The idea of hybrid events has caught the attention of planners. However, the majority of experts are still working to understand and perfect the art of hosting on hybrid event software. But in 2022, how can one organize and conduct a hybrid event?
In a recent study by international organizations, 70% of the participants believed that hybrid events were the way that events would be held in the future. A virtual experience is considerably different from a real-world event. You must create distinct event experiences and original material for your audience. So, if you want to organize and present a hybrid event, you have come to the perfect location. You will learn the best advice for organizing a fruitful hybrid event in this workshop.
How To Make A Hybrid Event Successful
Make A Strategy
Particularly if it’s your first time holding a hybrid event, carefully plan the event. In order to comprehend the advantages and disadvantages of hybrid events, as well as what may be done better and how to position the event effectively, attending several hybrid events as both in-person and virtual participants is suggested. Start creating your own hybrid event while considering what past hybrid events have gone through. Establish clear objectives and plan how to reach them, taking into account available resources such as technology and marketing strategies. Hybrid events are special because both the real and virtual events must be carefully planned, as well as how conducted simultaneously.
Create Content For Your Hybrid Event
To completely engross your audience in the event experience, you must have appealing and interesting material. The following advice might help you come up with content ideas as you must determine what kind of content captures the interest of your target audience:
- What kind of content has the audience responded to in the past?
- What kind of online media are they now consuming?
- What are a few of the most typical concerns?
- Are there any new trends in the industry that need to be highlighted?
You can display your content focus areas to your audience in a variety of ways once you’ve made your choice.
Promote Your Hybrid Event In Advance
You want to arouse interest in the event, like with any event. This is particularly significant in relation to hybrid events. People are more likely to interact with one another and feel more connected to one another when they are more excited. Brand recognition can also be increased by event buzz, especially when using social media. Those who are enthusiastic about attending will spread the word through their own personal networks. This might pique the curiosity of other potential customers to come or simply introduce them to your company. In essence, event buzz is a user-generated content strategy that can be beneficial to your overall marketing initiatives. You can utilize a variety of strategies to publicize your hybrid event, such as:
- Create an event hashtag
- Create an event page on your social platforms
- Add a countdown clock to your website and email campaigns
- Send virtual event swag or gifts
- Encourage attendees to share photos of their swag
- Share unboxing videos
- Create a hype video or event trailer
Choose A Hybrid Event Platform
You should be careful when selecting your virtual event management platform because your event will have a virtual audience. Use a platform and a virtual format that allow you to record sessions, and have networking and interaction capabilities, high-quality audio, and video. These characteristics should be non-negotiable in a solid hybrid meeting platform because they are crucial. Your in-person event can benefit from having virtual components if you work with a hybrid event service provider. Consider the following functionalities, at the very least, while choosing hybrid event platforms:
- High-bandwidth streaming capabilities
- Brandability
- Networking features
- Screen sharing option
- Detailed and real-time reporting
- 24/7 support
- Marketing automation
Consider Time Zones
One advantage of hybrid events is that attendees may travel from all around the world to attend. This is fantastic! Time zones present a problem with this, though. Physically, your hybrid event will be situated in a region that largely corresponds to your target population. But anyone in the world can join your online audience. The most effective approach to avoid this is to stream the live sessions to your hybrid event platform and immediately make them on-demand. This implies that users won’t miss anything and can check in at any moment.
Hire Hosts
You must use qualified and knowledgeable hosts if you want to successfully plan a hybrid event. These individuals must possess a high level of expertise and communication abilities with both an online and offline audience. At the same time, it’s your duty to give them the proper equipment. Make sure the technology is top-notch and that everyone is carefully briefed in order to set them up for success. The main responsibility of the session hosts & moderators is to make sure the live event works successfully. Additionally, you must consider the online audience. Your hosts and moderators play a crucial role in bridging the gap between online and live audiences. Hybrid event services can help you to bring your hosts, in-person attendees, and virtual attendees in the same frame.
Make Use Of The Engagement Tool
Potential participants’ expectations rise when the event is marketed as a hybrid and includes more than just access to the streaming. It’s still questionable if the in-person engagement can really compete with online participation in terms of the experiences obtained, participation in the process, and level of excitement. You have the responsibility of ensuring that all virtual attendees have access to the tools that promote active participation, such as real-time polls, virtual rooms for discussion and networking, and Q&A features. The inclusion of these interactive components would make the event really hybrid and distinguish it from less well-attended events. Most hybrid event service providers offer a wide range of interactive tools that can help you to grab the attention of your attendees and keep them engaged in your event.
Final Words:
Given that the required tools and knowledge are more readily available than ever, hybrid events aren’t too difficult to understand. Because they allow you a bigger audience and more opportunities to connect with your audience and brand, hybrid events are a challenge worth taking on.
