Offline to online; companies have witnessed a sudden shift in events planning due to the restrictions brought by the COVID-19 Pandemic. While things are currently easing up, one way events companies have adapted is through the innovation of Hybrid Events — a combination of both physical and virtual presence.
The Current Events Planning Industry
Amidst the global pandemic, local business and small shop owners stopped their business operations due to the effect of lockdown restrictions. People are prohibited to go out and leisure gatherings are non-existent. Due to this, the events industry shifted the communication of their services through a different medium.
Online events are not new. Given that we are in the 21st Century and grew up seeing advancements in technology, we are acquainted with how much it has helped bring people together and make life easier. Communication lines are now easier to establish as we connected through the webspace with a mere click. Consequently, information ran the same. Now, with physical gathering out of the picture, the mode of communication is majorly done online.
In the beginning, events were limited to recorded sessions and short informative videos. Then it progressed to live screen-to-screen online meetings. We have also witnessed the rise of webinars where events were repurposed to cater for an online audience - and it worked! People become more open to online alternatives; signing up on platforms like Coursera or Skillshare, registering for self-help conferences, and attending talks.
But the thing is, as we entered the year 2021, the initial panic has simmered down and we are now at a point of reflection, of asking for plans and actions. Asking, what's next for the events industry?
What are Hybrid Events?
Hybrid Events, from its name hybrid, is a mixture of two different things. It is a combination of physical and virtual event presence made possible by streaming platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, FB Live, and others.
Dubbed as the future of the events industry - hybrid events became a buzzword this past year. An example of this is big tech giants like Google, Samsung, and Apple. These companies are known for hosting hybridised events for their product launchings, press conferences, and global events without much of the production cost of a full-scale venue setup. The likes of Apple’s Keynote Events are broadcasted live so that the general public is updated on their latest releases.
photo from K-Pop Group BTS Online Concert/BigHits Music
In the entertainment industry, live streaming is not something new. Providing live events and making them available online is one way to increase revenue and marketing. Online concerts have become an industry trend due to the influx of people longing for the experience. These concerts typically require a big venue where an on-site live production team helps with the setup and an integrated online audience.
Platforms like Zoom, Google Meet, Hubilo, Hubb, EventX etc., have upgraded their features to adapt to this demand. Some of its features are a live streaming function, breakout rooms to group attendees, and interactive chat boxes and polls. For events on a bigger scale, open-source platforms such as Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) is a great option. It provides media industry level of live streaming, allows users to record, encode, and broadcast from real-time sources across different platforms such as Twitch, Youtube, and Facebook simultaneously and in high quality. Plus it’s free!
Benefits of Hybrid Events
Hybrid events as stated is a combination of online and physical events. This opens up more growth opportunities and avenues to generate income. Listed below are some of the advantages that might convince you to go hybrid for your next event.
1. Generates more profit
Not only that, because hybrid events are considered 2-in-1, there are now more avenues to generate profit.
Let us take the concluded Hawaii International Film Festival (HIFF) last November 2020, where more than 200 films were shown, as an example to viewers both in theatres and at home. A movie festival would usually count ticket sales based on the number of people that watch it in theatres. But having both physical and virtual attendees would double the sales. This is due to physical viewers, as well as ticket sales to pay-per-view options.
Moreover, more avenues for profit is the result of more audience reach and would open up the event to two types of attendees. This would translate to heightened event visibility.
2. Increase in attendance
This increase in event visibility now opens the option of a global audience. Due to its accessible nature, hybrid events would have more attendance than regular webinars.
The virtual accessibility aspect allows people who are interested but cannot travel, to take part in the event at home. It would also be able to reach regions that would not be physically possible so long as there is an internet connection. Imagine hosting an event in Singapore while also interacting with viewers that may be coming from different parts of Asia, the United States, Europe, etc.
It is also important to note that, giving the option of an on-site experience and an online one, guests can pick which one would fit them leading to the next point.
3. Generates more engagement
Hybrid events are where speakers and the talks are live-streamed to virtual attendees. The live stream could then be recorded and disseminated to attendees who were not able to attend and watch it later. This prolongs the lifespan of your event as people would still be interacting with your event days, weeks, even months after post-event. More participants also lead to the generation of revenue through an increase in event ticket sales.
With these recorded streams, you now have more contents that may be repurposed for future events or marketed in a different form. There are also more opportunities for engagement like an online Q&A pre-event and participant breakout rooms for connection building. You may now use these to create short courses online or a webinar package that may be re-distributed and monetised.
4. Sustainable and eco-friendly
Downsizing your event and not having many in-person attendees would require less. Due to this, an online event and a hybrid event would produce less carbon footprint.
Furthermore, in a more brand impact and identity aspect, event downsizing and shifting to virtual production allows you to operate more sustainably. It would position your brand as an eco-friendly organisation and open it to a new business market and target audience.
Some Things to Look Out For
Although there are many advantages to hybrid events, there are some things that you would have to take note of. With its nature, hybrid events cost more than just choosing between a physical or virtual event because you would have to cover two bases instead of one. Furthermore, some venues do not come with a production setup. Hence an additional cost for rental and transportation is added. Some other common examples of cons for hybrid events are lack of social media presence, no stable internet connection, or no sound equipment nor studio setup.
Most importantly, with the rise of hybrid events at the time of the pandemic, there are more guidelines to be followed. With restrictions such as social distancing in place, you would have to hire extra manpower that would maintain this during your event. Temperature checks and sanitation stations — one that would be able to cover the number of your guests in a short time, are also needed. These restrictions must be observed and could be quite costly if you are planning to have a physical event.
What to Prepare for Hybrid Events
Production of hybrid events requires a lot of planning to ensure a smooth and quality event. Some of the key things you would need to ensure a successful hybrid event are:
Choosing the right physical venue and virtual platform
A good venue translates to effectiveness. Ask the following questions: is it too far and is transportation for both you, the speakers, and guests convenient? Does the place have enough space for your guests as well as your stage set up, your equipment and sound system set up? Is the place amiable to a strong WIFI Connection? Asking yourself questions such as these would help as it determines the next steps of production.
For a virtual or hybrid event, ensure that there are enough outlets in place as your event always needs to be active and running. Make sure all the wires are properly connected to avoid any technological mishaps.
An experienced Audio-Visual Team
Do not expect yourself to do all the work. Hiring an experienced Audio-Visual team on standby would help as they could constantly monitor the systems as well as provide help when needed. They would know the proper set-up of equipment and what equipment to use. These would save you time in procuring services as most AV teams offer complete production packages.
However, if you are starting small, a trusty computer and a camera-mic setup would do. Investing in expensive gadgets should only follow once you have the confidence to pursue event production. You may consider rentals as well to save yourself some money as well as the costly learning curve.
Look for the Right Hosts
Nothing attracts a large audience more than a good host. Hosts are responsible for keeping the audience's attention as well as keeping them engaged in your content. Finding the right speaker for your event is key for it to have value.
Try to look for people who are known in their field. Hosts that share the same values as you as this would make coworking easier. And although it is not necessary, you may also look for alternative resources for information like short films or documentaries that you may access to uplevel your event.
A Trusted Event Planner
The event planner is like the maître d' of the events planning industry. They oversee all aspects of your events. From logistics to staff, to guests, and would act as your right-hand person in planning your event. A lot of work goes into setting up successful events. There is also a lot of ground and details to cover that might be overlooked and cause problems in the long run; which makes event planning difficult to be DIY-ed.
Find an event planner who has a great portfolio, work ethics, and skill set. There are event planners out there who are experienced in different aspects of events to help you with the ins and outs and ensure no mistakes would occur through efficient planning. The event planner should also know how to work the floor during the event. Consequently, hiring an events planner that you could trust to do the work seamlessly lessens the worrying on your part.
Dolce Vita Events offers marketing, equipment rental, webinar production and hosting services to help you with your event production needs. You may contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for more details.