The State of Hybrid Events in 2021

Hybrid events are the talk of the online town these days. The topic has penetrated conversations across industries and job functions. However, there is one common issue that pops up time and again on this subject. The issue is that no one knows exactly what to expect when it comes to hybrid events in 2021 and beyond. There’s a lot of noise about hybrid events, but no true understanding of how to maximize benefits and minimize challenges.

Earlier this year, the vFairs team set out to get a pulse on how professionals across industries truly felt about hybrid events and hybrid event software. This included:

• Their plans for hosting hybrid events in 2021
• Their expectations for events programs in 2022
• The virtual, hybrid and in-person split they anticipated moving forward
• The biggest benefits and challenges they anticipated for hybrid events
• Their thoughts about which event type would dominate the future

We have to admit, we saw some pretty interesting results! This report outlines how people are thinking about hybrid events. It also helps address some of the biggest challenges our respondents anticipate as they consider hybrid events for their upcoming programs.

We called it the State of Hybrid Events 2021 Report, available now! Let’s dive into some of its key insights.

Are Hybrid Events Here To Stay?

First and foremost, the question on everyone’s mind: are hybrid events here to stay, or are they just a flash in the pan?

Based on qualitative feedback, many companies understand the top benefits of hosting hybrid. Here are the top two benefits identified by our survey respondents:

• Increased reach
• More convenience for attendees

One of the most important benefits the report identified is increased ROI. Hybrid events cost more than purely virtual or purely in-person events, but the increased reach allows you to sell more tickets, and offer more ticket tiers. Likewise, you can reach more sponsors and exhibitors and offer a huge range of packages for them to pick from. Once more organizations start hosting their own hybrid events and realizing this key benefit, we are 100% confident that hybrid events are here to stay.

Will Hybrid Events Be the Future?

We’ve established that hybrid events will be a key component in many organizations’ events programs. But will it be the dominant event type for teams in the future? 57.4% of our respondents believe so, and we agree. 

This prediction takes into account the benefits listed above, and the fact that hybrid events are so versatile and all-encompassing. They are inclusive by nature, they can be applied to endless use cases and they offer a ton of flexibility to hosts, attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors.

The State of Hybrid Events 2021 Report Summary

We’ve addressed some of the big questions on everyone’s minds. Are you ready to see more results from the report? Check out some of our stats below, and make sure to check out the State of Hybrid Events 2021 Survey for more in-depth information!