How To Attain 365 Engagement At Your Hybrid Event

Back in the day, trade shows lost their respect among exhibitors and attendees because they became old-school. However, they are getting back in the game. That is all because organizers are integrating state-of-the-art technologies that enable virtual/hybrid events. 

According to polls conducted, about 41% of event planners are expecting to rely on hybrid events post COVID. The key factors that contribute to hybrid events are meetings and presentations. And using elements that contribute to these types of events post new types of challenges. 

Why is there a need to host hybrid events

COVID-19 has changed the way events were conducted before it took hold of the globe. Effects of social isolation have forced planners to go virtual or hybrid. Seeing this as a success, many are now moving towards hybrid events solutions. 

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) due to COVID-19 have paved the way, enabling exhibitors and attendees to get the most out of the event. Firstly, integrating the hybrid aspect in the event expands your reach from a local to a global audience. That is because, with this, international attendees don’t have to travel long distances and pay huge sums of money to attend the event. They can do it online using tools like ZOOM. As for in-person meetings, exhibitors don’t have to spend that much to cater to the live audience as they have to deal with a limited number of attendees. 

The thing is, exhibitors have to meet the requirements of each of these audiences to create a smooth and engaging experience. 

How to attain 365 engagement at your hybrid event

Managing a hybrid event can be a daunting task because it requires perfect planning and execution. As mentioned, each of the audiences has specific requirements that need to be met. AladdinB2B has compiled a list of things that each audience type needs and will help in getting the most engagement out of the event. 

What an in-person audience needs in hybrid event

Interaction

The main purpose of events is to allow attendees to interact with each other. Even before the pandemic, exhibitors were integrating creative solutions in their presentations. Companies like Sildo offered ways to engage effectively with the audiences. In-person attendees naturally prefer going towards presentations that are more interactive. Now, the days are gone where the presenter only runs slides and ends the presentation without interacting with the audience present. 

Interaction is a perfect way to provide the in-person audience with an engaging environment and make them feel connected to the event. It can also be done using methods like polling on mobile apps or using trivia games. 

Takeaways

A factor that is important in any event is sharing the information with your live audience. There are chances that your audience came up with pens and notebooks to take the points. But, that does not mean that they have taken all the notes. So, the best practice is to share materials after the event has been concluded. There are two advantages to that. Firstly, it will give a refresher to the attendees on the matter. And secondly, you will be on top of their mind if they are looking for similar services. 

If you have incorporated tracking elements in the hybrid event, you can track exactly who was present in the presentation and can share a follow-up email and supported documents/material.

What an online audience needs in hybrid event

Mesmerizing environment

To engage your virtual audience in the event, consider using a mesmerizing environment scenario. This will give them a feeling that they are attending a live event. For instance, if the event is about a piece of medical equipment, create a 3D virtual hospital environment so that the online attendees can witness an amazing experience. Adding this feature will tickle the curiosity of attendees, allowing more engagement. 

Feeling of connectedness

A lot of virtual attendees said that they feel disconnected in times of virtual presentations. What you can do is use the hybrid events to end that problem. Presenters can allow the virtual attendees to submit queries and you can answer live. Another feature that you can use to get engagement in the hybrid event is integrating a social media feed where attendees can post tweets and posts. These extra additions feel small but can have a powerful impact on the attendees. With this, not only virtual, but live attendees will also jump in to participate. 

On-demand video viewing

Let’s assume that one of your virtual attendees is not available when you are presenting. How will you deliver your message to that attendee? For that, the solution is to offer the recording of the whole event. This way your virtual attendees can watch the recording anytime and anywhere they want. Even your live audience may want the recording so that they can watch it afterward. Allow this access to both of your audience so that they can take the notes and share the recording in their circle as needed.

Mitigating the gap for hybrid events

Hybrid events are becoming a game-changer in the events industry because organizers are adding modernized solutions to get the most engagement out of those events. Here is a rundown on how to attain engagement out of your next hybrid event. 

• Add interactive elements so that both virtual and live attendees can participate. That will lead towards a more connected experience
• Incorporate a 3D environment in the presentation so that virtual attendees can feel the experience of attending a live event. 
• Share presentation-related material after the event and send follow-up emails to attendees who were present in the event. 
• Host a Q/A session at the end of the event and incorporate tools for both virtual and live attendees so that they can post the questions
• Allow your attendees access to video recording so that they can watch it after the event. 

And that is how you get the most engagement out of your hybrid event. For tips related to hybrid events, read blogs that are posted by AladdinB2B. And to get the help/services of AladdinB2B, reach us by tapping the “Talk to Genie” or “Get Demo” button.