Hybrid Working, Hybrid Events

Businesses everywhere are struggling to get people back to the office. Business owners and leaders are desperately trying to get people back into their offices. For many, the average workplace attendance is less than one day a week. It is no wonder that 73.6% of Fortune 500 CEOs think they will need less office space in the future.

Try as hard as you will; people don’t want to come to an office full-time, and it makes perfect sense. Why journey to work for an hour to sit in meetings all day long that you could just as easily have dialled into?

We saw a boom in workplace productivity technology and many attempts to bring a more real-to-life experience for those working at home.

This technological development and a shift in people’s tolerance for attending meetings from home has given rise to a magnificent opportunity for businesses and the events industry; hybrid events.

What do event organisers need to think about?

A successful hybrid event blends a live-person event and a virtual event, giving both audiences an active and satisfying experience.

I use the word successful because some events only provide video and audio of speakers to their home attendees. The right technology needs to be used for a hybrid event, syncing the content and engagement features so both live and online attendees can have a similar experience.

Event organisers need to think about the following:

Connectivity - This seems like an obvious technology, but you would be surprised by the number of events that can’t get this right. Even a business as big as Netflix has failed to provide the proper infrastructure for watching live events, with many viewers frustrated they couldn’t join or access a live stream of ‘Love is Blind’.?

Platform - The platform is the foundation of the entire event. The best platforms will integrate live streaming, interactive sessions, and virtual exhibitions, facilitating networking opportunities and on-demand content. I recommend that you create your platform. The investment allows you to cater to your differing events and client needs.

Video Production - Live streaming isn’t a great experience if the camera angles and presentation quality don’t feel like a premium feature. This is a job for professionals using the best production equipment and techniques. Layering this in with technology that allows online participants to ‘look around the room’ will give a more enjoyable and immersive experience. Cameras from different angles and even audience recordings can make a home attendee feel more immersed in the experience.

Engagement Tools - Unless you provide interactive tools, your at-home audience won’t experience anything different from a typical meeting. Live polling should be integrated into presentations, Q&A sessions should feature people not in the room and gamification tactics will also help a hybrid event be successful. A key element is networking. How will your online participants network with the physical attendees? Meeting spaces can be offered with technology already set up to connect those at home and event after they have chatted through direct messaging.

Insights - Your hybrid event allows you to understand and track actual engagement. You can discover what content resonates most and how sessions could be improved. With each event, you can refine your offerings to maximise your impact on all attendees.

Who can I learn from?

Salesforce - Dreamforce Event

Dreamforce is an annual event. In 2020, the event went completely virtual due to the lockdown. The event set a record for all-time stream views on Twitter. Unsurprisingly, in 2021, Salesforce decided to keep the momentum and move forward with a hybrid event.

Salesforce looks at the Dreamforce event as “an opportunity to experience a brand, come together, network, learn, give back, and have fun.”

With a hybrid event, that opportunity is extended to 177 different countries. The world now has an invite to Salesforce’s annual family reunion.

At that event, you will find:

Seamless content delivery - utilising a robust platform to stream live sessions and provide on-demand content, attendees are engaged throughout with interactive features and chat functionalities.

Networking Opportunities - Salesforce incorporates virtual networking spaces into their Dreamforce events. Participants can connect with each other and Salesforce experts through virtual chats, video calls and community discussion boards. Each attendee can have a facilitated and meaningful interaction to share knowledge wherever they are in the world.

Engagement - This is where the Dreamforce event stands out. From the interactive nature of live-streamed sessions, to on-demand content coupled with chat and forum messaging options, questions could be answered at all times.?

Virtual Exhibitor Booths - The virtual expo allowed online attendees to explore the latest products, solutions and services. Once again, live chat was available with company representatives, replicating the experience of a live exhibition hall. The only thing that needed to be added was the free swag!

Community - The Dreamforce hybrid event uses an online platform that allows participants to connect, collaborate and engage with each other and experts. This community served as a hub for discussions, networking, shared insights, advice and, importantly, created a sense of belonging for all participants, wherever they were from.

Gamification - With virtual learning experiences on offer, attendees were invited to earn badges through virtual learning experiences. The learning process came with excitement and competition as participants were given challenges and rewards for completing training modules.

Mobile - Dreamforce offered a mobile app that provided a complete event guide. Each participant’s schedule was personalised with session reminders and other interactive features. Through the app, attendees, both live and at home, could participate in live polling, surveys and receive notifications from the event.

To truly capitalise on the benefits of running a hybrid event, technology is critical to creating engaging and inclusive experiences. When you get it right, your event reach becomes global, creating an experience that people will remember until the next time they attend.