Hybrid Events

Hybrid Events: 16 Questions to Plan Your Event Better

Eventually Learning Team
16 September 2021
Read time  8 min 4 sec

Introduction

The vaccination drives for COVID-19 are in full swing now. Many of us have even had the liberties to get rid of the masks in exceptional circumstances. But still, new variants of COVID-19 are being identified even as you read this. So, it’s not the time to let your guard down. No matter how much you are itching to plan a live event, the reality is that hybrid and virtual events are here to stay, and it’s time you think of planning one.

Planning a hybrid event is not an easy task, especially for an event organizer used to planning live events. Some mistakes can happen if you are not careful. Similarly, there are some areas you might not be familiar with. To help you get started on the right note, we have come up with 16 questions that will help you understand the basics, like what hybrid events are and how they differ from virtual events. They will also cover more complex questions like what kind of sponsors do you need and whether you need event surveys or not. So read this useful article on event planning questions and get insights and inspiration for your next successful hybrid event.
Good luck!

1. What is a Hybrid Event?

Yes, it’s an obvious event planning question but essential, nonetheless. A hybrid event is an event that combines the digital-event experience with an in-person event experience. Usually, some audiences are allowed to be present at a live event with COVID-19 precautions, while some attend from home virtually by using a computer device.

2. What are the Advantages of Hybrid Events?

Hybrid events are the right choice for event planners who don’t want to risk others’ safety by planning large gatherings. It is also beneficial for attendees who feel uncomfortable stepping out of the safety of their homes. Hybrid events are also very cost-effective and easy to scale. They offer better reach, help improve ROI, and offer useful insights. All these advantages are priceless for event planners looking for maximum reach at minimal costs.

3. How Does a Hybrid Event Differ from a Virtual Event?

This is one of the most frequently asked event planning questions. So, here’s a simple answer--A virtual event only takes place online with no in-person contact, while a hybrid event has a combination of virtual and in-person attendees. To know how to host a successful virtual event, click here.

4. How Many People Should Attend My Event?

Be sure to keep the number of participants at a live-event space to a minimum. Comply with the local guidelines and COVID-19 protocols to make sure you follow all regulations. The number of attendees who can attend virtually is limitless. So, you can maximize that.

5. What are the Challenges of Hybrid Event?

This is a smart addition to event planning questions. Some of the challenges you may face are listed below:

  • You may need to work hard to ensure that everyone attending is engaged, especially the virtual audience.
  • You will need to work hard to ensure that both audiences have a unified event experience.
  • It would also be wise to set some health and safety protocols for those attending the live event.
  • You also need to ensure that those attending virtually can listen in easily, and there are no equipment failures.

6. Who Will be My Audience/Event Attendees?

You need to identify your audience before planning a hybrid event. For example, if your audience is people who are 60-plus, they might not want to attend a live session, and they may prefer the virtual method. In contrast, if your audience is young and healthy, they might prefer live-action more than the virtual experience.

7. Am I Capable of Maintaining Proper Social-Distancing Norms?

When planning the live part of a hybrid event, you need to be certain that the venue you pick has ample space to ensure all social distancing norms are followed. For example, one way to keep people at a distance is to space the seating apart so that they aren’t in physical contact with one another.

8. Would I Need More Resources for a Hybrid Event Than a Live Event?

Yes, you will need better quality equipment like computer systems, audio systems, etc., to ensure that everyone attending virtually can have a seamless listening experience and so they can see others easily. Seek a vendor experienced in providing equipment for successful virtual events if you are not up for that challenge yourself.

9. How Should I Create Marketing Strategies for My Hybrid Event?

It would help if you created marketing strategies using the usual methods like paid advertising, social media marketing, email marketing, content marketing and many others. However, you need to remind the audience whether they need to attend the in-person event or the virtual event, or both, in order to avoid any confusion. Also, it would help if you maximized the marketing efforts for the online audience so that more and more people attend the event virtually.

10. What Should be the Timing of Both the Events?

When planning a hybrid event, you need to decide whether the live and virtual events will be organized simultaneously or at different times. You also have the option to pre-record the live event and then, share it with the virtual audience. The latter would be a semi-live session. Only you can answer this question as an event planner as you know your audience and their needs and expectations best.

11. How Do I Modify Content Strategy for Boosting Online Participation?

Good content is one of the key elements of your event planning tactics. You need to make sure that you create content so that your audience doesn’t get bored. Keep the content short, offer breaks to virtual attendees, and use more creative materials like charts, graphs, etc. If you are showing pre-recorded event content, trim it to keep it crisp and more concise.

12. How to Boost the Engagement of Virtual Attendees?

To enhance the performance of the event, especially a hybrid event, you need to boost the engagement of virtual attendees and ensure that they are as engaged as the live audience. For that, add games, include quizzes and make the sessions shorter. Ask the speakers to interact with the audience and to ask them questions in order to keep them hooked. (Must Read- How to Create an Ideal Webinar)

13. Do I Need an Event Survey?

If you are new to the idea of virtual events or hybrid events, you should know that surveying those events is as vital as doing surveys at live events. When conducting these surveys, you need to ask everyone involved in the event, including attendees, speakers, participants, etc., a set of questions that allow you to analyze the performance as well as allowing for the evaluation of any additional elements of your event.

14. Which Kinds of Sponsors are Needed for a Hybrid Event?

It would help if you had different kinds of sponsors for the hybrid event. The more, the better. You can choose large companies that can help spread the word about the event far and wide. You can also pick a company that can help you arrange giveaways for attendees and speakers. Also, you can seek a tech company that ensures that there are no technical glitches during the event. You should also seek sponsors who want to connect with your cause (if the event is for a cause). Make sure you include the sponsors in all event-related communications to make them feel valued.

15. Do I Need to Set Event Goals?

Again, this is another obvious, but important event planning question. The answer is simple--No matter what event platform you have chosen, you need to set goals. In hybrid events, you should set goals related to how many attendees you are expecting, how the event will boost your brand awareness, how many leads you can generate, etc. These are just a few examples. You can pick the goals that are in line with the event.

16. Should I Conduct Testing?

Yes, you must conduct testing of every piece of equipment before going live during the virtual part of the event. After all, you don’t want to see a microphone go down when a speaker is sharing their views, do you? Similarly, make sure that all things are checked and double-checked in live events to ensure proper safety protocols, like re-check the alignment of chairs for social distancing, the quality of the masks for distribution, the availability of hand sanitizers, etc. Do random tests when no one is expecting them to get the big picture.

FAQs

1. How Do You Plan a Hybrid Event?

Ensure that you have planned live and virtual aspects of the event successfully by asking all the right event planning questions and seeing that you receive helpful answers.

2. Are Hybrid Events Successful?

Yes, hybrid events can be successful, and they can also help in reaching many event goals. Just ask the right event planning questions and ensure that you get all the right answers.

3. How Do You Promote Hybrid Events?

You can stick to the usual promotion methods. Just make sure you create aggressive online marketing strategies to maximize the scope of the virtual aspect of the event.

Final Words

The success of your hybrid event depends on many factors. These event planning questions will give you a head start and ensure that you start things off on the right note. Of course, you will need to add more questions as you go about planning the event. Remember, your hybrid event will be successful if you give equal importance to the live sessions and the virtual sessions. There’s no competition; rather, they should complement each other.

To get help with your hybrid event planning efforts and get answers to other event planning questions, you can partner with Media 7 click here. To help event organizers, we have also come up with an exceptional and fascinating B2B event review platform, Eventually. It will let industry professionals read genuine and impartial event reviews, take constructive criticism, and make their events more successful in the future.

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