Event professionals are utilizing hybrid events as a great way for brands to create unforgettable experiences for their target audiences. However, due to the complexity of these types of events, it can be difficult for event professionals to know where to start or what steps need to be taken throughout the process.
In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about creating successful hybrid events that bring together multiple elements and create memorable experiences for attendees.
What is a Hybrid Event?
A hybrid event is a combination of multiple events. It can be a conference and trade show, or a conference, workshop and festival. The idea behind this type of event is that if you put these types of things together, your guests will get even more out of it than they would have by attending just one event.
Some examples:
- A tradeshow where you have workshops on topics related to the industry (trade show + workshop)
- A conference where there are activities outside the main room (conference + festival)
- An event that will be hosted online and in person (physical +virtual)
Benefits of Hybrid Events for Attendees
Hybrid events are more engaging, memorable, fun and interactive. They are also educational, social, and sustainable.
There are many benefits to hybrid events for attendees:
- Attendees at hybrid events have a much better experience than those who attend traditional conferences or trade shows. They can learn new skills, make connections with others in their industry, or just have fun!
- At traditional conferences or trade shows there’s a lot of downtime where you’re not sure what to do with yourself or where you should go next—but at a hybrid event there is always something going on around every corner! This keeps people engaged throughout the day (or night) rather than feeling like they aren’t learning anything new until the big keynote speaker comes along later in the afternoon/evening!
- Because attendees don’t have time off between sessions, they never feel bored; instead they stay fully engaged throughout each activity because they know more sessions will follow soon after this one ends.
Benefits of Hybrid Events for Event Professionals
You’re a good event planner, and you want to do the best you can for your attendees. So why not go all out?
- They can learn more. The sheer volume of information that can be imparted in a Hybrid Event is staggering. There are no limits on how much content or how many activities an organizer can put into one event because it’s not confined to any one format—you can even have multiple formats at once! This means that attendees will be able to take advantage of every opportunity presented in order to get the most out of their experience with your brand, company or organization.
- They can be more engaged with the brand itself. Attendees who participate in Hybrid Events tend to feel more invested in them than they would attending other types of events alone—they feel like they have ownership over what happens at these events and therefore have higher levels of enthusiasm towards them as well as greater loyalty towards brands associated with those events (which may also lead them back again).
- They’ll stay motivated longer after leaving than if they hadn’t attended at all! Research shows that motivation levels increase during hybrid events compared with traditional gatherings where people sit passively while speakers talk out loud about topics relevant only up until now; this could mean everything from increased interest level through social media channels when given access codes or even better opportunities for follow-up meetings later on down line after first contact made during initial conversations following talks given by keynote speakers – so keep those fingers crossed!
Creating a Successful Hybrid Event
A successful hybrid event is one that has been planned and executed with the following:
- Objectives. These should be clear, measurable, and attainable.
- Goals. These are objectives that must be met in order to succeed at an objective; they are achievable but dependent on other elements of the event working together successfully.
- A strong team led by a visionary leader with a unique voice and vision for the brand, who can bring all parties together to create something incredible—and who will also be able to manage any conflicts that arise because of these unique personalities coming together under one roof (literally or figuratively).
- A strong brand identity that resonates with its target audience—one that connects emotionally so they feel like they belong there! This will help attendees tell other people about their experience at this hybrid event, which leads us into our next bullet point: content strategy!
- Creating an effective content marketing funnel will create awareness, engagement, and ultimately sales conversions! You must create the appropriate type content for each phase of your event. From educational content to FOMO content, the success of your event lies in the power of your content strategy.
Set Goals and Objectives
When you are setting goals and objectives, it is important to keep in mind that you will be measuring your success through the eyes of your target audience. This means that if you want to create a certain type of event, such as a tech convention or food festival, then your goals should reflect those types of events.
Saying “I want my event to be successful” is not enough. You need to get specific about what success means for this particular project or initiative. Is your goal simply increasing attendance? Or do you also want attendees to feel personally connected with each other through social media engagement? Will sponsorships help achieve these aims? How will you know when those goals have been met? These questions can help determine KPIs (key performance indicators), which are important because they provide benchmarks for measuring progress toward achieving your overall objective.
Choose Your Team
When you are choosing your team, it is important to choose a team that wants to work together. You want a team of people who play well together, so choose someone who has a good track record. Your event is going to be the best when you have a good reputation—choose someone with a positive attitude and personality.
Tie Your Hybrid Event to an Experiential Marketing Strategy
Event professionals can take this to heart by tying a hybrid event to an experiential marketing strategy. As the fastest growing marketing channel, experiential marketing is about creating a memorable, engaging experience for the customer that creates an emotional connection between you and your brand.
With events, this means you want to design experiences that are not only fun but also build trust with your audience and show them why they should do business with you. An example of this could be setting up a pop-up store at your hybrid event featuring samples of products made by local vendors or even running interactive games that give attendees access to parts of their inventory.
Another option would be putting together a series of educational sessions on topics like how much money they can save using your product or service compared to others in its category. All these things combine into one cohesive message: “We care about our customers because we want them to keep coming back!”
Analyze Your Budget
Budgeting is a vital part of any business, but it can be especially important for event professionals. It can help you plan for the future, set goals and manage your money effectively.
When people talk about budgeting, they usually mean setting aside some money for specific expenses or projects. But to fully understand how this works in practice, you have to start by knowing what kind of a budgeter you are: are you an optimist or pessimist? Do you think things will work out as planned (optimistic), or do things generally go wrong (pessimistic)? Are there circumstances under which nothing will ever go right?
Doing a little research on personality types and how they affect our financial habits may be helpful here–but don’t overthink it too much! Next up: deciding what kind of budgeter you want to be!
Plan Your Content and Agenda Very Carefully
If you’re an event professional, your job is to plan the agenda for each of your events. It’s a critical part of the event, but it can be a time-consuming process. Don’t worry—there are ways to make this easier and more efficient.
The first thing you need to do is determine what content you want to include in your event program. This will help inform which speakers or topics work best for attendees at your event and help guide decisions about how much time should be allocated for each speaker or topic during breaks between sessions (yes, breaks are important).
You should also decide whether it’s necessary for each session leader to have slides or handouts prepared ahead of time so they can focus on speaking rather than having technical issues hinder their ability to engage with attendees effectively during their talk itself
The Importance of Brand Consistency in Hybrid Events
Brand consistency is a key component in creating a successful hybrid event. Brand consistency helps attendees understand what to expect and helps organizers understand what they can expect from their attendees.
As an example, imagine you’re organizing an education-focused conference and want it to be held at your local convention center in downtown Chicago. You decide to upgrade some of the amenities at this venue and add food trucks on site so that there are more options for hungry attendees, who will hopefully spend more money on food than the traditional catered lunches you would normally provide at these events. But then your client asks about adding live music at night, which would require renting out another space nearby—perhaps even having it come from another part of town entirely!
This change could increase costs substantially. However, if you are consistent with branding across all aspects of this hybrid event (and provide appropriate messaging), then attendees will know what they should expect when deciding whether they will attend based on their own needs/preferences/etc.
Consequently, making decisions much easier for everyone involved: organizers may opt-in or out depending upon their own interests; those who do decide against attending are unlikely also willing to consider other options because doing so would break expectations established by previous experiences (expectations built on top of knowledge gained through brand consistency).
Showcase Each Individual Part of the Event Equally Well for a Great All-Around Experience
When you are working on a hybrid event, it is important to keep in mind that each individual part of the event should be showcased equally well. For example, if you are hosting a cocktail reception and dinner at an art gallery, then you need to ensure that your guests have an equally great experience at both events.
If your cocktail reception is held in an industrial space with concrete floors and exposed brick walls while your dinner takes place in a more traditional restaurant setting with polished wood tables and linen tablecloths, then it may seem like one part of the event was done better than another.
In this case we would advise you not only focus on making sure each part feels balanced but also try adding some extra touches here and there, such as flowers along one side table or adding some artwork throughout both areas so they feel connected visually even though they are separated into two different spaces.
Decide on Sustainability Efforts and Green Initiatives for the Event
To ensure the sustainability of your event, it is important to choose a venue that is environmentally friendly. A venue that has onsite recycling, composting, and service animals can help reduce waste and increase awareness. If choosing a pet-friendly location, be sure to consider how many pets are allowed per room; some places allow one animal per room while others make exceptions for service animals only.
Consider accessibility options as well: if you know attendees with mobility issues or other special needs will be attending your event then choose a venue that offers wheelchair ramps or accessible entrances and bathrooms. Finally, if you’re hosting an outdoor event make sure there are bike racks nearby for those who would prefer alternative transportation!
Promotion Strategies Event Professionals Should Use for Hybrid Events
You can promote your event by using a variety of content and marketing tactics. Here are some tips:
- Use social media to reach your target audience. Post videos and pictures on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other networks that will resonate with your target audience. Share the best photos with hashtags that are relevant to your brand or organization so people can find them easily when searching for something new in their feed.
- Use email marketing to reach your target audience. Send out emails with links to registration pages for guests who want more information about attending an upcoming event; consider creating a newsletter filled with special offers or invitations for discounts on tickets if they sign up today!
- Use a variety of channels to reach your target audience. If you’re promoting hybrid entertainment events like comedy clubs where people go just before dinner time, then there’s plenty of room in between meals where they might be hungry enough but not quite full enough yet so they might need something quick without all those extra calories!
Conclusion
The best part about hybrid events is that they have the potential to bring together many different people who wouldn’t normally interact with one another. This can be a powerful tool for brands looking to expand their reach and connect with new audiences—and it also makes for an exciting new way to create memorable experiences.
The opportunities are endless when it comes to creating unique hybrids, so get creative! Come check out The Event Planner Expo this year which is going to be one of the top Hybrid Events in the U.S. for 2022!
