The Benefits of Hybrid Events

We’ve all heard the saying, “You can’t have your cake and eat it too.” When it comes to hosting an event, however, you can have it both ways. Say hello to the hybrid event.

Hybrid solutions are gaining popularity as event goers look for more attendee options in light of COVID-19. Your live event is at the mercy of your event goers comfort levels as health restrictions ebb and flow. Bring forward the hybrid event and you get the best of both worlds – an option for those who favor live events and an option for those who choose to stay at home.

Not only are hybrid events a convenient option for event planners and goers alike, they also bring forward a spectrum of benefits that live and virtual as individual events do not offer.

What is a hybrid event?

Hybrid events combine in-person attendance and virtual meeting components to provide a solution for all comfort levels. Through video conferencing, polling, and audiovisual tools, hybrid events can still yield wide-scale outcomes by facilitating both in-person and virtual attendees.

What do hybrid events look like?

The usual hybrid events model revolves around a smaller in-person group and a larger virtual group that is engaging for all attendees. A hybrid event can be as complex or as simple as your business desires.

A simple Zoom set-up could suffice, but for a multi-day or programmed event, it’s essential to go beyond a simple live stream. Otherwise, it is easy for virtual attendees to feel left behind. Ensuring digital value at your events, such as exclusive content access offering, interviews with notable figures, or behind-the-scenes footage, is what creates the most successful hybrid events.

Benefits of hybrid events: 

Discover how a hybrid event can help benefit your business.

• Increased reach and attendance

One of the biggest perks of a hybrid event is offering a rich attendee experience for a larger audience. Attendees are no longer limited by travel limitations, unexpected costs, and health regulations when choosing to attend your event. In the end, you’ll be able to fill the maximum number of seats at a fraction of the cost.

• Higher engagement with your audience

Through the use of virtual tools, programming, and information sharing, your attendees walk away with more knowledge than a traditional in-person event. By providing them with extra resources, content, and live digital interaction, virtual and in-person attendees will be fully engaged with one another.

• Ability to re-watch and share information

Hybrid events bring forward the best of technology and enhance information sharing for all attendees. Virtual platforms store pre-recorded and live sessions for easy access after the event ends, enabling your attendees to revisit and share the content they found most valuable.

• Available for any size budget

In-person events can swallow up crucial company dollars. However, combining virtual expansion offers a boundless opportunity to take event hosting to a new level and increase your impact without bending your budget.

• More sponsorship opportunities

Online engagement is an attractive avenue for other companies to tap into sponsorship deals. By finding event sponsors, you reduce your cost and increase the sponsor’s name recognition.

• Improved return on investment

By using a virtual platform alongside your live-event, you are reducing operational costs, generating a larger lead pool and expanding your event’s reach for an overall better event experience.

• Larger metrics and insights

The advantage of virtual tools is meticulous data collection that gives you unique insights on audience engagement that can carry over into marketing and other business operations.

• Greater flexibility

Without event space requirements and a headcount to keep in mind with every negotiation, planners have much more flexibility when strategizing for a hybrid event.

Hybrid events accommodate COVID-19 guidelines

The event industry has undoubtedly been shaken up by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, event planners have the flexibility to provide their attendees with an experience that works for them and their comfort levels. 

In addition, hybrid events can improve:

• Social distancing efforts
• Technology options for biosecurity
• Food and beverage handling
• Cleaning and PPE

Conclusion

If your business is interested in hosting a hybrid event, you’ll need to partner with a platform provider that offers multi-functional digital support for the gathering.

At Stova, we support audiences from 20 to 200,000+ with our virtual engagement platform designed for virtual and hybrid events. Contact us today to learn more about our event platform capabilities and how you can improve your ROI by partnering with Stova.