The benefits of online expanded events were on full display in the last 2 years. While there are still limitations to in-person events, the trend of the hybrid model is pretty obvious.
But why stick to hybrid events when everything “returns to normal”? The answer is simple: the potential of your event is no longer limited to your venue.
To successfully expand your event online you will have to use a strong, well-trained technical team that has experience in online streaming. Take some time to research and understand the basics of online tools or platforms. Choosing the right platform to host all your content can be tricky but the right ones, such as Confiva, help you with guidance throughout the entire process. A human contact on the other end is always a benefit. So, what to look out for when creating an event in hybrid form?
You are hosting two types of attendees
When creating a hybrid model event we must understand the difference between in-person guests and online participants. The content you are streaming online must be somewhat adapted. Attending an event in person makes everything more interesting as all our senses are being stimulated. Thus our attention span is longer and the surroundings make a bigger emotional imprint. To create a similar effect through a screen we must acknowledge some of the online event trends: keep live sessions short and interesting, redistribute the content or offer it on-demand, create break-out rooms and enable online attendees to a part of the event.
Do not understate the importance of the online segment.
Many organizers of hybrid events make the mistake of just streaming everything that happens online and make little effort to engage online participants. Platforms such as Confiva offer an online environment with different areas for sponsors, attendee interaction, workshops, and different break-out rooms. Use everything a platform has to offer and you attendees will see the added value and feel more connected to the live event.
Connecting live and online attendees
Encourage live attendees to use online tools and connect them with online participants. Offer types of engagements that are not present in the live event and create an info hub online. With this, all your attendees have a common (online) area to network and create connections out of the venue grounds.
To sum it all up, we need to consider the basics and »rules« of both online and live events when organizing a hybrid. Our challenge and at the same time the main goal is to make the event interesting for all attendees and to make sure that regardless of their form of participation, they can get involved in the event and connect with each other.
