Do I plan a virtual event or an in-person event? The answer to that question is not always simple when you are considering what is best for your stakeholders, your audience and your event as a whole for successful event delivery in a COVID world.
With COVID still being something that needs to be considered when planning your event, there is always a need for flexibility in the way you deliver your event to your audience. To deliver a successful event, you need to connect well with your target audience and event delivery in a COVID world looks a little different to how we did things a few years ago. Event production and management are essentially still the same, just with a little more of an open mind required.
Delivering an event or conference in person can be interrupted by delays in travel plans for attendees, speakers or delegates. Even the audience may be required to isolate themselves at home, making it very difficult for in-person only events, but do you want to take your event to a totally online experience?
After years of working from home, for some people the connection that comes from real-life networking, conferencing and events are what they want to participate in and so we need to be able to deliver to your audience as a whole, by using both virtual event management and in-person event production services; that’s where Hybrid events come in.
Hybrid event services are changing the way we help you connect.
No strangers to online virtual event services ourselves, when COVID hit Australia many events were canceled completely while everyone came to grips with how to connect with people again. Prior to the pandemic, Nextgen was providing online event management as a service that was growing in popularity. However, we have seen its popularity increase not only due to the need to work from home but due to the flexibility, cost-effectiveness and the ability to increase audience size over and above what is possible with in-person only events.
Our digital event services enable businesses to connect with their target audience successfully and easily with:
- Online ticket sales;
- Invitations and follow-up communications;
- Fully managed, glitch-free technology;
- Fully branded communications and platform;
- Break out rooms;
- Chat functions;
- Q&A sessions;
- Shared event recording;
So how do we help please both in-person audiences and those attending through a virtual event? With Hybrid event services.
A hybrid event is where your in-person event is held (almost) as usual, but the event also includes an event webcasting platform to live stream and connect with your audience online.
The benefits of hybrid events will have you rethinking the way you connect.
For businesses and event planners, there are a multitude of benefits when holding a hybrid event. By holding a hybrid event instead of an in-person only you have the opportunity to connect with those that would normally attend in-person if they can not attend the live event, and you can also take advantage of the ability to reach more people, even worldwide by opening the invitation to others via digital event services.
Key benefits of a hybrid event are:
- Convenience – say goodbye to cancellations and reduced ticket sales;
- The ability to make the most of your in-person event by sharing it in real-time (or as a recording) with attendees anywhere in the world;
- Value-adding effects and functions are added easily to capture (and retain) your audience’s attention;
- Cost-efficient, hybrid events can cut the usual costs of in-person only events;
The potential to boost audience numbers, and allow for attendees to watch recorded sessions at a convenient time give your stakeholders the benefit of potentially larger attendee numbers, increased revenue and enhanced interaction with potentially global audiences.
Up-to-the-minute analytics are presented at the end of each event when you work with Nextgen for your virtual online event management, so your stakeholders will quite quickly have a full report listing key metrics.
Hybrid events can be created by experienced event planners themselves by using a reputable AV event hire company to acquire quality equipment for the duration of the event, although due to the technicality of holding both in-person and online components, event management teams and event planners generally find it more efficient and convenient to acquire a trusted partner in hybrid event services.
Delivering hybrid events in a Covid world.
Hybrid events can be held with little in-person interaction if necessary, with the large portion of virtual event services being able to be delivered remotely by an experienced team, making it a very feasible option for businesses and brands looking to reconnect with their audiences after an unforeseeable long stretch of canceled events and conferences. Should unforeseen circumstances pop up, a good virtual event management company should be able to help you run your event successfully with minimal in-person contact.
When cost is a factor, hybrid events hosted online can really offer some value-adding components to an event without a large increase in cost. Break-out rooms allow ease of networking for attendees, and animations and custom branding help hold your audience’s attention and create an opportunity for increased revenue for event sponsors.
With the creative opportunities increased and costs cut compared to most in-person events, more measurable results and the opportunity to increase attendee numbers without the inconvenience of last-minute cancellations due to COVID , delivering your event or conference virtually with a hybrid event is a smart choice, with many businesses sold on the idea of continuing hybrid events long after the pandemic is over.
Chat to our experienced team about your next event and ask us for a detailed all-inclusive quote. Contact us today!
