9 key challenges with going hybrid

2020 placed the event industry in an unprecedented situation. Things that were thought to be a gimmick or an expensive add-on started to be reconsidered as a way to adapt to the new ways events need to happen with the seize of all gatherings, events, and travels. And if you ask any event professional on the biggest trend this year, it will be unanimous - Virtual Events. As event planners, we are all eager to get back to planning physical, in-person events. And fortunately now, with things easing up, the value brought by the Virtual Events is slowly re-introduced to the scaled-back physical events, creating a new and exciting Hybrid way of doing things. 

The new immediate hero of the event industry – the Hybrid Event. 

Why Hybrid? 

So what IS a hybrid event? A Hybrid Event is a way of doing an event that utilizes a classic physical venue, audience, and speakers (in other words, an in-person experience), and combines it with the online aspects of a Virtual Event. The physical and virtual companies, guests, speakers, exhibitors… they all get to interact with one another through the use of seamless technology integration. And that in itself means that this new type of event is now expanded beyond geographical borders and is able to reach a much larger, global audience.  

Hybrid Events are not a novelty, but with the enhanced digital infrastructure that is ever evolving, it eases the integration. A Hybrid Event strategy makes it possible for organizers to expand their (limited) physical audience with a virtual add-on. And according to a recent study from the EMB, 61% of event organizers are actually planning to continue keeping a virtual aspect in their in-person events for the future.. So Hybrid Events, are undoubtedly becoming an integral role in creating a successful future event.  

In this post we will break down key challenges of going Hybrid and in next article we will unpack the opportunities that Hybrid events bring. 

What’s the Difference Between Virtual and Hybrid? 

Unlike a Virtual Event that is only online-based and has a purely virtual viewership, a Hybrid Event also has in-person attendance from the audience and organizer’s side. The scope of a Hybrid Event is still very fluid and can vary widely. It could be just a livestream session to unlimited number of viewers and added twitter integration, incorporating Q&A and polling between the two mediums, integrated online platforms for virtual networking between online participants and offline visitors, and also actual product integration with virtual audience controlling a physical product together with their physical counterpart. There is no set rule as to what are the boundaries of a hybrid event so you can get as creative as you wish, and custom design the experience as to what works for you and your event needs. 

With an expanded event format, there are also a larger number of event design needs. Now there needs to be a way to match and harmonize physical and a virtual identity elements, in order to have an optimized visitors’ experience. Because of this cross-pollination of face-to-face and virtual participants, Hybrid Events have their own unique challenges whilst layering the different event elements, and as an event planner, one must take hard decisions and deal with the new set of challenges that come with Hybrid Events. 

The Challenges

1.  Physical Venue

The physical venue is familiar to all of you, since this is the way events have been happening in general, but here are some points. The benefit of a physical venue is that the attention level of all visitors is high. They spent money and time to be at this dedicated venue, which means that by default they are eager to be more engaged. There is also a possibility for random, non-planned, networking interactions. Besides the obvious challenge that a physical venue faces, such as maintaining high hygene and social distancing standard, leading to more spaced out venue and smaller attendee numbers, there are also challenges fully linked to hybrid. 

The way that we are used to set up our physical venues, actually translates badly for a virtual venue. There are more cameras required and more quiet spaces for inter-platform networking needed. It is important to address those requirements from the beginning of the designing of the physical space in order to have a harmonized final product that works well for both. Logos, signage, stage and exhibition backdrops now need to be considered as to how they will translate for broadcasting.

2.  Online Venue 

Designing your online space cannot be left as an afterthought. It requires just the same thought and planning as designing the physical venue. This is the newer part of a Hybrid Event so let’s dive a bit more into it. It is good to do a proper research before diving into it, and ask the right question in order to avoid pitfalls. Most of the platforms that are available have limited features, so it is important to see which platform fits the best with your requirements. Think of the things that are a must-have for your event. What is it that you truly need? Here is a list of a few key aspects of a Virtual Event to consider, based on your event brief: 

• Virtual booths
• Option to sell on the booths 
• Video calls with exhibitors or for networking 
• AI matching of participants
• Personalized agenda 
• Speakers’ and exhibitors’ profiles 
• Video on demand
• Live broadcasting 
• Interaction while in broadcast (for example polling, Q&A) 
• Video tour of the venue 
• Technical assistance 
• Download of collateral
• Gamified and workshop areas 
• Tiered access
• Wishlists and bookmark options 

Maybe the platform for you doesn’t have all the features and that’s ok. As long as it has the features you require of the possibility to customize to the level you need. 

Need help with choosing the right platform? Contact us!

3.  Engagement and “Togetherness” 

The world is now more and more used to virtual. However, there are some challenges that need to be addressed when going Hybrid. The level of engagement and feeling of togetherness are two crucial moments. It is essential to make the physical and virtual groups of people from the event engage with one another. That includes the audience, and visitors, but most importantly counts for panelists. The beauty of Hybrid Events is that now we can bring speakers from all over the world virtually, for a fraction of the cost, using less of their time. So it is essential that we utilize this asset and find a way for everyone to engage. In physical events interactions happen in an organic way, people bump into each other, wait for the speaker to go off the stage to ask a few more targeted questions, or listen in on a meeting between two parties while they wait their turn to talk (and learn something extra). When visitors are joining from their office or home, it is essential to have access to networking in a fuss-free way. And ensuring there are quiet corners and free-to-use computer and screens as an add-on communication channels between the physical and virtual guests. 

4.  Mixing the Event Content and Experience 

One of the most common mistakes that organizers make is calling their event Hybrid, while, in actuality, they are running two separate events that don’t gel together. In Hybrid Events it is important to find a balance between what is physical and what is virtual. And a special focus is needed to make that happen. 

There are two ways to look at content when it comes to a Hybrid Event scenario - how it looks to the physical audience and how it looks for the virtual one. It has to be engaging for both parties! In some cases it might be more effective to have different sessions, some for a virtual audience some for the physical one, while in other cases it might be a good idea to integrate the audience in one session. If you choose to do the latter, there are a few things to consider such as how do we ensure that all presenters and visitors have the same experience. Imagine the following scenario : You have a physical MC, 2 physical panelists and 3 virtual ones. How we distribute them so that they can see each other and interact with each other without interrupting each other is crucial. Having been thought the experience of such mixed sessions, Technical Director Miguel Galvao has this to say: 

One of the most challenging parts of having a hybrid scenario is camera distribution. The hybrid event setup is heavier on AV equipment to make sure that all bases are covered even better than in a broadcast setting. The most challenging part is to get the speakers to see each other in the most natural way possible. That means smart screen sizes and camera positions that make the presenters naturally look as if looking at their fellow pannelists. Every virtual person needs to have a physical footprint (by a screen of some sort). Only then they will be seen as the same importance as the physical ones. If one places them as comfort monitors the physical audience will be lost to half the conversation, hence the separate screen setup. 

Both type of attendees should feel informed and valued, and this means that content should also be spread to more channels than in a physical event. Think of a micro website, mobile app, push notifications, newsletters and many more touch points. 

Another challenge that must be addressed is the latency. We can go crazy with hardware to decrease the latency in order to make it feel as natural as possible. 

The visual element is an important part of the full experience. And this means that, although certain smaller scale events can get away with being hosted in your premises, bigger events can still benefit from a beautiful venue that can also be replicated in the virtual part of the event. Designing a stage for a Hybrid Event also has a few extra things to consider: 

• Decor should be more paired back, to focus on the speaker
• Have lower thirds displayed frequently reminding who is talking, as well as polls results, Q&A highlights and anything else that will keep the virtual audience glued to the screen. 
• During breakout sessions use countdowns for the virtual audience to tell them when the next session is as well as where networking is happening. The physical audience is easily guided through an exit door to a coffee break area that is just one of many buttons for the virtual audience. This small nudge will enable them to know where everyone is and interact more effectively. 
• Think about having a virtual MC on top of the physical one that can entertain virtual guests during the breaks, by explaining what’s happening at the venue, walking around to show the venue and trying to create interaction between the two audience types. 

 5.  Bandwidth

No Hybrid event can take place is the venue is not connected to the internet. That’s a given as having a broadcast and a live stream requires a certain amount of data flow. But there are a few pitfalls that you need to avoid. 

• Look for a venue with a hard-wired dedicated connection 
• Make sure you have a backup line
• Create WiFi access for the physical participants so that they can freely access the virtual space and interact with the audience there. 
• Think how all the physical people might need extra power to charge their devices 

6.  Pricing 

Another challenge that comes with Hybrid Events is the pricing. Although making it hybrid means that we can reach a bigger audience (and generate more profit), how do we decide what to charge the physical guests and what the virtual guests. It is good to have a system that allows for easy tiered pricing. Make sure to bring value to both types of customers. And in terms of generating revenue, there are a lot of options! Upselling could be as simple as selling a virtual booth to a physical exhibitor or selling more broadcasting time, allowing for featured segments etc etc. 

A challenge for having a virtual audience is not knowing how many people are behind the screen. Imagine a situation where a company buys one ticket but has 2 or 3 employees use it. Technology can help prevent that. By adding a 2-factor verification requiring a mobile phone and one-device-at-a-time use, this can be minimized. 

Contact us to know more on how to achieve that.

7.  Timing and Focus 

Something can be seen as a disadvantage in Hybrid events is the timezone issue. If you are running your event globally, how do you pick the time to broadcast it? It actually is a great advantage. It means your audience is bigger and your reach is far greater than a localized event. There is no need to visas and hotel costs to accommodate speakers as they will be at the comfort of their own home, office, cars... Of course, it is impossible to satisfy everyone from each and every time zone, but this is the moment to analyze your audience and focus the best possible timing on your target audience. In addition, a video on demand feature could be added, so that other visitors can watch what has happened before they joined it. This will dramatically increase the viewing of the content. 

Timing, however, is not just about the time zone. The duration of high focus in virtual events is far less than in physical ones. And while in a physical setting you might be ok with a 1-1.5hrs session with a 15 minute break, that needs to be broken down into smaller chunks for your virtual audience. Make the sessions a bit shorter, encourage networking in the moments in between and have some sort of entertainment (the virtual MC we mentioned earlier is a good idea) so that you bring value and keep the audience’s attention. 

8. AV (cameras, microphone) 

One of the biggest things needed to make an event hybrid (other than the network) is the AV equipment. If the integration of Audio-Visual equipment is bad, it will drag your event down extremely quickly. Make sure you have a professional AV team, a solid streaming provider and a dedicated technical team for the physical and the virtual part of the venue. A few other tips 

• Use the right cameras, and many of them. If it is a panel discussion think about the other panelists seeing the presenters’ closeups on screen. Best would be for each person to be on a separate screen, and a small camera to be close to the screen so that when others are looking at that particular speaker, she will feel like she is being looked at, and attention is being paid to her. What should be the screen size? Miguel Galvao, Technical Director of mimic.digital estimates that a 55” screen is just about the right size for this. 
• Microphones are essential. Consider having an advanced audio setup that accommodates loudspeakers and microphones throughout the area seamlessly. You need to make sure that remote listeners can hear not only the presenters but also any question that is posted from the physical audience. 

9. Team Distribution 

Hybrid events require different type of support, a much more technical one. Make sure that you have a dedicated team that knows how to support visitors for setting up their cameras, microphones, backgrounds, wifi, and anything else that might be needed. AV team comes on top of that. Part of the team should also be dedicated for a back-stage communication. In a same way that you have a stage manager for your physical stage, the same has to be considered for the virtual stage. 

A possible pitfall is having speakers being confused, or speaking at the wrong time. Physical speakers have the benefit of seeing signs from organizers, indicating then they run overtime, when there is something happening on the background etc. Virtual speakers have less experience with this “new normal”, and are not trained to the same extent in virtual events the physical speakers. That is why you need to make sure that you plan ahead of time for your rehearsals with the virtual presenters and make sure that your presenters are available for at least 20 minutes each, a couple of days before the event, during which time you can explain what they can expect, what can happen during the event and how the flow of communication would be. 

In general rehearsals and testing is extremely important. Make sure you have the right equipment, you test with the exact equipment that you will be using for the event (for example a virtual presenter uses headset A during rehearsal and then picks up headset B during the event that actually has different voice strength and the audio levels are completely off). Also, make sure that when you do the tests those virtual speakers are in the exact same room, same lighting conditions etc, so that you know what to expect on the event day. 

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