The Best of Both Worlds: Hybrid Events

There is no education like adversity[1]– certainly true when we reflect back on the past couple of years. Virtual events provided a lifeline as a rapid fix to an impossibly difficult set of circumstances. The technology developed at an almost unimaginable pace to give us good quality platforms to remain connected and maintain corporate strategies.

As the physical event calendar returns to near normality, hybrid is demonstrating why it has secured an enduring place for itself. So, to ensure we keep you up to speed here’s our short guide to illustrate just how hybrid is contributing to more impactful, sustainable and innovative event strategies in the future.

Connection

Measuring the effectiveness of an event is one of the principal challenges marketing departments face, matching the definable quotient of leads with the less tangible elements, such as the impact of networking and social interaction. The available toolkit is growing all the time – particularly as we harness the power of social media, introduce intuitive mobile apps and more.

Virtual platforms integrate these tools as a core component, providing tracking and traceability with powerful analysis, fast – in real-time.  An event strategy that combines in-person and virtual components represents a powerful option, providing a strong foundation for monitoring ROI and delivering on KPIs.

Technology

On-stand experiences rely increasingly on innovative technology to captivate audiences, bringing elements to life in novel and exciting new ways.  Virtual and augmented reality, object recognition tables, projection mapping, and even multi-sensory installations all contribute to secure engagement and deliver a memorable brand experience.

Most of these elements are ideally suited for wider dissemination, bringing a new generation of “wow factor” to both on-stand and virtual visitors, establishing greater engagement, dynamic interaction and channelling interest faster and more effectively. The substantial investment required to produce these experiences can therefore be maximised to greater effect, widening the recycling of material and the potential audience.

Content

Technology delivery requires powerful, impactful content that attracts, compels, informs and engages.  It is quite literally the lifeblood of what constitutes a great event presence.  The demand for stable, fast, flexible infrastructure across venues has been steadily driving improvement, creating better-equipped environments to support the most ambitious hybrid strategies.  Hybrid is contributing to more impactful, focused events, combining enhanced content with better returns on the content creation investment.

Engagement/Enhanced Experience

In-personal attendance reflects human nature and our desire for physical contact but is in itself limited by many factors.  Hybrid has shown how audience reach can be substantially extended without degrading the experience, giving a brand genuine accessibility across the globe and the potential to create something completely new – multiple layers of interaction between in-person and virtual attendees.

New connected environments, such as our Connect Event and Spaces 360 concept, are the direct result of the need to provide an immediate, convenient and secure facility between the two worlds, bringing people together at an event irrespective of their location. They also encourage the development of multiple new channels, combining the best of physical and virtual interaction.

Sustainability

If there is one constant in corporate policies in 2022, it is the ambition to improve sustainability – setting realistic yet aggressive goals as we come to terms with the need to protect our environment.  2030 – is the deadline for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – is accelerating towards us.

Physical events come with a substantial overhead in terms of environmental impact – from the materials and transportation involved in creating a stand to the individual carbon footprint of attending.  Hybrid makes an important contribution, helping organisations to achieve greater sustainability as part of their event strategy through reusability, and greater inclusivity while reducing unnecessary travel.

Hybrid events are not about streaming or post-event material sharing.  They are carefully conceived and designed events that maximise the in-person and virtual elements to create a unique experience for both audiences, with constructive participation and interaction.  By combining the best of both worlds – the physical event space with flexible, innovative virtual platforms – hybrid provides an exciting new dynamic that has the potential to change the way we do business in the future. Translating what we have learned in times of adversity into a new set of positive outcomes.

[1] Benjamin Disraeli