Along with many industries, the event industry has experienced a major hit. COVID-19 forced the world and especially the event industry to take a step back and go digital. This pandemic has shut down many doors, but where one door closes another one opens. So, when live events, conferences and meetings were postponed and cancelled, we all turned to virtual events.

Although this format has given us many new opportunities and is still helping us bridge the year of the pandemic, it doesn’t meet all our needs and it has many limitations. We noticed that many associations are struggling to achieve their goals in the virtual-only event format. Realising that getting back to the pre-pandemic formats may not be an option for the near future, conference organizers are starting to look into hybrid solutions. If you are wondering how to organise hybrid meetings and events and how destinations and venues can play a role in this, read further.

What is a hybrid event?

A hybrid event simply forms the bridge between online and face-to-face meetings. Both physical and online public consume the same content at the same time, but from different locations. In short, it is an event with two types of attendees. The attendee who is at the physical location and the attendee who participates online. Going hybrid isn’t something new, but due to the pandemic this form of organizing events has taken off and gained much more potential.

Virtual vs hybrid events

You have probably heard of both virtual and hybrid events. But what exactly is the difference? A hybrid event is more than just a livestream where people can only watch and passively consume the content presented. Hybrid events are all about engaging and interacting with the audience with the goal to provide as much value as the physical event. However, organizing hybrid events is more complex than going virtual only. Think about the logistics to take care of or the technology involved. Logistically, there is more to a hybrid event than what meets the eye. Besides the requirements of a virtual event, event organizers also need to consider the logistics of a webcasting team, event staging etc. In addition, hybrid events are rather new, therefore, there aren’t as many best practices available to learn from compared to virtual events. Despite these challenges, hybrid events offer a lot of potential and may even become the format that will stay with us after the pandemic. Once your ideal hybrid format is established, you will reap the rewards as hybrid is a format that expands organizers’ and delegates’ options dramatically.

Key elements, benefits and challenges of hybrid meetings and events

Key elements

# The right platform Make sure to choose the right platform for your virtual audience. This means that your online audience should be able to stay engaged during the event. To choose the right platform, take stock of your objectives and ideal outcomes, and then compare platforms across your criteria. Many platforms today can tailor their offer to your specific needs, so come into conversation prepared. Think about allowing the possibility for Q&As, registration and real-time insights into the performance of your hybrid event. Additionally, make sure to consult the suppliers for additional options, as well as examples of what worked for other organizers. The industry is still formulating best practice for hybrid events, so it is important to keep communication about this open and frequent.

# Content Content is also very important. Simply streaming the same content from the live event won’t do the job. Therefore, think about how the offline and online audience will consume the content. Make sure that the virtual audience can actively participate during the event instead of passively absorbing the content. For your online audience you can consider holography, real-time graphics or augmented reality. In advance of the event, you may create a compelling website where prospects can find all the information about the event or create emails that draw the attention. Make sure to get your virtual attendees excited!

# Shorter is better An offline event session takes 3.5 hours on average. This is too long for people that attend the event online. As a result, try to keep it short. Let’s say one hour. Do you need more time? Then, you might want to cut your event into several parts and divide these parts over different days. Planning breaks or activities to diversify the programme and to keep everyone from zoning out, can be an option when a multi-day event is not possible.

# Technical support Besides finding the right platform, it is crucial to have good technical support available. Even though you have tested the virtual environment multiple times, attendees can still face technical issues. Therefore, you should have a technical support team on standby that knows the ins-and-outs of the platform that you are using. Many suppliers offer such support, but your in-house team could also be a great option.

Benefits of taking a hybrid approach to events

Nothing beats the power of a live event and meeting each other face-to-face. However, it is not always possible for everyone to attend an event in person. As a result, a hybrid meeting could be the perfect solution. Below you will find the benefits of hybrid meetings and events.

# Attendance and reach can quadruple By going hybrid you can multiply the attendance and reach. People who doubt attending the live event or are unable to attend can still be present digitally. Besides, when it comes to hybrid, ‘time’ does not play a role anymore. The recording of the event can still be found later. This means that a whole new (international) audience can enjoy the hybrid event when they wish, expanding the long-term reach.

# Attract more attendees for your next event Don’t worry, the online event will not decrease the in-person attendance. There are some people who wonder if the event is of value to them or do not want to make the financial commitment. By making the event hybrid, you can still catch this group of people and show them how valuable your event is. As soon as they are convinced, they might be willing to physically attend your event next year.

# Reduce the carbon footprint In-person events leave behind a large carbon footprint and hosting hybrid meetings and events is a great way to accommodate attendees who feel guilty about their carbon footprint.

# Sponsorship An important factor for sponsors to support your event is the event’s reach. Since the attendance and reach of a hybrid event can quadruple and is long-term, sponsors might be more willing to provide financial aid.

Challenges of taking a hybrid approach to events

There are also challenges involved in taking a hybrid approach to events. In fact, you should see the hybrid event and the live event as two separate events with two different audiences. This means that you have to deal with the challenges of both virtual as well as in-person events. And that can be challenging.

# Selective invitations Destinations and venues can only allow a limited number of delegates. This means that when organizing an event or conference, associations should be more selective when it comes to inviting people.

# Pricing One of the questions you should ask yourself is the pricing strategy for a hybrid event. Since you are not offering the same experience to online attendees you cannot charge the same price. But what is your experience worth? It can be challenging to put a price on your hybrid experience. Setting the price too low will make it seem that the hybrid event has not so much to offer whereas setting the price too high will discourage the physical attendees. Besides, it is also important to consider the price difference between virtual and live event attendance, as it will help to maximize your revenue.

# Online space Finding an online space for the virtual component of your event is just as important as finding the right venue. This can seem challenging as event organizers are still exploring the options available. Therefore, find out what features you need for the best experience, research different options and benchmark prices.

# Engagement Mixing offline with online opens up many opportunities in terms of engagement. The reason is that your online audience can actively participate from their devices. For example, they can share, like, comment and talk. Make use of this opportunity by implementing a Q&A or hosting a poll during the sessions. Even addressing them during the event can increase engagement. Besides, another fun way to make the event interactive is gamification. This way you can keep your online audience glued to their screens. That’s what you want!

How to run hybrid events?

You have a lot of freedom and possibilities in choosing how to set up a hybrid event. Depending on your own wishlist of features, your audience, goals and format, the format of a hybrid event can vary significantly. Nevertheless, there are some common actions you should take, and regardless of the format and features you choose, it is important to go through the following steps.

1. Be clear on your goals and audience Having a strategy in place is critical to the success of your hybrid event. Therefore, when creating a strategy, you should think about the very end of your event. What is your measure of success? Do you want to increase the audience and reach? Receive more registrations for your next physical event? Or raise awareness? Having this clear makes it easier to dictate the path you should take in order to reach these goals. In addition, knowing your audience makes it easier to streamline the message you wish to bring across and to find out what gets them moving. Besides, find out if your audience is comfortable with the technology or if they need some additional assistance.

2. Choose a clear and interesting theme with the right content After you have decided on your goals and what your audience needs, you should think about a theme. Having a clear theme for a hybrid event is just as important as for your in-person event. Make it easy for yourself by selecting a theme or topic that is popular by your association’s members. You probably already know what your audience is interested in if you have correctly researched your audience in step 1. Furthermore, you should decide on how you wish to deliver the content that fits your offline and online audience. Maybe you will find out that the content should be adapted for your virtual audience, such as responsive images, subtitling your video content etc.

3. Decide who your speakers will be Speaker line up is one of the most important aspects of an event, this is definitely also the case for a hybrid event. Keep in mind that a good offline speaker is not necessarily a good online speaker. Can they bring the message across to the virtual audience? Therefore, it is important to find out if the speaker is experienced in presenting in an online environment.

4. What technology will you use for the hybrid event? Nothing is worse than bad audio and choppy images. The quality and success of your hybrid event will depend on the quality of the technology that you will use. Microphones, cameras, lightning and great internet connection are of great importance. Do not save money on this and properly budget these costs in your financial plan.

5. Test, test and test You want to host a successful hybrid event without any surprises. Therefore, make sure that the technology that you will be using is set-up in advance. Discuss with all the parties involved when you can start setting up the hybrid event and test everything. Testing is key to success! Think about the position of the lights, where the guest speaker should stand, if the streaming works well and if the internet connection is optimal.

6. Create a follow-up plan Finished your hybrid event without major technological issues, awkward silences and choppy images? Great! Make sure to solidify your success by following up with the attendees. Create a survey to find out what your attendees thought of your hybrid event. Think about the relevance of the content presented and the quality of the guest speakers. By collecting feedback you will gain a better understanding of what went well and what you can still improve next time!

Learn from others’ experiences! Examples of how destinations and venues have anticipated this trend.

Due to the pandemic and related restrictions the format of your event can change in a split second. As an event organizer it is important to be flexible and have several back-up plans in place in case the restrictions suddenly change. Destinations can play a big role in successfully shaping the new form of your event. Therefore, we have asked our partners to share some inspiring examples and cases of how destination and venues played an important role in organising hybrid and virtual events.

Salzburg, Austria Salzburg is centrally located in the heart of Europe, making it an ideal destination for conferences and congresses. Salzburg does everything it possibly can to accommodate the delegates who attend these events. With the new venue Mooncity in Salzburg, they are able to not only create unforgettable experiences for in-person events, but also for hybrid and virtual events. How? Read the case of Škoda Austria below.

This year, Škoda Austria experienced how important it is to be flexible when they were planning for their annual professional development event for certified sales people. Initially, the event was supposed to be an in-person training in Salzburg, however, the restrictions for their participants were changing and the number of Covid-19 cases was rising quickly.

As a result, they decided to change the format of their event and sought help from the professional agency Inspiria to make a quick switch. In just one weekend they were able to switch from a fully in-person event to a digital event. The reason why Škoda Austria decided to cooperate with a professional agency is because they wanted to make the training attractive for its participants and make it look well on camera.

Nevertheless, a professional agency is not enough to make your event successful. You will also need a venue that accommodates hybrid and virtual events in the best possible way. That is where Mooncity, a hotspot for e-mobility, came in. The centre created an adventure world where people can experience how innovative technologies work in a playful manner. Besides, they have equipped their centre very well with great wireless internet connection, LED-screen and the possibility to stream. But most importantly, the centre was flexible enough to shape the event. This made Mooncity the ideal location for Škoda Austria’s training.

As a result, this shows what a destination and venue can do to make your hybrid event successful. In case you are interested to read the full article on how Škoda Austria managed their event this year, click here.

Prague, Czech Republic Prague is the most popular meeting destination of the Czech Republic and its public transport is ranked as one of the best systems in the world. The city does not only do well in connecting people by public transport but it is also able to connect people in times of a pandemic. In fact, all of its conference centres are ready to meet the requirements of your hybrid or virtual event.

In 2020, they hosted the hybrid conference of the Institute of Health Information and Statistical Information. During this event, 100 participants were physically present and 300 participants joined the conference virtually. The Prague Congress Centre prepared the Panorama Hall with safe table set-ups and sufficient disinfection in the area.

Next to its multifunctional studio, you can make use of 70 different rooms for your hybrid event at the Prague Congress Centre. Besides, the studio is equipped with a LED wall and full AV-equipment. In addition, they also have a technological team available that can help you with the communication with attendees, enabling subtitles and hosting discussions. This means that they have the expertise available to make your hybrid or virtual event a great success.

Find out what other congress centres in Prague have to offer for your event here.

The Hague, The Netherlands The Hague is seen as one of the most green, compact and international cities in the world and scores high on event management and sustainability. On 2 July 2020, The Hague Convention Bureau hosted its own hybrid event at the World Forum The Hague.

The topic of the event was very applicable as it was all about the viability of hybrid events post Covid-19. During the event, 65 attendees were physically present and over 160 people attended virtually. During the event the virtual and in-person audience was very engaged. The Head of The Hague Convention Bureau explained that this event was a solid proof that hybrid events can work and will continue to play an important role in the near future.

Do you wish to get a feel of the hybrid event in The Hague or listen to some testimonials from the panel? Click here.

Are hybrid events here to stay?

We find ourselves in the midst of very uncertain and unusual times. The key to successful event business is simple: we should have a look at what we can do instead of what we can’t do. Hybrid events offer us endless possibilities to tailor the event experience to the needs of our audience and ensure both safety and high quality of content. The industry is ready and is growing rapidly in the hybrid world. In case you haven’t made this switch yet, we hope that this paper has given you some practical ideas where to start.

If you are ready to launch a hybrid event and are looking for a city and venue that can host it smoothly - check out Conferli to compare your options here.