So, what exactly is a hybrid event? Well go no further because you’re in the right place. Our Head of events, Jenny Elliot tells us everything you need to know on all aspects of running a hybrid event.
What are the benefits of running a hybrid meeting?
By holding a hybrid event, you reap a wide range of benefits. Here are just a few:
- A hybrid event allows a mixture of both onsite and online delegates to attend your event, thus broadening your demographic. A wider spread of participants can be invaluable, potentially enriching the conference and ultimately its long-term sustainability and reach.
- You can attract delegates online who wouldn’t be able to attend in person, for example those who are unable to travel or get the whole time off to attend.
- You will also attract delegates who aren’t your core audience and may only be interested in a few sessions. These delegates can dip in and out of session of interest.
- You are also still meeting the needs of those who want to attend your physical event, as some professions (e.g. medics and clinicians) work in environments which mean they are unable to escape workplace demands and interruptions. A face-to-face meeting allows them to focus away from the workplace.
- As the sessions are being streamed online, you can easily look to record these for both online and physical delegates to access after the event, which is of benefit for all attendees.
What are the challenges?
Of course, there are also a number of challenges to consider when looking to hold a hybrid event.
- As with any technical set-up connection issues may arise. It is therefore worth giving extra thought into how these challenges can be minimised, has the access link been tested across different platforms?, is someone available to assist online delegates with queries on the day?, are the instructions for logging-on comprehensive?…
- Be aware that your online delegates may feel slightly excluded. It is therefore a good idea to think of ways to include your virtual delegates, for example by having interactive sessions that they can partake in virtually (for example by voting or asking questions).
- A hybrid event may not suit delegates who are international due to the time difference or those who are unable to get time off work. Therefore it is worth thinking about whether you can make the presentations available for a certain time period afterwards to maximise the event appeal.
Do you think hybrid meetings are here to stay?
- The current climate has meant that conference organisers are having to embrace virtual technology for their events, and we believe that once people see how a hybrid event performs that they won’t go back to holding purely physical events.
- Hybrid meeting offer the best of both the physical and virtual worlds, and we believe if correctly executed a hybrid event can provide a superior experience for delegates and exhibitors.
Is a hybrid meeting more expensive than a traditional meeting?
- By introducing the hybrid element to your event there are certain costs which come too, as with the addition of any element. However, you may be surprised at how affordable these platforms can be.
- There is also huge opportunity to offset these costs with an income stream for online delegates and additional online sponsorship opportunities.
How can a conference organiser commercialise a hybrid meeting?
- In addition to the traditional exhibition stands and sponsorship at the physical meeting. There are a large number of ways to commercialise the hybrid element of an event too.
- Some examples of the hybrid areas which can be commercialised are:
- Having a virtual exhibition space
- Offering virtual symposia slots
- Making sponsorship of the virtual site available
- Letting companies have inserts in a virtual delegate bag
- As with any new platform, it can be hard for exhibitors to fully understand and appreciate the benefits of online delegates and how they interact with them so it is worth putting time into maximising their opportunities and spelling these out in the prospectus.
What advice would you give a conference organiser as they consider running a hybrid meeting?
- As so much relies on the technology make sure you use a company who has a tried and tested platform and will do the hard work for you.
- Things can become disjointed if there are too many different suppliers. Therefore it is worth having one events team and one AV team who deal with the physical and online element, this will ensure a much smoother operation.
- Thoroughly communicate the benefits of hybrid and virtual events to your potential commercial partners, then tell them again. Don’t assume companies are familiar with the benefits of hybrid or virtual events.
What technological solutions do you offer to run a successful hybrid?
- Fitwise offers an online platform, for both hybrid and fully virtual events, which is powered by the UK’s leading conference recording and streaming specialists. This is an extremely professional, yet affordable platform, which can be adapted dependent on your needs and budget.
- You will benefit from working with an independent professional conference organiser with over 25 years experience. Each year we organise over 45 educational events to include virtual and hybrid event so are fully aware what needs to be done to deliver a successful event.
For further information contact: Jenny Elliot, Head of Events, jenny.elliot@fitwise.co.uk +44 (0) 1506 292033