A guide for organising a successful hybrid events
Hybrid events are becoming increasingly popular amongst professionals. They allow event organisers to combine the advantages of live and online events and participants gain flexibility and accessibility. However, the format requires thorough preparation. Interested in adding the hybrid experience to your marketing portfolio for 2023? Follow our detailed guide to leave nothing to chance!
According to a survey of 3,000 attendees conducted by the Markletic blog, 38% of organizers surveyed said that a hybrid event is much more complex to organize than an all-presence or all-virtual format. And for a good reason: as attractive as it may be, this format requires careful planning to ensure that the two components are coordinated and executed flawlessly.
Examples of hybrid events:
- Conferences
- Debates broadcast live both in person and virtually
- Hybrid trade fairs
Want to make your first attempt a success? We've put together a complete guide for organising a successful hybrid event!
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Planning the hybrid event
Planning is the key to the success of any event. Hybrid events are no exception to the rule. Follow these key steps when planning your hybrid event:
- Define your goals and expectations for the hybrid event. What do you want to achieve with this event? Who are the participants you want to reach?
- List the activities you want to include for both sides, face-to-face and online: this may include presentations, group sessions, workshops, virtual booths, etc.
- Select the most suitable live-streaming platform. There is no shortage of video conferencing solutions: Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Cisco Webex, to name just a few. Each has its pricing and features. So choose the one that best suits your needs. Don't want to worry about choosing a streaming platform? Discover the all-in-one possibilities of BluePoint.
- Set a realistic budget for your hybrid event: clearly define the budget you can afford for the event so that you can cover all expenses. Tip: Don't forget the expenses related to the promotion of your hybrid event!
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Preparing the hybrid event
Once the roadmap and the budget are validated it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty: preparing the hybrid event.
Follow the step-by-step plan below:
- Draw up a detailed programme for the hybrid event: indicate all the live and online sessions and breakout times for networking and interaction. Remember to "air" the programme to avoid rushing the tempo and risk overlaps due to possible delays.
- Brief the speakers and panellists about the event. Ensure they are comfortable with the live streaming platform and interactive tools such as chatboxes or polling modules. And it goes without saying: make sure they are willing to give their presentation in a hybrid format...
- Test your technical equipment to make sure it works properly. No one wants a projector that falls out unexpectedly or a loudspeaker that squeaks, right? Set aside a moment to test and calibrate your equipment. Offer dry-run sessions for speakers who want to get used to the environment.
- Set up a tracking system to measure the participation rate of each event. This feature is usually provided as a standard by live streaming platforms.
- With or without the help of an external agency, create a communication campaign that sufficiently emphasises the hybrid nature of your event. It should be very easy for your audience to identify the participation options: the possibilities of accessing the event live on-site and the instructions for logging on to the event's web page and its full programme.
Production of your hybrid event
The preparations are complete: it's time to get the ball rolling!
Observe each of the following points to keep your program on track and not drop any participants along the way:
- Make a final check that each speaker will be present at the agreed time and carry out a final round of audio-visual equipment checks just before the event starts.
- Systematically announce the options for attending a session (face-to-face or virtual) to participants.
- If the budget allows, answer participants' questions using a specific chatbox for requests for help: this will allow participants to be assisted without wasting time
- Encourage interaction between online participants and those physically present on site. To do this, use chat and polling tools to encourage participants to interact with each other.
- Monitor participants' comments and questions carefully. Make sure you respond quickly to participants' questions to keep them engaged.
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Debriefing your hybrid event
Once the event is over, it is time to evaluate the feedback and find out if the objectives have been met:
- Assess the registration rate and duration of the participation in the various activities: did it meet your expectations?
- Collect the comments and scores from the satisfaction surveys, then analyse the results to determine the success of the event: participant engagement, number of exploitable leads for the sales team, speaker satisfaction and the overall rating of the live streaming platform.
- Based on the various feedback, identify areas for improvement and whether it makes sense to organise another event in a hybrid format.
How to carry out an effective debriefing?
Conclusion
If you have made it to the end of this guide, you will realise how much work it takes to organise a hybrid event. Yes, this unique type of event is becoming increasingly popular and can potentially bring along a bigger return on investment. However…
Organising a hybrid event means combining the requirements of both live and virtual events: it requires a considerable amount of resources and excellent preparation. That said, by following the key steps described in this article, you should be able to bring your hybrid event project to a successful end without any problems. And follow this new trend which is not about to stop.
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