It’s becoming increasingly clear that hybrid events are the future. At MeetingPulse, we’ve been helping our clients and their event producers enable hybrid events for years, and we know how successful they can be when done right. Here, we share how you can ride the wave of hybrid events in 2021 and beyond.
Over the past several months, we bet you’ve attended your fair share of virtual events — we certainly have! 2020 has seen many once-live conferences and events move to virtual formats.
There are so many benefits to virtual events, like the ability to reach a wider audience, collect behavioral data, and reduce climate impact. However, it can be challenging to replicate the in-person experiences of a physical event.
There’s something special about the energy and connection of live events, and sometimes, you just have to be there face-to-face. To combine the best of both worlds, we see more and more events moving to a hybrid format in 2021 and beyond.
What is a hybrid event, anyway?
A hybrid event combines a traditional, in-person experience with a simultaneous virtual experience for remote attendees. All kinds of events can be hybrid events, including conferences, sales kick-offs, and trade shows.
Hybrid events offer event planners and producers the best of in-person and virtual events, with little downside. You can roll out the red carpet for important customers and attendees and put on a memorable in-person experience. And at the same time, you can reach a huge virtual audience of people who wouldn’t otherwise attend.
The events industry has been trending towards hybrid formats for years now, and that trend has only accelerated in the past year. Sure, we’re all looking forward to returning to physical, in-person events, but online-first experiences are now common, and lots of people enjoy experiencing events from the comfort of their own home. Hybrid events are becoming the new normal. Here’s why:
Better Technology than Ever
Putting on a memorable hybrid event requires so much more than a Zoom account. The technology now exists to create memorable experiences, from virtual event spaces to live remote concerts. To learn more, check out our list of the best virtual event software platforms. When you’re hosting a hybrid event, it’s important that you have the technology to assess the impact of the event on your business.
Here at MeetingPulse, we’ve helped put on countless hybrid events, and partners have used our technology to boost audience engagement, host moderated live Q&As, and have fun raffles and quizzes that create lasting positive memories of their events.
With Meeting Pulse, you’ll also get extensive reports on your event, so you can be sure you’re hosting meetings that count.
Remote-First Companies
More and more companies are becoming remote by default, with titans like Microsoft, Facebook, and Twitter now allowing their employees to work from home permanently. It’s becoming quite clear that doing business in person is no longer the necessity it once was. Of course people still value the opportunity to come together in person, and we’re all excited for big events like conferences to be back.
Hybrid events strike the perfect balance between attending in-person and attending from home, and help you reach the broadest audience possible with your event.
Related: At MeetingPulse, we’ve been remote-first since Day 1, and we love it. You can read an article we wrote about it here (link to Article #1 on linked in).
Reach a Broader Audience
Done right, hybrid events give you access to significantly larger audiences. In-person events are only attended by businesses willing to spend the time and money for employees to travel to your event.
With a hybrid event, you’ll still satisfy those people, but you’ll also be able to appeal to a global audience who can attend from the comfort of their own homes or remote workplaces. It’s not all about the size of your audience though — hybrid events offer new ways to engage with attendees and ensure a more valuable experience, resulting in better outcomes for everyone.
Sustainability
From air travel to food waste, there are lots of negative effects that come with in-person events. There’s no escaping the heavy carbon footprint of physical events, and hybrid events offer the opportunity to cut down on emissions without compromising on interactivity.
As individuals and companies focus on ways to become more sustainable, hybrid events are becoming more and more attractive. By hosting one, you’ll be perceived as an environmentally conscious, forward-thinking organization. That’s a major benefit to your business in the long-run, and a win for the planet.
The key to hosting successful hybrid events is choosing the right technology partners. Here at MeetingPulse, we specialize in conferences and events, and have the tools you need to engage your audience, measure success, and host memorable hybrid events.
Hybrid events are the future, and here at MeetingPulse, we’re proud to enable you to host them. If you enjoyed this article, please share it with your team, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
