According to Meeting Professionals International’s [MPI’s] 2021 Meetings Outlook survey, over half of meeting planners say their next in-person meeting is contingent on the distribution of a safe and effective vaccine.
Virtual & Hybrid Events – Keeping Us Connected
While planners keep an eye on the long-term safety and effectiveness of vaccines, they continue using virtual and hybrid event formats to stay connected and offer value to their stakeholders.
A live hybrid event combines a group of in-person and online participants in different locations. Wherever they’re viewing from, participants are looking for a collective and individual experience that’s positive and memorable – through their eyes.
Attending an in-person event is a weighty decision based on national and local regulations, participant and presenters’ comfort level with traveling, risk/reward analysis with what they expect to gain and experience, and how they prefer to engage with others. In an era of customer experience and targeted marketing, hybrid and virtual experiences offer participants a safe and wider set of options to choose from.
And the power of digital means that some in-person events that could take over a year to bring together, can be created cost-effectively, in a shorter timeframe, with incredible opportunity for extended international audience reach.
Virtual and hybrid events have swiftly moved from being an event-planners lifesaver to a big communications opportunity.
Make Hybrid and Virtual Events Memorable
And so, more than ever, it’s critical to really know your audience and understand what to prioritize for your in-person, virtual and hybrid experiences.
Setting up a camera on a tripod and streaming it for your audience might be appropriate for a single presentation, but it won’t work for an annual meeting or large convention.
Meet your participants’ experience needs by putting yourself in their shoes at EVERY stage of your virtual event, just as you would do with in-person attendees. With insight, creativity and the right partnerships, you can deliver effective solutions that won’t break your budget.
For example, at an in-person annual meeting, your audience is immersed in the environment. There’s a buzz in the atmosphere. Participants are mingling, walking from space to space and there are branding elements everywhere.
How Do You Recreate that Same Excitement Virtually?
Consider filming a live walkthrough in your event space, showing in-person participants and presenters in the background, feature fun breakouts sessions, coffee breaks, or unique branded areas onsite as well as in your event platform. Pre-record segments from in-person or remote attendees asking them to share what they’re most excited about and play those segments at the beginning of the event or during breaks. Provide unique content for remote participants, so they feel as valued as any in-person attendees.
Vary the Experience – Based on Audience and Meeting Type
Develop a bespoke journey specifically targeted to all persona-types in your audience, taking into account cultural and language differences. By fostering that feeling of a shared experience, your increase your value proposition and ROI. People feel seen, and their unique needs met.
Give everyone a break from online meetings and the dreaded ‘Zoom fatigue’, by employing a new meeting format through a bespoke event platform like our custom-branded, storytelling engine, Chime LiveSM.
Set the Stage
Chime Live is a full event solution that connects in-person and online participants seamlessly with the show and content. It sets the stage virtually and is full of flexible engagement and interaction tools that allow your audience to check in with themselves on what they’re learning, engage with your presenters in real time, and talk with other participants. The virtual and hybrid event experience is elevated through immersive design aesthetics.
Everything including the live or pre-recorded broadcasts reside in the platform. Two-way communication and feedback opportunities are built in through networking spaces, chat, questions, gamification and forums, plus participants have the ability to review and save additional rich materials.
Broadcast Studios
Even if your participants can’t attend in-person, don’t forget the impact that a beautifully designed professional stage can have on the event identity and the delivery of content from presenters and panellists. We have over 4000 broadcast & pop-up studios across the world that can host your presenters and panelist, then stream to participants, wherever they are.
Other Hybrid Experience Types
For those who prioritize meeting like-minded people and building their professional network, a local meetup in smaller numbers or multiple ‘pods’ might benefit both your in-person and remote participants.
They may not be able to travel abroad or across the country, but they may consider meeting with a few others locally. How can you best serve them and link them up with other virtual participants and presenters? What do you need to invest in?
Don’t be afraid to implement new ideas to boost their experience. Levels of engagement, interaction and feedback are all measurable through Chime Live.
Comments