The State of Hybrid Events in the Event Planning Industry

By?Resa Meagher, Director of Business Development

Recent studies indicate that 90% of businesses will maintain a combination of remote and in-office work for a significant amount of staff. Going forward, this new distributed workforce is bringing with it an increase in hybrid meetings and events in which some attendees are physically present and others attend virtually.

What We’re Learning from Hybrid Events

The transition to hybrid events has opened up new capacities and features that we, as event planners, can use to enhance the overall attendee experience, both virtually and in person.

1. On-Demand Content

Opening events to virtual attendees makes them accessible to a much broader audience as not all attendees need to view the event or meeting live. If it contains content they need, they can access it later and still benefit from it.

2. Ability to Chat with Others on the Website

Virtual attendees of hybrid events can get answers to their questions in real time through the live chat channels on the host’s website. If something in the session piques their interest, they don’t have to wait until Q&As to get answers – by which time they may have lost interest or moved on.

Know Your Audience

To deliver outstanding hybrid events, know your audience by asking these questions:

·??????What makes attendees attend a conference?

·??????Who is your audience?

·??????What will they tolerate?

Benefits of Asynchronous Hybrid Events

The asynchronous approach separates the in-person and virtual portions of a hybrid event. It can help you:

1. Cater to Your Audience Through the Right Channels

In-person attendees and virtual attendees may fall into different market segments. The asynchronous approach allows you to make subtle content adjustments to deliver more engaging content to each audience.

2. Avoid Over Budgeting and Staffing

Asynchronous events allow you to reach larger audiences without a proportional increase in budget and staffing expenses.

To learn more about INSPIRE's event production capabilities, check us out at inspiresolutions.com. Stay tuned for the next installment of INSPIRE Industry Insights!