Hybrid meetings and events – cutting through the noise

We can all agree that 2020 was the year of unprecedented challenges and innovations. Whilst physical events saw a significant drop in activity, virtual events were booming in all shapes and sizes. Some companies chose to opt out of events completely, others embraced this new format.

The global virtual events market size is expected to be valued at $774 billion by 2030.

source: Grand View Research

It’s safe to say that virtual events are here to stay, but a lot of companies are now on the lookout for a new guy in town – hybrid events.

What is a hybrid event, and is it really that new?

Hybrid events are designed to merge both live and virtual event audiences. Two distinct audiences can each participate in the same event, brought together through different virtual and live elements, designed to provide them with comparable experiences and outcomes from their interaction. The hybrid event offering will make your event more visible than it would otherwise be.

For those of you who don’t know, iVent was celebrating its 10th year anniversary just last April, and with our 11th year anniversary fast approaching, it’s safe to say we’re virtual event veterans. We’ve been offering and delivering hybrid, virtual/live events for sometime now and the concept itself is not actually that new. With the worldwide pandemic ongoing and mass vaccinations progressing fast, there is a potential for some events to return but not in the traditional sense, but in this new format, which would allow smaller physical events to be attended by larger audiences virtually. Many big hotel organisations like NH Hotels and InterContinental have already adapted themselves to bring this format to the table.

What do hybrid meetings and events mean to us?

71.1% of event organisers say that connecting in-person and virtual audiences is their biggest challenge.

source: Markletic.com

We at iVent have developed the blended hybrid model and have been delivering this format successfully since the start of COVID-19 – but what does that mean?

It is about maximising attendance and engagement at your events by giving delegates, presenters, sponsors and hosts a choice in how they attend the event, whether that’s from a logistical perspective and not actually being able to get there or from a protective stance where they have health and wellbeing concerns.

The iVent hybrid delivery option gives our customers a peace of mind that whatever the prevailing circumstances, due to the pandemic, they can still have well attended events with their choice of speaker and continue to deliver genuine ROI to their sponsors.

How do hybrid meetings and events work?

The process behind hybrid events and meetings sound technical, but it’s actually quite simple. When you decide to deliver hybrid events, you would first organise the live event as normal. Our project team will then discuss the details with you, enabling you to set up the virtual part of your event as usual.

NetZeroFestival delivering a live streamed presentation in iVent platform

Your live footage from your event will be streamed online for remote delegates to view and online delegates can interact in a live chat or participate in a poll as they would in your physical event. Not only that, but delegates from both audiences will be able to interact with each other as they would in a traditional event. Your live streamed footage will be automatically recorded in the platform, meaning that it will be available for viewing on-demand, and even to share across social channels.

We also know how important support is during a live event, which is why we have recently launched our new live chat and phone support channels that are available to you whenever your event is going live.