keep participants engaged when glued to an electronic display. To ensure that the content is engaging, verify that it can be easily translated into a video. You can include live polls or Q&A sessions to keep the viewers active. Also, try to keep the sessions at a manageable length.
4 Elements of a Successful Hybrid Event
There are four essential factors that make an event successful: community, content sponsors, analytics, and content. In this article, we will show you how to manage these components specifically for events.
Content
As we’ve mentioned before, content is the king of any hybrid event. It is important to ensure that both attendees are equally active. Here’s the place when the “one event – two experiences” mindset plays a role. It isn’t possible to provide identical content in the exact identical way to both audiences. Here are some suggestions on how to cater your content for an online and in-person audience:
Has an onsite representative dedicated exclusively to your virtual attendees?
The in person attendees at your event are likely to be seated at a podium or on the stage. It can cause virtual attendees to feel excluded or perhaps further away from the event. To avoid this issue, you should have your event coordinators speak only to virtual attendees. They can speak to participants specifically about their experiences in virtual reality and present virtual-only events or networking opportunities.
Create separate content for your virtual attendees
Some of your more important events, like your keynote address, will be viewed by both your on-site as well as virtual attendees. Don’t let the virtual participants watch the onsite audience in a social networking event. Provide your virtual attendees with exclusive interviews only available online with industry experts or panels with thought-leaders. Effectively distinguish between on-site and virtual sessions using your custom registration pathways. Doing this, lowers the chances of attendees registering for the wrong session.
Offer your content on-demand
As we’ve mentioned before in the previous paragraph, keeping the attention of an attendee when they are in front of the computer screen is much more challenging than keeping the attention on an on-site participant. Virtual attendees may need to take longer breaks throughout their day or might only be able to take part in the event for a shorter period of time. It is important to ensure that the majority of the content you offer is available via a streaming service so that attendees have access to the content at a later time if needed.
Conclusion
Hybrid events have become a powerful force in the event industry, blending the best of in-person and virtual experiences. As we navigate the challenges of the pandemic and beyond, this innovative approach offers unparalleled accessibility and engagement for attendees worldwide.
To plan a successful hybrid event, prioritize engaging content that caters to both in-person and virtual participants. Embrace the four pillars of success: community, content, sponsors, and analytics, to ensure a seamless and inclusive experience.
The future of events lies in this transformative hybrid model, where connections transcend physical boundaries. Let’s embark on this journey together, creating unforgettable gatherings that redefine the way we host events and foster meaningful interactions in a rapidly evolving world.
