Hybrid events: Everything you need to know about them.

When you toss a coin, is it possible for you to get both Heads & Tails with a single try?

With hybrid events the answer is yes!

The concept of Hybrid Events basically originated in the post pandemic scenario, amidst the clouds of uncertainty due to successive outbreaks. When physical gatherings came to an absolute standstill for months, the event industry resorted to virtual platforms for survival.

After much of an initial reluctance, the adaptation was surprisingly swift. The pandemic had left the organizers with a divided audience, one lot that prefers physical interaction and other that favours remote participation for its obvious advantages.

Hybrid event platform is a unique way of executing an event simultaneously on a physical & virtual venue, thereby appeasing both audience groups. In fact, it is an ideal format that offers your audience the technical advantages & flexibility of participation.

With proper Planning, Professional Approach, Effective Marketing and Coordination, hybrid events can be executed smoothly and can provide a memorable experience for your LIVE & remote audiences. Half of the work is done by choosing a capable, experienced and trustworthy

technology partner such as ibentos.

Are hybrid events difficult to handle? Will they double the expenses? Is it even worth it to take the pain? If you are surrounded with such apprehensions & questions, this article is a must read for you!

Yes, hybrid events require high-level planning & coordination for successful execution. But they instantly turn your event from LOCAL to GLOBAL. They definitely DON’T double your expenses. A physical event can be made hybrid with just a 5-15% additional cost.

Do you know that turning your physical events into a hybrid can increase your market size up to 80%. With a marginal increase in cost & effort you can boost your ROI (Return on Investment) several times. Isn’t it worth taking the effort?

The events like Product Launch, Trade Expo, Education Fairs, Employee Meets, Stakeholders & Sponsor Meets, Training workshops, Medical Conferences perform very well with hybrid models.

How to host a perfect hybrid event?

● Schedule your event at the right time

The organizers must start their event preparations by scheduling the event. The event should be scheduled on a date & time that falls in their peak business time and is most favourable to the target audience, speakers & sponsors.

Eg: If it’s an education fair or career fair the ideal time would be on any weekend closest to the end of the academic session. Product launches could be scheduled in the festive season, and soon.

● Understanding the Virtual & LIVE Audiences

The key to successful event organization is understanding your audiences. Why would attendees attend your event? What advantages can they draw from the event? How will you keep your Live & remote audience engaged? What kind of marketing content will attract them to your event? The answers to these questions will help you to plan the correct strategy, content and marketing campaign for the event. If you are aiming for multiple geographies, you must have multiple approaches suiting different audience types.

● Planning the Strategy

Plan your preparations in stages and list them priority wise. Divide your manpower & resources among different departments and decide deadlines. Eg: Marketing & Sales, Publicity Design, Content Creation, Physical Venue Set-up, Hybrid Platform Designing, Execution, Coordination etc.

It has to be noted that certain tasks may take longer than the expected time. Keep enough time margin.

● Designing an effective Marketing Campaign

It takes a comprehensive marketing campaign created to identify, approach and persuade them to register for the event. A marketing content should be drafted according to audience preferences, psychology, and cultural background. It should feature the local topography, models, music and visuals that are relatable to the target audience.

Ensure that the media platforms that you choose, have the accessibility to the correct audience groups. Also note that the media platforms that work for LIVE & remote audiences may be different. News papers, radio, television etc may attract local audiences but online media is most effective for virtual audiences.

Social media is an effective tool that grants instant access to all audience groups. It operates on different dynamics and there are separate agencies that specialize in social media marketing, such as ibentos. Popular social media channels like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Instagram, Google, LinkedIn etc open access to different age groups. Use influencer marketing, organic or paid leads and promote your event extensively.

● Selecting an excellent Hybrid Platform

With hybrid events you are entertaining two separate audience groups. Their purpose from the event is largely the same but the ways to engage them are very different. LIVE audience wants physical interaction & entertainment. Whereas remote audiences participate through virtual platform and have a short attention span. Still they wish to have glimpses of physical venue. Hence, the platform that you select should be a blend of standard virtual platform and LIVE streaming support.

Hybrid platform essential features:

Immersive environment, Simple user interface, Customizability, Flexibility, Scalability, Multiple versions for all smart devices & varying network strength, Compatibility to other applications, AI Support and technology advantages. To know more about ibentos hybrid platforms visit us at

https://ibentos.com/hybrid-event-platform/.

● Physical Venue Setup

Hybrid events require physical venues equipped with special hardware, software and network settings. Such as cameras, microphones, Wi-Fi modems, lighting arrangements for LIVE streaming support. The venue you select should be accommodative enough to house the equipment along with the audience crowd.

● Separate Engaging Content for Virtual/LIVE audience

Engaging LIVE and remote audiences are two separate things. We suggest you keep separate, yet well-coordinated teams to manage them. Live audiences can enjoy physical interactions, on stage entertainment and live activities at the venue. Remote audiences can explore the virtual 2D/ 3D venue and use audio/ visual interaction tools. They can amuse themselves with online gaming and entertainment and switch to live streaming

mode at will.

The organizers must ensure that both the audience groups are equally entertained and must allow them to intermingle with combined activities, such as online games, talent shows, ice breaking sessions etc. Maximizing the interaction is the key to successful audience engagement.

To establish a constant connection with audiences, answer live chats, attend queries and register their feedback.

● Good Management & Coordination during the event

Hybrid events demand a high level of coordination, but once it is established, the results are absolutely stunning. At ibentos we provide dedicated Emcees that ensure a smooth and flawless coordination between the LIVE & virtual departments.

Final thoughts:

Event industry has undergone a complete makeover in the past 2-3 years. Technology has improved the overall event quality & attendee experiences and the audiences simply love that. But, desire for physical interaction is in human nature. Hybrid events are capable of providing

both, and that's the reason they are being termed as the future of event industry. In case you are searching a technology partner who can design highly immersive hybrid platform with the perfection in aesthetics, functionality, coordination, execution and make your live / virtual audience come back to your future events, reach out to us!

Contact us at www.ibentos.com