What Post-Pandemic Events Should Look Like

Events season is upon us, and for the first time in more than a year, in-person events are taking place or being planned.

This is as good a moment as any for us to reexamine what we expect from these sorts of events, especially as the pandemic forced us to try new virtual formats to substitute for what we used to enjoy in person.

Perhaps because of ongoing uncertainty about the feasibility of in-person conferences and exhibitions, events planners are still incorporating video and other virtual technology into in-person events, partly as a hedge against more bad news and renewed shutdowns, and to accommodate folks who still aren’t comfortable with indoor gatherings. This has given rise to so-called hybrid events – in other words, events that have both physical and virtual components.

But as tempting as it might be to stir in a few virtual components and call it a tasty stew, cooking up a hybrid event isn’t quite as simple as it might seem. I attended one such event this summer and came away with a poor taste in my mouth.

One takeaway is that one size doesn't fit all. For example, a live keynote may be great for people in the audience, but the focus will naturally be on those in the room, leaving those watching the video stream to feel less connected. Conversely, large conference spaces aren't appealing when they're half-empty, and you never know these days whose comfortable shaking hands with strangers versus those who would rather keep their distance.

With this in mind, here are three broad issues to consider when planning a hybrid event this season.

Elevating the Content

The content must be astonishing because many other traditional benefits of large conferences, such as networking, are diminished in scope (at the very least). Conference planners need to provide value to remote audiences while making in-person audiences feel like their attendance was worth the effort. One way to do this is to bring in an excellent range of engaging speakers.

This is especially the case given that conference attendees are less likely to create their own content through traditional events like “birds-of-a-feather” gatherings and hands-on demos. Whatever you do, don’t make this about yourself or your company. Make it about the broader economic or social context, make it about the challenges your customers and prospects are encountering, and make it a point to offer compelling and memorable perspectives.

You can also spice things up by creating different content for remote and in-person audiences. You might consider "man-on-the-street” style interviews of in-person attendees for the benefit of virtual attendees. And think about introducing technologies such as holograms or video panels for in-person attendees to interact with.

Rethinking the Logistics

Both in-person and virtual attendees should leave the event feeling like the event was planned just for them.

This means speakers may have to do double duty, speaking once to a live audience and then to the virtual audience a second time. They can tailor their presentations for each specific audience, so even though the content might be largely the same, the experience will be more suited to how the audience receives it.

Organizers of large conferences traditionally schedule the same session twice to accommodate more people; for a hybrid event, they should ask presenters to create a shorter version of their presentation for an online-only audience, to take into account the fact that remote audiences have shorter attention spans, and to use more on-screen graphics.

An additional benefit to organizers would be a shorter Q&A portion to manage, since moderators will only have to field questions from either the in-person or virtual attendees, rather than giving equal time to both.

Organizers may also want to experiment with virtual technologies that mimic the perspective of someone in an audience or even sitting on a panel, as a way of bringing the virtual audience into the physical space. Ultimately, the goal is not to convert content from one medium to another, but rather to find creative ways of maximizing the physical and virtual space in ways that engages both sets of attendees.

Networking for a New Era

While we know content is king, one of the main appeals of live events is networking! Sometimes, the most memorable part of a conference is the people we meet and the new business cards in our wallets. In the current context, organizers should consider what sorts of new interactions will be appealing to attendees. For example, for the in-person crowd, make it easy for people to signal their comfort levels using color-coded lanyards that indicate either: I'm comfortable shaking hands; I'm comfortable, but please stay 6 feet away; or, I'm not here to meet anyone, so please keep your distance as much as possible.

Gamifying virtual experiences is another great way to heighten the networking experience for virtual attendees. Organizers can also provide a virtual conference space for online attendees to explore with their avatars and to interact with other virtual attendees, as attendees of AfroTech were able to do . And consider including a feature allowing a virtual handoff of business cards between remote and in-person attendees. A hybrid event shouldn't stop people from connecting and leaving with new connections.

Business is first and foremost about relationships. Whether we're reconnecting with existing contacts or creating new ones, conferences have always been an excellent opportunity for shaking hands and breaking bread together. However, as we slowly and haltingly emerge from the recent pandemic, we should consider how audiences want to interact with our content and with each other. Also, we should use this time to reconsider the old way of doing things, to get rid of tired old conference standbys that no longer offer enough value, and to get creative about using tech (and common sense) to turn these events into better actual experiences than they even were before.