After almost two years of the pandemic, people have chosen to conduct their way of life in a hybrid manner. The term pertains to the operation where the internet is incorporated into the traditional method of reaching out to the market. This is also a means to expand customer reach.
The business industry also took advantage of digital platforms to continuously reach out to their consumers. Hybrid events became popular in the present time as it caters a combination of on-set and virtual audience. Through these, entrepreneurs were able to expand their participant reach and increase their opportunities for new sponsorship.
There are event organizers that can help you with your business, such as The Vendry’s event planning. These companies offer services like catering, venues, event concepts, production teams, and so on for different organizations.
Planning for an event amidst the pandemic might be a bit tricky, but here are some guides you could follow if you want to conduct a hybrid event:
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Create A Theme And Stick To It
Before you begin with the preparations of your hybrid event, you must first think of its theme. This will give your audience an idea of what they could look forward to in your event. The theme will also serve as the basis for your whole program.
Your theme should also be relatable to your target audience. This way, you can make your event more engaging and interactive. Make sure that both live and virtual participants are familiar with the topics your host will be discussing. If your audience finds your event entertaining and relevant, they’ll become more interested to learn more about your brand.
According to Mcspadden (2015), Microsoft Crop. found out in a study that humans generally lose concentration after eight seconds. Therefore, you should make sure that your program is as concise as possible.
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Hire The Right Staff
Since a hybrid event caters to both live and virtual participants, you should hire the right staff who are experienced in working in this kind of setup. They can ensure that your program flows smoothly.
In hosting a hybrid event, you’ll need cameramen, lights and sound crew, media facilitators, and technical support staff. You may hire additional people if you need more.
One of the essential staff you should hire is the emcee. Emcees are responsible for keeping the audience engaged, and they will facilitate the entirety of your event. Thus, their performance should be excellent.
Your emcee should resonate positive energy from the beginning of the event until its end. It’ll be more enjoyable to watch an event when the emcee seems to enjoy hosting it as well.
Furthermore, you must also take note of the importance of hiring professional cameramen. A good camera angle will establish a better connection with online participants. It will make them feel like the host is directly talking to them through close-up views and when the host looks straight at the lens.
In addition to this, you must avoid shooting from only one angle, so your audience won’t lose interest. Try to put yourself in their situation and ask what you’d feel if you spend hours staring at the unmoving screen.
Putting yourself in their point of view would also help you in knowing which angles are best for your online session. It could also give you an idea of how often you should switch camera positions.
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Devise Interactive Activities for Virtual Audience
You don’t want your virtual audience to feel like they are less important than those who are attending live on set, so it’s best to devise interactive activities to keep them engaged. Interactive activities, such as Facebook Event posts, encourage participants to invite other people to join as well by clicking the ‘going’ button on the post. This can also serve as your event’s advertisement.
Create a poll or a Q&A portion to boost engagement during your event section. With these, your online participants can throw questions for the hosts and the guests, and they can answer as well using a poll.
In addition to this, you can come up with a creative hashtag for your event. Through this, both your on-set and virtual participants will have the chance to interact with each other. You can also give prices for the most-liked post using the event’s hashtag.
These are the things you should know about online events.
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Pick The Right Venue For Your Event
Don’t forget that your hybrid event also involves the live audience. And since maintaining social distancing at all times is a must, you should know the total count of your on-set participants. Then pick a venue that can hold at least twice their size.
You should also consider the location of the venue. Pick the most convenient to your audience, so they’ll become more motivated to attend.
If the venue offers catering services, ensure that the food they offer is appropriate to the time of your event. For example, it might be insufficient to serve pastries and sweets at dinnertime.
By this simple act, your audience will know that you care for them. On the other hand, make sure that your virtual participants feel valued as well by giving them a token of appreciation like e-certificates, for example.
These are the additional things you shouldn’t overlook in organizing an event
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Search For the Best Streaming Provider
This is essential in making your hybrid event a success. Your chosen platform should be easy to use and navigate. You should assume that some of your virtual participants aren’t tech-savvy. It’s also best to pick the interactive streaming provider.
Through this, your virtual participants will also have the chance to connect. There are plenty of other streaming providers available in the market, so choose what will suit you best for your event.
Conclusion
The new normal created a lot of changes in everyone’s lives. So, the business industry is coming up with new improvements to approach their consumers, and one of these is the hybrid event. The hybrid event caters to both on-set and virtual audiences.
If you are planning to host this kind of event, you should first create a theme and stick to it. Your audience should also relate to your chosen theme to pique their interest. Then, hire the right staff by seeking services from professionals with hybrid event experiences.
You must also pick the venue that is convenient to your live audience to encourage guaranteed participation. Don’t forget your online audience, too! You must devise interactive activities where they can participate and interact with each other and with the live audience. Lastly, select the most suitable streaming platform for your event for a smoother flow of the virtual session.
Through this guide, you can now hold a hybrid event that will promote your brand. By this, you can also reach a larger audience which means you’ll have increased engagement from people in different places. As your customers grow in number, your business will increase its chance to become more successful as well.
