Why the hybrid event is a new trend in 2022?

It is an understatement to say that the year 2020 has been unpredictable. With the pandemic making it difficult to go outside, planning large events has definitely become more and more difficult. With thousands of people getting sick, being hospitalized, and even dead, there has been a new norm with how we interact with each other in crowds.

People like event planners who want to plan a concert, wedding, reception, or any activity will have to rethink the way they go about planning each event. Planning a live-in-person event was the norm. Then virtual planning was a necessity to keep people safe.

Now that we are in a different phase of the pandemic, event planners are going to a more hybrid event where both in-person and virtual streaming come together hand in hand.

What is a hybrid event?

A hybrid event is any event – conference, training seminar, trade expo, etc. – that combines the physical events with the virtual event platform. There are both internal and external hybrid events. Many hybrid events have virtual streaming for the speaker while attendees actually come in person to the event.

It is important to realize that hybrid events join the virtual event platform with the person and it can be done either way. A great example of hybrid physical events is a trade show where sessions can be done online while the event attendees actually come in person to the event who are interested.

Examples of hybrid events

As you begin to think about hybrid events, think about the National Basketball Association. The players were playing in a bubble live but the audience was virtual. This is a great example of a hybrid event.

Other events that can be done in hybrid include luncheons, award ceremonies, team meetings, webinars, study groups, town hall meetings, sporting events, product demonstrations, and conferences, just to name a few.

These hybrid events are beneficial for event organizers as they are often more cost-effective, track your audience more efficiently, and allow for a larger audience than a live event.

Two different types of hybrid events

As the events industry continues to grow and change, so does the way professionals plan and produce events. In order to keep up with the ever-changing demands of clients and attendees, event organizers are increasingly turning to hybrid event planning strategies. By combining elements of both live and virtual events, event organizers can create an experience that is more engaging and efficient for all involved.

While some may see hybrid events as a new trend, they have actually been around for quite some time. For example, one of the first hybrid events was held in 1997, when IBM combined a live video feed with an online chat room to allow people from all over the world to participate in a business conference. Since then, hybrid events have become increasingly popular, due in part to advances in technology that have made them more affordable and accessible.

There are both internal and external hybrid events. Having your internal or external hybrid event will require planning according to the number of attendees you will have in person and what part of your event is virtual. For technology enthusiasts, Apple Special Events are a great example of a hybrid event where the attendees who aren’t at the in-person event can see them live-streamed. Take a page out of Apple’s book and turn your product announcements into hybrid events that anyone can view.

Internal hybrid events are used within a company to share a message when employees cannot be in the same place. These include town halls, sales kickoff meetings, department meetings, and company-wide events.

External hybrid events are held for that outside of your organization like sporting events. Understanding the difference will give you a great start if you are planning an internal or external hybrid event so that you can plan accordingly.

Discover the benefits of conducting hybrid events

1) Increased Engagement: One of the biggest benefits of hybrid events is that they result in increased engagement from participants. This is because attendees can choose what works best for them – they can attend the live sessions or watch them later on-demand.

2) Increased reach: Hybrid event platforms also have an increased reach than traditional conferences due to their online component. This means that you can attract a larger audience from all over the world.

3) Reach target audience: Hybrid live events are designed to reach the target audience. This is done by ensuring that the content of your sessions is relevant to or useful for them.

3) Building brand awareness: Hybrid live events are also a great way for building brand awareness. The event attendees can see who is speaking and also get to know you better as an organization. It helps in the overall business growth.

4) Increase social media followers: Hybrid event platforms allow the virtual audience to interact with one another without having to attend in the physical location, which will increase their social media following, thus, contributing to the business growth.

5) Achieving business goals: Hybrid live events will help you in achieving business goals and objectives. For example, if you want to promote your brand by reaching a wider virtual audience or boosting your sales, then hybrid events are the way to go.

6) Increased revenue: Hybrid events also have a greater potential for revenue through sponsorship. This is because companies are able to sponsor the live sessions as well as any products or services that are being promoted at your conference to both the onsite and virtual audience.

7) Increased ROI: Because hybrid live event platforms offer more value than traditional conferences, they result in a higher ROI for organizers. This will also help the event professionals for organizing future events.

The ultimate guide to the hybrid event planning process

Hybrid events combine the best of both worlds—physical events and virtual events. This makes them a popular choice for today’s busy professionals. The hybrid event planning process may need more hard work than normal onsite and virtual events.

Here is the ultimate guide to the event planning process that needs to be followed in order to ensure a successful event and achieve the business goals.

– Event goals: Start by developing a clear goal for your event. What do you want attendees to do or learn? What outcomes do you hope to achieve?

– Event budgeting: Create a timeline and budget for your event, and make sure both are realistic. Remember that hybrids can be more complex to plan than traditional events, so allow plenty of time for preparing the event budgeting and timeline for the online audience.

– Event website: Make sure your website is ready for visitors who may want to learn more about your event. Make sure the event information is easy to find, and include a registration form on your website so people can sign up for the event directly online.

– Team collaboration: Plan the online and offline components of your event separately. This will help ensure that the two parts complement each other, rather than competing for attention. Also, the event professionals must ensure team collaboration among the members for organizing a successful event.

– Agenda: Depending on the event type, create an engaging and dynamic agenda. This will help keep your onsite and online audience entertained and engaged throughout the event. Understand your audience, and design your event to make them feel comfortable.

– Recruitment: Recruit volunteers and staff who are knowledgeable about the event type and event topic. They should have knowledge of the hybrid event technology and are excited about helping out.

– Event marketing: Promote the event well in advance so that as many people as possible can attend for the event success, Social media platforms are a good medium to promote your hybrid live events. You can also use email marketing techniques along with social media techniques for advertising your live events. You can also use traditional methods of hybrid live event marketing such as newspapers, flyers, and so on.

– Event management technology: Choose the right hybrid event technology tools to help you in event management. There are many event apps that can directly work on mobile devices that are widely used by event professionals for boosting the attendee experience, conducting successful hybrid events, and thereby, achieving organizational goals.

– Event success: Have a clear plan in place for how you will measure the achievement of your successful hybrid events at the end of your event that will help you in future events.

Organizing a successful hybrid event

There are 98 percent of people stated that they viewed hybrid live events favorably because it allowed them to have options if they wanted to come to the event or watch it from the comfort of their home. One of the things that you must do while preparing for a hybrid event is to make sure the event is a valuable resource for all of the attendees.

The virtual and live audience must be satisfied with the planning of your hybrid event. What are your short-term and long-term goals for the event? Why are you having your hybrid event? Do you have the virtual technology that allows you the most potential to make your event a success? Are you going to be able to build your brand by holding your hybrid event? Should you have a virtual audience and how will they contribute to your goals?

Boost your hybrid event’s success with these engagement tools!

A successful event is one that provides an amazing attendee experience. Whether you are putting on a hybrid event, or a traditional conference or trade show, there are a number of tools available to help you to boost your attendee engagement. Some of these tools for boosting the attendee engagement include live polls, word clouds, Q and A sessions, live trivia quizzes, and mobile apps.

Live polls:

Live polls allow organizers to gather real-time feedback from attendees, which can help to keep the conversation flowing and ensure that everyone is engaged. They can also be used to poll the audience on topics relevant to the event or to gather input on potential new features or changes for future events. Additionally, live polling can help to create a sense of competition among attendees, encouraging them to vote more frequently in order to see the results.

Live quizzes:

Live quizzes can boost audience engagement in hybrid events by providing a fun and interactive way for attendees to participate. Quizzes can be used to review content from previous sessions or to preview material for upcoming sessions. They can also be used as a way to break up longer presentations or panel discussions.

Live Q&A:

By giving the virtual opportunity to ask questions directly to speakers and panelists, Q&A sessions can help create a more engaging event experience. They can also help build relationships between attendees and speakers, which can lead to further engagement opportunities.

Word Clouds:

Public relations and marketing professionals have been using word clouds as a means of audience engagement for some time now. A word cloud is simply a graphic representation of words used in a particular text or speech. The larger the word, the more times it was used.

They are used to help people understand and remember complex information by providing a visual representation of the most important points. In hybrid events, which are a mixture of online and in-person interactions, word clouds can be used to great effect to keep people engaged.

Event apps: 

Event apps can provide a wealth of information about the event and allow attendees to connect with one another. They can also be used to provide real-time updates about the event and boost audience engagement. In the hybrid live event platform, event apps can play an especially important role in helping attendees stay connected.

WebMOBI is a leading all-in-one event management tool that can be used for successfully conducting the hybrid live events and boosting engagement through the audience engagement tools such as live polls, live quizzes, live Q&A sessions, and word clouds. It enables live streaming and you can also make interactive presentations through 40+ customizable themes. Click here to learn more.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, by following the steps mentioned in this article, event professionals can successfully plan hybrid events in 2022 and beyond. By utilizing technology to create a more engaging experience for attendees and by focusing on the key components of a successful hybrid event, professionals can ensure that their events are a success. Finally, it is important to keep in mind that hybrid events are constantly evolving and it is important to continually update and improve your plans in order to stay ahead of the curve.

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