Avoiding the Pitfalls of Hybrid Events: Tips for Event Planners
While hybrid events may be the solution for providing both in-person and virtual choices for attendees, they also come with a new set of pitfalls for planners. While it was always challenging enough to satisfy the needs of one audience, now there are two audiences, often with radically different needs from one another, to keep engaged.
Keeping two audiences happy at a hybrid event can be tough for planners. There are new pitfalls to avoid when trying to merge work and play. Satisfying one audience was difficult enough, but now there are two groups with different needs.
How do you make everyone happy? It's not impossible, but making the event interactive and engaging takes some extra effort on the event planner's part.
Here are some common mistakes:
It's A Mistake to Treat Both Audiences The Same
One of the biggest mistakes event planners can make is to treat the two audiences as if they are one and the same. While there may be some similarities, it's important to remember that these are two different groups with different needs.
If you try to please everyone by making all the events and activities available to both groups, you're likely to end up pleasing neither. It's important to remember that the two groups have different needs and cater to them accordingly.
It's critical to establish a connection between the remote and in-person audiences for interaction, but not everything will be relevant for both.
With the flexibility of hybrid events magic, they offer even more opportunities to engage both sets of audiences. You can facilitate networking or allow them to participate in ongoing activities. Depending on your goals as the event organizer, you might not want them to interact with each other. The virtual attendees can network with one another while the in person attendees network. Or the two separate audiences can cross-network with one another.
With the flexibility of hybrid events, you are only limited by your imagination. You have even more opportunities to captivate both sets of attendees. Depending on your goals as the event planner, the virtual attendees can network with one another while the in person audience networks in the physical space. Or the two separate audiences can cross-network with one another. With the flexibility of hybrid events, you are only limited by your imagination.
In addition, you can encourage attendees to share pieces of their wealth of information across multiple channels. Provide opportunities for attendees to connect throughout the duration of the event. For example, you can create a unique hashtag for attendees to use. You can encourage them to use text, audio, or video to share content. By developing this kind of strategy, you will be able to create a more immersive experience for attendees.
From exhibits to workshops to networking to meals, you can let attendees mingle, socialize, and meet new people. Both audiences can enjoy virtual scavenger hunts, trivia, an interactive Q&A session with the speakers and fellow attendees. Many hybrid events use immersive audio or video technology to blur the lines between online and in-person experiences.
Make sure there is something for everyone, both in person and online.
Skimping on The Virtual Emcee
Keeping the virtual audience engaged and not feeling excluded from the action is critical. Hiring a virtual emcee to represent the remote crowd as a voice and ambassador is a great way to do this.
The virtual emcee can not only keep the remote audience informed of what's going on, they can also help to keep the energy up and ensure that everyone is feeling included.
Planners should be sure to budget for a virtual emcee to represent the remote event. This person can help keep everyone engaged and involved.
Content Too Heavy for The Virtual Audience
In a hybrid scenario, dense material and long presentations are much more difficult to sit through for a remote audience. In a hybrid situation, it's even more important to keep presentations and material light and engaging.
Planners should be sure to test out their content on a remote audience before the event to make sure it is appropriate. Slideshows and dense material are difficult to sit through for a remote audience, so make sure to lighten up your content.
Not Enough Connection Between the Two Groups
While it's important to have a connection between the in-person and virtual audiences, it's also important not to overdo it. Too much connection can make the event feel too forced and uncomfortable.
It's important to find the right balance between too much and not enough connection. Planners should aim for a connection that is natural and feels comfortable for both groups.
Disregarding Time Zones
Event planners must take into account the time zones of their attendees when planning a hybrid event. Different parts of the world will be in different time zones and event planners need to take that into consideration.
Consider pre-recording some of the sessions and bringing both the live and remote audiences together during a keynote speech or general session for huge events with many concurrent tracks. Don't be afraid to pre-record some sessions or bring the virtual audience together for a keynote event.
Consider playing the pre-recorded session at set intervals for different time zones during repeat sessions. Request that the presenters go live at the conclusion of recorded sessions for Q&A. To compensate for time differences, global events may call for regional event planners to help with event discussion.
Congested Agendas
A virtual audience watching from home is more likely to have a shorter attention span than someone attending the event in person. Long, tiring workouts are difficult and exhausting, especially when done in front of a screen.
A three-day event with fewer session hours is better than a longer event spread out over several days with more session hours. Whether you're online or at the event, make sure to keep things short and sweet.
During internet events, however, sessions that go beyond the designated duration are a source of concern. If a session starts late and is rescheduled, the location of the meeting will not change. However, if a remote attendee intends to join from home, they would have to take into account the time difference. Speakers should be urged to work within their limits.
Virtual Attendees Will Not Use Your Networking System If You Don't Use It
Although networking among in-person attendees usually takes care of itself, the virtual audience must be given opportunities. Attendees will need virtual chat rooms and breakout sessions where remote people may meet and interact. Software is also used to automatically create a Google Docs poll or other forms of online survey, as well as giving hosts and moderators who facilitate interactions.
Encouraging the live as well as virtual audiences to interact with one another is also crucial. Providing the in-person audience access to the same platform and tools as the virtual audience will allow them to participate in the chat rooms and other online activities.
Make sure to use the same networking tools and platforms for both groups to encourage interaction.
There Is No Immediate Follow-up after The Event
After the event, make any recorded material available on demand. The recording of the event's events is not only beneficial to those who want to hear it again, but it may also be used to promote future gatherings Also, take advantage of the opportunity to remind internet guests about future events, encouraging them to attend in person. After an event, you may use social media to disseminate poll information and post event highlights.
Insufficient Speaker Training
Speakers who are used to delivering live events may need training in order to interact with a virtual audience. Many experienced speakers may struggle to engage both audiences. Speakers will seek to engage both audiences at the same time, which may necessitate specialized training.
Inadequate Promotion
Also, be sure to note in the description of the event that it will be a hybrid event and what each audience's specific attractions will be. As the entire schedule becomes available, use regular, time-based releases of content to build interest and anticipation for the event. To create networking for all participants, promote the event on social media and encourage social media using hashtags during the event.
While hybrid events require a bit more work on the part of event planners, they are a great tool for event planners. By keeping the event fresh and engaging, event planners can impress attendees of all types.
For many event planners, hybrid events are still a relatively new endeavor, one that brings the unfamiliar challenge of engaging two very different audiences at the same time. Event planners should keep the event interesting and engaging for both audiences, use networking tools that are accessible to both groups, and be sure to promote the event properly.
