Steal Worthy Hybrid Event Ideas
Curious about hybrid event ideas? Hosting a hybrid event can be daunting for the uninitiated. This article covers several ideas for different types of hybrid events to choose from.
What Exactly is a Hybrid Event?
Organizers are increasingly looking for hybrid event ideas. Yet, not everyone even can agree on what a hybrid event is. Hybrid event is simply a word coined to create structure and common understanding for an industry in the midst of change. For now, it’s the only nomenclature organizations have to describe the endless possibilities for new event models post-pandemic that reach both in-person and remote audiences.
Many event professionals on social media say they dislike of the word “hybrid.”
Why?
- They see it as a “fad” or a trend
- They don’t believe it encompasses the specific event design they have in mind
When it comes to hybrid event models, hybrid doesn’t have to necessarily mean 50% virtual, 50% in-person. Further, it doesn’t need to require reaching two audiences simultaneously.
With hybrid events, event hosts can play with space and time. The event can be in the same place at the same time, in multiple places simultaneously, or spread the event out in a given location over a longer period of time, etc.
Three Hybrid Event Ideas
Event organizers can generally choose from three types of hybrid events.
Hybrid Event Type | Description | Use Case |
Light Hybrid | Only broadcasting the live sessions to a remote audience via a hybrid event platform that includes additional content for consumption. | Events that are session focused vs. exhibitor booths. Also, organizations that have limited additional budget beyond the in-person event. |
Sequential Hybrid | A virtual event is hosted to reach remote attendees on different day(s) vs. the in-person event. This can be before or after the in-person event. | Organizations that want to reach both in-person and remote audiences, but do not have the resources to produce both event types at the same time. |
Concurrent Hybrid | Hosting both a virtual event and in-person event at the same time. | Events that have a strong networking component. Also, the organizer must have sufficent, time, funding, and resources to host both events at the same time catering to two different audiences. |
Make Sure It Is One Event, But Two Experiences
Hybrid events are a balancing act between on-site and virtual audiences. Each audience should be catered to differently, much like an NFL game.
- Make sure that the virtual attendee experience is not an afterthought to the live event.
- Adjust the agenda for the virtual event audience. For example, if the in-person event agenda is 8 hours long, pair back the virtual event agenda to four-hours or less per day. Use tracks to accommodate more sessions.
- Prepare speakers for a hybrid format. Make sure speakers say good morning, afternoon, etc. and acknowledge both audiences. Look at the physical attendees, then turn and look at the camera for the virtual attendees. Also, make sure the speaker repeats the in-person questions, so the remote audience hears them.
- If there are breaks in the in-person agenda, consider setting up a sideline reporter based in the hallway or other common area to broadcast interviews and updates to the virtual attendees. The goal is to make sure there is no downtime for virtual attendees.
- If the hybrid event platform enables networking between in-person and virtual attendees, make sure to properly educate attendees on how to use it.
Asynchronous Events
The shifting of events into virtual and hybrid is also impacting timing. According to Adam Parry of Event Industry News, the fact that events will happen virtually and attendees – as well as sponsors and speakers – can join in from anywhere in the world means that eventually, they will be able to join from any time, too. Different content can be put on for attendees in different time zones, or everything can be entirely on-demand and accessible whenever it’s convenient for attendees. It’s also been suggested that this could be the answer to challenges around synchronizing online and in-person content delivery for hybrid events. While this is mostly just theoretical at the moment, and we can expect the majority of events that take place in the next few years to have defined start and end times, the concept of an “event that never ends” is something organizers are starting to give serious thought.
The future of the events industry is an ever-connected, engaging world of online relationship-building peppered with memorable face-to-face experiences and more accessibility and sustainability for all involved. Virtual events are not a temporary solution, but a compliment to what organizers been doing forever and it’s here to stay, like it or not.
Hybrid models will make events more inclusive than ever before. Whether people decide not to travel out of a concern for health and safety, budget, time constraints, or carbon footprint awareness, they will all be part of the event experience as one community.
Related Articles:The Ultimate Step-by-Step Guide to Hosting a Hybrid Event
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