Why You Should Start Thinking About Hybrid Events

Have you heard the buzz about hybrid events? If you haven’t, stick around, because we’re about to change your event plans forever. 

What are hybrid events?

Hybrid events combine aspects of both in-person and virtual events to create highly engaging events that reach more people. You can host live presentations to a full auditorium and broadcast them to people attending online. You can allow exhibitors to host booths on-site, and still allow them to network with people joining from around the world. With hybrid events, you get the best of both worlds. 

Hybrid events are also rising in popularity, with many companies realizing that they will host events like these in the upcoming year or years. In fact, in a recent survey by Event Manager Blog, 66% of their respondents said they plan to use hybrid events as their main event type going forward. 

Not only is it important to stay competitive with your own market’s event trends, hybrid events also offer tons of features and benefits. Let’s look at some now.

Features 

Broadcasting live presentations.

You can easily host a live presentation on-site and broadcast the presentation through your virtual event platform. You can even conduct live Q&A’s with both your live and online audiences, with the help of a moderator. Interactivity is not impeded and everyone can participate regardless of where they’re viewing from. 

Hosting remote speakers.

On the flip side, you can also broadcast a speaker to a live audience at your event. This is another instance where a moderator can help the speaker conduct live Q&A with the audience.

Improved networking opportunities.

Our mobile-friendly platform includes a live chat interface, where attendees can search for people or companies and connect with them regardless of whether they’re in-person or joining remotely.

Reporting.

You can now track exactly how many people signed in to the virtual event platform, and what actions they took. This will help you better measure the effectiveness of your event features, streamline the most used features, and help improve your ROI for ongoing events. 

Gamification.

You can gamify your live event through our virtual platform by hosting a scavenger hunt or trivia that leads your in-person attendees to various booths in the conference centre. Likewise, remote attendees can reach out to the same sponsors or exhibitors through live chat or our virtual exhibit hall, so everyone can participate. You can even host a live leaderboard on your virtual platform to keep track of the winners. 

Why you should consider hosting a hybrid event 

Global reach.

Hybrid events offer a greater potential audience than just in-person events. By making travel and accommodation optional for attendees, you reduce the pressures of cost and scheduling conflicts. Whereas in-person events are expensive and time consuming for potential attendees, hybrid events offer the chance to attend and save on time and money.

More high-profile speakers.

Just as hybrid events open up opportunities for more people to attend, so too it opens up the opportunity to attract more high-profile experts to present at your event. You’re much more likely to snag an influential industry expert that might not have had time to travel to your event for an hour-long presentation. By going hybrid the stress on their schedule is significantly reduced. 

Positive user experience.

The online virtual event venue is extremely user-friendly and easy to navigate. With options to create a custom designed 3D venue, you can recreate your conference hall to help your online attendees feel like they truly are at the event. You can also include resources for your in-person attendees on your virtual event platform, such as a virtual map of the conference centre, so it’s easier for them to navigate on-site. 

Deep event insights.

There is no way to match the level of detail your virtual event reports can offer. The more you can integrate the in-person and virtual aspects of your hybrid event, the more you’ll be able to measure success. You can easily track online attendance information and attendee behaviour to get an in-depth understanding of what your audience was most interested in, and what to adjust for your next event.

Easy, stress-free integration.

The vFairs team can work with any in-person event provider and A/V supplier to set up your hybrid event. We’ll create a seamless experience for you and leave a lasting impression on your attendees.

If you’re still unsure about whether hybrid events are right for you, there’s no harm in learning more. Reach out to the vFairs team today to see how to plan an unforgettable hybrid event.