Hybrid events may be the most effective approach to reach audiences in 2022, but they also present new difficulties for event planners. Meeting the needs of a single audience (on-site) has never been easy.
Now, it can be more difficult to captivate and please two different audiences at once.
We highlight 5 mistakes you shouldn’t do if you want to succeed to assist you to avoid failing and leave a lasting impression.
1. No Broadcast Quality
Many event organizers believed that a Zoom call was sufficient back when virtual gatherings were the standard. Zoom simply won’t cut it over the long run, as shown by the rapid onset of webinar weariness. It is important to apply the same storytelling and engagement techniques to hybrid and virtual spaces as used for in-person interactions.
Get inventive with the resources at your disposal to create broadcasting quality, as we previously advised. When choosing a hybrid event platform, pay special attention to camera angles, b-roll footage, green screens, quality audio, and video.
2. Poor Time Management
One approach to guarantee the success of your event is to rigorously adhere to the schedule you create for the hybrid event. Most significantly, it’s necessary to manage time effectively for the actual event. Your speakers or attendees might not track time.
So, maintaining the whole event time requires sending reminders and following up with the speakers. Additionally, because the online audience must log in to the event, they will be prepared to participate promptly.
To avoid this, designate event hosts to ensure that each part begins and ends on time. Be sure you have both a live host and a virtual host. For online audiences to successfully traverse the event, a virtual emcee is a need. To ensure that everything streams properly and on time, there would be a live and online emcee.
3. Similar Cost for in-Person and Online Engagement
Let’s face it, virtual and real experiences are vastly different from one another. Live events will cost more due to the venue, stage setup, furnishings, and—most importantly—the health and safety materials you’ve purchased for your venue to deal with the post-COVID-19 situation, even if our goal is to do justice to both.
Although there are some costs that you will always incur, whether your event is virtual or in person, it is unfair to charge your virtual participants in-person costs only to have them attend your event.
4. Not Giving the Mobile Apps Enough Time to Test
The ideal connection method for online and offline participants can be provided via mobile apps. They can foster a sense of camaraderie among them. But running a show with several bugs and failing to test the mobile apps would simply destroy the experience for you and your attendees. Make sure your hybrid platform can accommodate all of your participants simultaneously and can deliver flawless chat and video services.
5. No Post-Event Follow-up
After the event, make recorded content accessible on demand. The recorded material created during the event can be utilized to promote subsequent events, increase membership, and establish an online community in addition to being helpful for participants who wish to hear it again.
Additionally, seize the chance to invite those who attended online in person to future events by promoting them online. Post-event marketing tactics can involve distributing poll results, promoting event highlights on social media, and using other techniques to maintain interest.
Conclusion
Event planners can make sure they start the events season off on the right foot by meticulously organizing every part of their events, both real and virtual, utilizing hybrid events technology, and being aware of the mistakes to avoid.
