Unlock your event and extend it beyond the four walls of a face-to-face experience.
While we all love an in-person event, there are still benefits to creating a hybrid event, with digital components that extend access and provide commercial opportunities post-show.
We know event technology has seen exponential advancements in ways to deliver content to audiences, however, what are the challenges for event professionals planning a hybrid event, how do you understand what tech is available and capable of and how do you go about your planning?
If you’re still wondering whether a hybrid event is a viable option, we’ve put together our top pros of hybrid events, the challenges, the technology solutions available and what this means for your future events.
The pros – the opportunities hybrid events can unlock
- International speakers and keynotes are within reach as the prohibitive costs of flying and hosting guests are removed and it’s more likely you can secure that ‘big name’ your CEO has always wanted
- Geography is no barrier – intra and interstate delegates can attend with ease and even international delegates can join in, making your event truly global
- The virtual components of an event are trackable, so you can see what your audience liked and engaged with and their online behaviours while at the event, providing rich insights to inform future events and content for your audiences
The cons – the challenges you need to consider
- A hybrid event is essentially two events in one
- Ensuring your program content is engaging for both in-person and virtual attendees
- Building in elements of interactivity for your virtual audience
- Dedicating sufficient resources and time to both the in-person and virtual elements
- Marketing the value of both options to your different audiences
The tech – how to make your event engaging, interactive and seamless
- AI Matchmaking – Smart person-to-object matchmaking software can add value for your delegates by recommending the most relevant sessions, products, companies, news, speakers, etc to them and helping them create a great experience
- Virtual sessions and breakout ‘rooms’ can add interactivity and facilitate concurrent sessions or streams in a program
- Audience engagement is important and can be achieved through polls, Q&A functions, real-time discussion forums and gamification
- Technology solutions can provide leads and analysis live before, during and after the event, providing opportunity to respond quickly and maximise data
“The access to analytics and reporting offered by the platform provided insights into the engagement and behaviour of attendees that would not have been possible with a traditional, in-person event.”
– Janette Softonidis, Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) Australia
What does this mean for the future of your events?
- Your audience isn’t limited by geography
- You’ll have a better understanding of what people value in your event and can use this intel to inform future event planning and build upon this information year-on-year
- Insights gathered about your audience behaviour and engagement can be used to segment your database and target future communications
- The ability to host hybrid events or build in online events provides you with greater flexibility in what you can plan and deliver
Our team have scoured the globe in search of the best tech solutions so we can provide recommendations that suit your needs, implement the latest in virtual event tech and provide the support you need to deliver engaging and seamless virtual events.
Ask us about smart person-to-object matchmaking software; audience engagement tools; market-leading platforms so your community can meet, connect and do business year-round; and even multilingual software to overcome language barriers.
Contact us today to find out more about our event tech solutions. Because really – why choose just a room when you’ve got the whole world?
