What are the keys to organize a hybrid event with content and on/offline participation?

ROSA GARRIGA, Contributor to the Event ROI Institute and MPI

 

One of the most important things is to form two teams, one for the on-site part and one for the virtual part. An event of these characteristics requires a very quick response capacity.

The virtual master of ceremonies plays a key role in this process. He is the one who facilitates the real interaction between the participants. There are very effective tools for this, from Twitter itself to GotoMeeting, for example. If they ask questions to the speakers in the audience and do not get a quick answer, it is easier for them to get tired and disconnect.

When there are pauses in the on-site event, you have to have content ready for online broadcasting. And I'm not talking about placing a fixed camera pointing to the auditorium and that's it, but to conduct small interviews with attendees or speakers and launch video summaries of the day.

In addition to the participants, some of the speakers can intervene remotely from anywhere in the world. This can greatly enrich the sessions at a very low cost, since there are no transportation and accommodation expenses. In any case, this type of interventions must be short to work well.

In any event, but especially in the hybrid ones, the previous preparation is essential, and through the online channel the duration can be stretched at will. With social networks and specific applications, more and more people are opting for the programming of topics proposed by future participants. In any case, a balance is always advisable between the content provided by the experts and that proposed by the participants.