The COVID-19 global pandemic has accelerated the popularity of both virtual and hybrid events throughout 2020 and 2021, and they are here to stay.
While virtual events have been relatively popular even before the pandemic, the social distancing policies throughout the global pandemic have forced many in-person events to be canceled and replaced by virtual ones.
Soon enough, many event organizers recognized the unique benefits of these virtual events: the ability to attract attendees and invite speakers/talents from all over the world without being limited by geographical limitations, more affordable set-up costs, and so on. However, it’s also no secret that virtual events cannot fully replace the immediate interactivity of an in-person event, among other things.
Hosting a hybrid event can be a way for event organizers to get the best of both worlds, and in this post, we will learn all you need to know about how to organize a hybrid event.
By the end of this guide, you’d have learned about:
- What is a hybrid event?
- The advantages of hosting a hybrid event over an in-person event and a virtual event
- Challenges of hosting a hybrid event
- A step-by-step guide to organizing a hybrid event
- How to promote your hybrid event and maximize attendance
And without further ado, let us begin from the basics.
What Is a Hybrid Event?
A hybrid event, in a nutshell, is an event that is hosted as both a virtual and in-person event by leveraging technology solutions.
An in-person conference that is hosted in a traditional expo hall but is also simultaneously live-streamed to online attendees is an example of a hybrid event. So, a hybrid event has both in-person and online attendees, allowing those who can’t or won’t visit the in-person event to still be able to experience it.
Why Host a Hybrid Event?
In hosting a hybrid event, we can gain access to the advantages of both in-person and virtual events, while at the same time minimizing the disadvantages.
Let’s take a look at the key differences between the two:
| In-Person | Virtual | |
| More expensive to organize, and also typically more costly for attendees (travel, accommodation, f&b, etc. ) | Cost | More cost-effective for both the event organizer and attendees. |
| Limited by geographical location, venue size/type, and other factors. More rigid by nature. | Versatility | Naturally more flexible not only in terms of design, but also monetization options, level of interactivity, and more. |
| Limited by geographical location, logistic limitations, and venue size. | Attendees | You can technically invite attendees from all around the world without any limitations. |
| Collecting post-event feedback and evaluating the event’s performance is typically more complicated. | Analytics and Evaluation | Much easier to collect post-event feedback. You can also quickly monitor and analyze metrics in real-time |
| Minimal distraction, easier to capture the audience’s attention | Focus | Little control over the distractions the attendees may experience during the event |
| In-person interaction and networking are superior. | Networking and Interactions | Lack of face-to-face interaction and networking can be a major challenge in hosting an online event |
| Relatively safe from technological challenges. | Technology | Can be prone to technological challenges that may restrict audience participation. |
A hybrid event can allow both organizers and attendees to get the best of both worlds, and specific about today’s post-global pandemic situations, a hybrid event can offer the following benefits:
- There are still many people who are not yet comfortable attending packed in-person events. A hybrid event can accommodate their needs.
- Hosting a hybrid event can allow attendees who can’t travel yet to your event’s location (i.e. due to international travel restrictions) to virtually attend the event.
- Many venues are still forced to lower their maximum capacity limits for social distancing purposes. Hosting a hybrid event can allow you to get more attendees beyond your venue’s max capacity limits.
- Accommodating potential attendees that have been financially affected by the pandemic, for example by offering a cheaper registration cost for the virtual aspect of the event.
Organizing a Hybrid Event: Key Challenges
While, as mentioned, hosting a hybrid event does offer various benefits, there are also some unique challenges you may face when planning and organizing a hybrid event.
A key principle in hosting a hybrid event is to provide the same (at least, similar) attendance experience for both in-person and virtual attendees, and this can be easier said than done.
Here are some key challenges to consider when planning and organizing a hybrid event:
- Logistical challenge
Hosting an in-person event or virtual event on its own can already be a logistical nightmare, and essentially the logistical challenges will be doubled in a hybrid event.
Converting an in-person conference into a hybrid conference, for example, will require the organizer to think about technology requirements (internet bandwidth, live streaming platform, video conference features, etc.), and the logistics for these technology solutions can be very challenging.
Planning for redundancy is key in a hybrid event: what if your live-streaming equipment suddenly fails during the event? What if your internet connectivity suddenly drops in the middle of your event’s keynote session? It’s crucial to arrange plan Bs and plan Cs for everything, and test all technology solutions thoroughly before the event.
- Accommodating different time zones
While one of the key benefits of a hybrid event is the fact that you can invite attendees from halfway across the globe, this can be a double-edged sword.
In hosting a hybrid event, more specifically the virtual part of the event, you’ll need to take the time zone differences into account. For example, if you are going to host the in-person part of the event in the US, but will invite attendees from Indonesia, you’ll have to take the fact that Jakarta is 11 hours ahead of New York into account.
Understanding your target attendees’ locations and different time zones is very important when planning to host a successful hybrid event.
- Facilitating networking and interactions
Networking opportunities (and food) remain one of the top reasons why people attend events, but facilitating engaging attendee-to-attendee interactions in a virtual event can be quite challenging.
When hosting a hybrid event, it’s crucial to pay enough attention to how you can effectively facilitate virtual networking and engaging interactions depending on the type of event. This, however, can be easier said than done in practice.
- Accessibility challenges
Hosting a hybrid event will also require the event organizer to pay extra care about the accessibility needs of both the virtual and in-person attendees. In practice, this may result in more cost and more effort.
Here are some key accessibility considerations for virtual events:
- Subtitle availability on live broadcasts
- Multi-language live stream options to accommodate attendees from different locations
- On-screen interpreter
- Adjustable font sizes to accommodate those with limited
For the in-person aspect of the event, here are some important considerations regarding accessibility:
- Accessibility for wheelchairs
- Availability of parking space and/or public transportation
- Priority seating
- Ramp access
- Interpreter and assisted listening services
- Venue limitations
A hybrid event will require a venue that offers enough space and adequate technological infrastructure to accommodate the virtual part of the event. This especially includes the A/V equipment needed to live-broadcast the event, as well as adequate internet bandwidth.
Before committing to a venue, you need to have a clear vision of the size and type of the event and the technological requirements for this event to ensure an optimal experience for both virtual and in-person attendees. In practice, this may require you to invest in additional equipment and technology solutions, which may bloat the cost of the event.
Organizing Your Hybrid Event: Step-By-Step Guide
While considering the challenges above, we can plan and organize a successful hybrid event:
Step 1: Defining event objectives
Before anything else, it’s important to first identify the purpose and objective of the hybrid event. What do you want to accomplish with the event? What value can you provide your audience with the hybrid event?
Use the S.M.A.R.T goals principle when defining your goals and objectives, and your goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound.
Here are some objective examples for a hybrid event:
- Increase social media engagements by 10% during and a week after the event
- Generate 10% more leads than your previous event
- Generate X social media impressions during and after the event
- Selling 1,000 products launched at the event
Step 2: Identify your target audience
Identify the target audience most suitable for achieving the purpose and objectives of your event.
The better you understand your target audience, the more likely you’ll achieve success with your hybrid event, so make sure to collect as much information as you can about your target attendees: behaviors, needs, preferences, expectations from your event, and so on.
You should especially identify how you are going to attract and convince them to attend your event.
The best approach is to develop a buyer persona for your ideal audience; a semi-fictional model of your ideal attendee that includes information like demographic data, geographic location, online activities/media consumption, pain points, the technology they use, accessibility needs, and so on.
The idea is to design a hybrid event that suits this ideal audience’s needs and preferences, which we will discuss in the next step.
Step 3: Planning your hybrid event
Now that you’ve identified your event’s objective and target audience, you can start planning the hybrid event at least in the following basic areas:
- Date/time of the event: at least a rough time frame for the event
- Target audience: how many attendees are you targeting? Will the in-person aspect of the event be a local event or will you target attendees from outside the city/country? Compile as much information as you can about your target audience.
- Type of event: will this be a single day or multi-day? Will this be a conference? Keynote session? Music festival?
- Venue: at least you should create a shortlist of potential venues
Step 4: Planning an event budget
Now that you’ve got a basic plan for the event, you can start estimating the event budget.
While the items to include in your budget may vary depending on many different factors, you should include at least the following items:
- Venue rental, including additional costs like insurance
- Catering (F&B)
- A/V equipment including live-streaming equipment
- Event technology (event registration software, event management platform, virtual event platform, etc. )
- Marketing collaterals
- Stage and decoration
- Furniture rental
It’s best to have a clear budget as early as possible so you’ll have more time to review and negotiate with different vendors.
Step 5: Deciding on a venue and date
As mentioned above, when hosting a hybrid event, it’s crucial to choose a venue that can also accommodate the virtual aspect of the event, and you should consider:
- Location. make sure attendees can easily access the venue, but it’s also crucial to find the right balance between location and cost. Venues in premium locations will obviously cost more.
- A/V equipment. Will the existing A/V equipment in the venue integrate well with the virtual event platform you are using? Is there enough space for your live streaming equipment including for preparation and set up? Also, some venues may require you to work with specific A/V companies that may cost more.
- Venue size and available facilities. To facilitate a hybrid event, the venue will also need to provide:
- Reliable internet connection options and allows you to add backup connectivity for redundancies
- A/V equipment storage spaces
- Kitchen, food preparation areas, space for food/beverage services
- Networking space for attendees, and space for attendees to meet sponsors
Secure your ideal venue as soon as possible and decide on the event date.
Step 6: Choosing the right technology solutions
To accommodate the virtual aspect of your hybrid event, it’s crucial to choose the right virtual event platform that can provide a great experience for your remote attendees.
There are plenty of platform options to choose from, so it’s best to first identify your event’s technological needs and list the must-have features you’ll need from the virtual event platform.
The general rule of thumb is to choose the most affordable platform that offers all the must-have features you’ve listed, but in most cases, you’ll need to make sacrifices and compromises. It’s perfectly okay to settle with an option that is more expensive if you can get more value out of it.
Depending on the type of event you’re hosting, you may also need to invest in additional technology solutions, including but not limited to:
- Registration/ticketing platform.
- Mobile event app
- Live streaming platform
- Productivity tools
- Attendee engagement tools
Conclusion
The key to planning and hosting a successful hybrid event is to understand both target audiences: your in-person attendees and virtual attendees. You should identify their needs and pain points, and especially figure out how you can attract and convince them to attend your event.
By following the step-by-step guide we’ve shared above, as well as the actionable tips we’ve discussed, you are now ready to start planning your successful hybrid event.
