Hybrid Events

11 Incredible Benefits of Hybrid Events

Eventually Learning Team

Hosting an event has become a challenge for the event industry in recent times. The changed circumstances have made hybrid conferences one of the most sought-after trends in the event industry. Hybrid events have seen a recent spike in maximum audience reach. Here we are going to understand the concept of hybrid events and their 11 incredible benefits.

1.What Are Hybrid Events?

A hybrid event is a blend of an in-person event with a virtual online platform. It allows you to interact with both live and virtual audiences around the globe. A hybrid event can be in the form of a conference, meeting, webinar, tradeshow, product launch or a seminar.

2.Why is a Hybrid Event Beneficial?

Hybrid events have some significant benefits that have gained the attention of event organizers worldwide. This type of event existed even before the pandemic, but lately, hybrid events have become very popular as more and more organizers opt for them. Organizers are finding these events convenient due to the pandemic restrictions in various countries.

Hybrid meetings come to the rescue when a large gathering is involved, and it is not possible for everyone to be physically present for the meeting. With the help of different virtual meeting platforms, everyone can attend the meeting online.

Let's have a look in detail at some of the significant benefits of hybrid events.

3. 11 Incredible Benefits of Hybrid Events

3.1 Better Reach and Increased Attendance

One of the most significant advantages of hybrid events is that they broaden the attendee's reach for a hybrid meeting. Their ease of attending allows for capturing maximum audience members. In addition, the privilege to participate in the event from remote locations increases attendance. As a result, hybrid conferences or hybrid events are the most preferred event types by organizers. A study on events shows that almost 96% of the attendees attended hybrid events over in-person events.

Hybrid events offer countless opportunities to grab new audience members who are not interested in attending the in-person event. Therefore, many event organizers have witnessed an increase in attendance while planning for hybrid events rather than traditional in-person events.

3.2 Improves Audience Engagement

The event audience engagement is directly proportional to an event’s success. Engaging the audience throughout the event is one of the essential aspects of hybrid events. Allowing the virtual attendees to participate as equally in the event as the live attendees is one of the greatest benefits of hybrid events.

A hybrid event delivers countless possibilities to increase audience engagement through polls, surveys, content and quizzes during or after the event. It also allows the hybrid event attendees to interact with the event speaker(s) through live chats. Therefore, using an interactive virtual event platform can enhance the audience engagement effectively.

3.3 Countless Sponsorship Lead-ins

Hybrid events have better sponsorship opportunities than traditional events. This is because you get twice the sponsors’ benefits from both, the in-person and the hybrid event sponsors. The corporate event sponsors are more interested in sponsoring the hybrid events, as they have a maximum audience reach around the globe. Other local sponsors may be interested in supporting just the in-person sessions. Some recent studies conclude that many sponsors are more interested in becoming a part of hybrid events because these events allow their brand to reach maximum audience members.

3.4 Improves Return on Investment

During hybrid events, you get to interact with many audience members regardless of the geographical constraint. Higher numbers of attendees help the organizers in higher ROIs because their presence helps to generate more leads from hybrid events.

3.5 Effortless Access to Huge Data

Hybrid events are scalable, too, as are in-person and virtual events. In return, you get better access to data from the in-person as well as the remote attendees. In addition, the sheer volume of data helps you to plan a business vision and improve the services around the data collected from the hybrid events. As a result, hybrid events are the events with benefits.

3.6 Good Event Flexibility

Flexibility is the most prevalent benefit of hybrid events. It gives interested attendees the opportunity to access the event from remote locations without struggling to commute back to work before and after the event. On the other hand, there are fewer audience members who like to participate in in-person events every time. Therefore, the attendees prefer these hybrid events that give them flexibility to attend the event without much trouble.

This proves beneficial from an event organizer's perspective. It allows them to organize the event without major concerns about the venue. Adequate space with necessary technical arrangements is all they need to manage for a hybrid event.

3.7 Time Saving & Cost-Effective

In hybrid events, we do not have to call the attendees in person to the venue. Hence, many interested attendees can save their time and cost in traveling. Furthermore, from the event organizer's point of view, selecting a suitable event venue with moderate arrangements reduces in-person event expenses.

3.8 Encourages Investment in Content & Premium Speakers

As we say that hybrid events are cost-effective, we can use the energy and cost to create quality content for the event. The organizers can also invest the surplus in hiring a top-notch speaker that will deliver a one-of-a-kind event experience and connect with the audience.

3.9 Reduces Environmental Impact

In-person events have often led to waste disposals due to large gatherings. Moreover, it has also led to higher pollution due to bulk traveling by the professionals to the venue. On the other hand, hybrid event removes the traveling factor for thousands of people.

This reduction in travel has had a substantial and positive impact on the environment. Furthermore, we have witnessed how the worldwide lockdown has helped reduce pollution, restoring the planet’s ozone layer and climatic conditions. Thus, organizing hybrid events is an eco-friendly alternative to the traditional events.

3.10 Delivers Safety and Peace of Mind

As circumstances change every day with new disease strains prevailing in this pandemic, hybrid events provide you with a safe alternative to attend events virtually. Nothing is stopping you from following the event you are interested in if the event is hybrid. Reduction in travel efforts and expenses can keep you productive and help you attend the event at a remote location with peace of mind.

3.11 Builds Stronger Attendee Groups

A hybrid event's significant benefit is maximum reach. It helps you to build a larger and stronger event attendee community for your other events. If you provide quality, event content and interactive sessions, it will boost audience engagement, increase the footfall for your next event and give you positive feedback and reviews from attendees. In the end, the reduced efforts and cost in organizing the best hybrid event will help you build on a great network of attendees in every pocket of the world.

4.Examples of Hybrid Events

4.1 TwitchCon

TwitchCon is a popular gaming platform. It has phenomenally pulled off the hybrid event format. It organizes an event every year for its worldwide audiences to attend virtually as well as physically. TwitchCon has incredible ideas for organizing a hybrid event that inspires many of their target audience members to become a part of the event.

4.2 Johnson & Johnson

Johnson & Johnson, a leading baby products company, organized an inspirational event recently. It hosted an incredible event for both, in-person and online audiences with an easy-to-navigate hybrid event platform. Every attendee praised the event and applauded the brand for delivering an immersive event experience.

4.3 Apple Special Events

Apple is one of the leaders in hosting hybrid events or special events for its product launch among their business delegates worldwide. They use hybrid events to launch and demonstrate their products and to otherwise, make special announcements. This method helps their products reach a broader audience worldwide effortlessly.

Conclusion

The countless benefits of hybrid events are becoming more popular day by day. Many event organizers from the event industry understand their importance and have started practicing hybrid events for their upcoming events. The cost-effectiveness and productive ways of using a hybrid event platform always give a good return on investment. Therefore, if you are hosting an event this season, go ahead and choose a hybrid event to experience a seamless transformation to the virtual world.

FAQs

1.What is the advantage of hosting a hybrid event?

It is an eco-friendly way of organizing an event to reach maximum attendees around the globe.

2.What do you need to know about hybrid events?

You must have a good hybrid event platform, a premium speaker and good quality content.

3.How do hybrid events work?

Hybrid events are a mix of physical and virtual events. You can conduct an in-person event with the technical provisions that allow interested audience members to attend an event from a remote location.

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