If you thought a pandemic would stop the event planning industry, think again!
Meet Sara — a 29-year-old event planner for a well-funded tech company. She’s been mandated to plan an event to ‘welcome back’ the team after working from home for way too long. The big issue here? The company has offices in 3 different cities with over 200 employees. Hoping to impress her coworkers, she’s been scrolling Pinterest and Google-ing non-stop. Sara is struggling to find a way to bring everyone together and make them feel united again. How can she make this a memorable event when there are still so many restrictions on gatherings? Sara’s not alone. All kinds of planners (or people without planning experience at all) are struggling with what to do and where to start.
Well thankfully, event planners are agile. While the industry is constantly changing, planners are simultaneously looking for new innovative ways to make their events unique and accessible. Hybrid events, here’s your cue.
Here’s some inside scoop on everything you need to know from the first steps of planning to the benefits of going hybrid.
The hybrid hype
Hybrid events are all the rage. They’re the newest way to plan to unite in-person elements with virtual components. Not to be confused with virtual events, hybrid events optimize strong A/V components that connect in-person guests with virtual guests.
Tech components can range from live Q&A sessions, polls, and social media interactions to broadcasting multiple speakers simultaneously. Plus, if you want to be extra AF, incorporate experiential additions to enrich your event and take it to the next level. Use unique vendors and interactive tech elements to get the best return on experience. So, call in all your favors: get your magician, chef, and yogi friends ready. While some of your guests will experience everything in-person, the other guests will have a similar experience (from the comfort of wherever they are).
Hybrid events can be adapted to anything you’ve hoped and dreamed for, whether that’s a conference, team building activity, seminar, or product launch. When they’re executed well, hybrid events create a new kind of environment where everyone feels like they’re together (even though they’re not). They allow you to start planning again, reaching the same amount of people you would have before the pandemic — just in different ways. Get the same rush you got from planning by throwing smaller events while still being able to reach everyone you need to. Since we’re all craving human interaction, hybrid events are the best option.
These companies are using the hybrid approach … and we think you should too:
Nike- they host four hybrid events a year for their product launches to be able to reach European regional teams. They live stream their meetings from the Netherlands and ship the new products to each site. By going hybrid, they’re able to preserve the employee hype around the new collections launching and have the entire Nike team a part of the unveiling.
Intel Extreme Masters — esports is an industry with players that know how to create a good hybrid event model. Intel Extreme Masters is one of the largest esports tournaments in the world that hosts a variety of championship games. In 2019, 174,000 people attended in-person and 46 MILLION people watched online. Talk about major REACH.
Not a company but … John Mayer. Even musicians are going hybrid. In 2017 John Mayer did the “Dive Bar Tour”, performing in bars while live-streaming his performance on Facebook Live. It brought him to the top of the Facebook Live charts.
We know what’s on your mind. Will virtual access to your event make people lean towards staying home instead of attending in person? Since COVID has stricken fear on many, it might happen, but it won’t dent your attendance by much. We’re all craving human interaction. As planners, we seek the opportunity to create experiences and as attendees, we look for events we can remember. Instead, hybrid events open up opportunities for major event growth.
So, as gathering regulations get lifted and human-interactions become (a little) more common, hybrid events are going to take over. Here are just a few reasons why you should jump on the bandwagon:
1. The power of engagement
Engagement tools bring groups of guests together and allow them to interact with each other, as they would during any normal gathering.
Nothing makes an event more memorable than the relationships that come from them. We’re all used to attending events and shaking people’s hands, meeting new people or seeing faces we haven’t seen in a long time. Now, as events adapt to hybrid, interactive activities connect guests in new ways.
Thankfully, the possibilities are endless. Ever think about sending your guests a welcome drink or 5 à 7 ‘make-it-at home’ cocktail? Starting a virtual running or cycling club, as a conversation starter? Creating immersive websites to host your new product launch? Well, now you have. Your in-person and at-home attendees will share the same added goodies you’ve planned for them. Interactive activities give everyone a richer experience, the chance to connect with your colleagues, friends, or a new face in an entirely new way.
2. No borders, no problems.
There are no walls with hybrid-events. The combo of virtual and in-person attendees makes it possible to connect people from anywhere in the world. There’s really no limit to the number of people or the way a hybrid event is planned. Here are just a few different hybrid combos:
- One main event broadcasting to virtual attendees
- Multiple small events in different cities broadcasting to virtual attendees
3. Bang for your buck.
Have a strict budget? No worries. Hybrid events are cost-effective. Use smaller venues with fewer amenities for a cheaper hybrid event. Or, multiple venues with a variety of vendors for bigger budgets. The flexibility of venues and vendors gives you more room to spend on services to make it unique. The wiggle room gives you the opportunity to plan great events while deciding how much you want to reduce your cost per attendee.
4. All the tech tools you need.
We’ve all watched a live stream where the speaker is in a tiny box on the top of your screen. Often dull and hard to be excited by, we’ve all probably also shared the urge to just hit the red X and move onto doing something more entertaining.
A Hybrid event uses tech to make the experience much more than just a recording. During a hybrid event, introduce tech tools and interactive solutions in conjunction with the physical element of the event. Meaning, rather than just recording that’s broadcasted, tap into the same human-interaction we all love from ‘regular’ events.
Hybrid events bring together live and virtual guests through technology. Live streaming and second screen tech have become the go-tos, making the event interactive so nobody feels left out. A lot of brands we look up to already incorporate hybrid ways into their events.
Think about TED Talks, who have been using hybrid techniques to live stream and broadcast to international audiences for a few years. Or, powerhouse Apple — who uses similar techniques for their highly anticipated product launches. They’re hosting their annual WWDC conference virtually for a worldwide audience on June 22, 2020.
Your Hybrid checklist:
Who said hybrid events couldn’t be fun? Cool? Memorable? Here are 6 starting points to make your event stand out (in whatever way you want it to).
- Be equipped — having all the right technical equipment needed to broadcast a high-quality conference through an online platform is important. This might seem straightforward, but nailing down the tech part of a hybrid event is definitely the key factor to success. This includes adequate wifi-bandwidth, cameras, microphones, and on-site staff for technical support.
- Preparation is the key — Relying on tech could be risky. We know you’re busy, but make sure you free up some time for tests. Make sure everything is running smoothly so that none of your guests miss out.
- Personable entertainment — Choose someone who can reel in your guests to host your event. An EMCEE isn’t always appropriate, but if it is, find someone entertaining. Entertainment could be anything you want it to be. With hybrid events, you can think outside of the box by making your event more interactive or even adding on a theme.
- Collaborate with unique vendors and venues — This is the fun part! Add personalized touches to your event by working with tech-based AR and VR vendors or create exclusive event merchandise to increase the event’s human interaction (everyone loves cute merch).
Oh! By the way, we have a marketplace filled with the best venues and vendors across North America. Discover and book our suppliers to add some spice to your event. We have chefs who are camera ready and magicians who love doing close up magic on Zoom.
- Make it interactive — — Don’t leave anybody out! Incorporate interactive components into any kind of event you’re planning. Live polls via SMS, Q&A sessions, and online brainstorming can bring together all of your groups of guests.
- Solid Organization — Staying on top of everything is crucial to create that one-of-a-kind and fun event experience for all audiences
All that to say… we miss face-to-face interaction as much as you do. Hybrid events are the next best thing. Bring together elements from any other event you’ve planned and top it off with hybrid event benefits. We’re diving deep in — communication, collaboration tools, big reach (pandemic and all) while reducing your costs.
Get your head start with Planned. Start discovering, planning, and booking all in one place. We want to make this as easy as it can be for you. We’ve teamed up with some of the best virtual event companies. Select a virtual event tool to get started, or get in touch with one of our hybrid-event experts to get you the info you need.
Learn more about Planned Hybrid | www.planned.com
