At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the worldwide events industry all but shut down. Sport, live music, theatre, and corporate events were all cancelled for extended periods.
Many companies adapted by moving to a virtual event process, which all took place online.
Now that a lot of countries are relaxing their pandemic restrictions, many companies are eager to get back to in-person events but to keep some of the advantages of virtual events. And so the hybrid event is becoming the new norm.
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SubscribeThe shifting expectations of attendees
Hybrid events incorporate the best of both worlds for both event organizers and attendees. Specialist event platforms and live streaming company services have made the process seamless.
There are now high expectations of event organizers to run high-quality events with a strong digital component.
So what are the advantages of hybrid events?
Higher attendance numbers
No venue capacity for virtual attendees (unless you’re creating a limited event). YOu can have people attend from all over the world if you wish. Without having to factor in the cost of international travel, they may be more inclined to buy a ticket to your event. A larger audience for the same cost is great for your ROI.
Better speakers
Reduced costs of physical events coupled with higher ticket sales, will free up the budget to attract better and more exciting speakers to your event.
Improved accessibility
While you might make every effort to make your in-person events accessible, it can often be difficult for people with certain physical or mental health issues to attend. By moving the event online removes a lot of those barriers and increased the accessibility of your event.
More sponsorship opportunities
Hybrid events provide the opportunity for you to offer sponsorship on more platforms. In addition to the traditional sponsorship opps, you can also offer digital ones too.
Better data
Using an online event platform can give you granular data on event attendees. Which sessions did they attend, how long for, and if they interacted when they were in there. This data can produce valuable intel for your sponsors and give you the information you need to improve your future events.
Offer on-demand events
The virtual element of events can be accessed at any time by attendees in other time zones, or even packaged up post-event and sold separately. Your company can benefit from this event for many months after it is finished.
Key points
It’s understandable that businesses want to get back to running events as soon as possible. After all, they are an important part of brand management and lead generation. There were a lot of lessons to be learned about holding virtual events over the last 18 months and it would be a missed opportunity to take these lessons and apply them to future events.
From now on, hybrid events are going to be the way forward for many companies who want to attract a more diverse range of attendees that they might otherwise have not been able to reach.
