Hybrid events have been a constant talk of the town since the uproar of the pandemic. Post-COVID, what seemed like a fade reality has become the most sought-after choice among event organizers, the hybrid events. Hybrid events have taken a center stage when it comes to event hosting nowadays, but what still seems to be a task for most organizers is to find methods to improve engagement in these events.
There are many ways to jazz up a hybrid conference, from fascinating scavenger hunts to rewarding contests, speaker-audience interactive sessions to immersive venue walkthroughs. The most important aspect to be taken into consideration is that both in-person and virtual audiences would require a separate plan for maximum engagement. It’s not as difficult as you might think to combine the in-person and online experiences, but it does require some preparation and a strategy to pull it off.
So, let’s begin your journey from “HOW” to “WOW.”
Boost Engagement Among In-Person Attendees
Engaging virtual attendees is though difficult yet crucial for the success of your event. Without the physical presence, active participation of these attendees is often lacking. To boost this, given below are some ways you can engage with them throughout the event.
Immersive Environment for Virtual Attendees
For a virtual attendee, the initial impact of the virtual event solely depends upon the look and feel of the event. Having a dedicatedly curated immersive virtual environment offers the attendees ways to interact within the event. Choosing the right virtual event platform can help you create such an immersive and interactive environment to boost attendee engagement. Using technologies like AR and VR, attendee experience can be further nurtured to create life-like experiences.Multiple Interactive Touchpoints
Though difficult, virtual event attendees too can engage in social interaction at your hybrid event. Using elements like live polls, virtual booths, or breakout rooms creates a chance to constantly interact with your online audience by replicating the feel of an actual event. Additionally, creating virtual scribble walls for your hybrid event offer attendees to share their feedback which gives them a feeling of participation.A Virtual Host
With the help of a skilled virtual host, you may facilitate dialogues with your online audience and enhance their enjoyment of the event. A virtual entertainer will keep the conversation moving and avoid any awkward silences, whether it be in between sessions or even if technical difficulties occur.Provide Networking Opportunities
The opportunity to network with professionals in the industry is one of the primary motivations for attendees to come to an event. Care must be taken to offer networking opportunities to your virtual audience with both online and in-person attendees to avoid disengagement. Using an effective virtual event technology platform, you can make sure that your attendees can network and interact with other participants, speakers, exhibitors, and sponsors.Speaker – Audience Interactions
Speakers should keep in mind to address both the in-person and online audiences separately. In a virtual event, the audience often feels a lack of acknowledgment from the speaker, which seizes to gain their attention. As the event organizer, make sure you inform your presenters about thanking your virtual attendees and addressing them directly while looking into the camera.Uphold Good Production Standards
At hybrid events, the poor production quality is a big barrier in keeping virtual attendees engaged. So keeping the live stream of your event at pace with broadcast TV quality is one of the key areas of focus when trying to capture the interest of your virtual guests. If a live stream does not provide the viewers with a high-quality experience, it reduces viewer engagement. Integrating contemporary technology in your productions will keep your audience engaged all the way through.Dedicated Assistance
Giving your virtual audience access to a dedicated team or a robust virtual event platform enables them to always stay informed of the agenda and even get in touch with someone in case they run into any difficulties exploring the event online. Additionally, if you have a specialized team to assist your virtual attendees, you can address any issues they may have much more quickly.
By adopting the correct hybrid event ideas and a dependable event technology platform, you can increase engagement with your virtual attendees at a hybrid event
Let’s now let’s understand the same for the in-person guests as well.
Boost Engagement Among In-Person Attendees
In-person guests at a hybrid event are seeking engaging activities and fantastic networking chances to make their experience worthwhile. As an organizer, you should take this into account and give your in-person attendees an unmatched event experience.
Let’s look at a few of the approaches you should look into.
Enable Speed Networking
The enthusiasm that your in-person participants experience can be greatly increased by providing speed networking chances. This is because it enables a larger number of people in your audience to get to know one another and share useful information. As part of your plan, or even in between sessions, you can include speed networking opportunities. You can gather groups on the basis of their interest, hobbies, or random table number sequences to enable networking opportunities for them.Keep it Short and Sweet
It can be difficult to capture people’s attention, so if you want to succeed at events, you must carefully offer content that is both concise and worthwhile. Making sure that your hybrid event is both distinctive and time-worthy for attendees is crucial. Attendees can appreciate and stay glued to their seats by making sure your event’s material is as crisp as possible. You can design event material that your in-person attendees will find valuable by conducting an analysis of your event content based on the relevancy and the target audience.Feature Event Pods
Event pods sometimes referred to as huddle pods, are a fantastic technique to increase engagement at hybrid events. These pods enable your in-person attendees to interact directly with exhibitors, sponsors, and other attendees. More individuals network as a result, which increases the attendance at your event.Digestible Takeaways
When your audience is live, it’s more important to share documented information with them after the event. After the event, it’s vital to distribute materials to your audience. In addition to giving them a refresher on your subject, this maintains you in their minds while they think about their future business demands. This might offer you a good chance to determine who attended your event to which you can send a follow-up email with supporting materials and further information for your next event.
So now you know how to boost engagement in your next hybrid event, now all you need is to partner with a seasoned virtual event technology provider to get the best virtual event platform to suit your needs.
ibentos has been the events industry leader for over a decade now, with extensive experience catering to a wide gamut of leading event organizers across the globe. As pioneers in hybrid and virtual events technology, we have always emphasized adopting the latest technologies to curate innovative solutions with quick implementation, aided by our comprehensive approach to help you build an edge over the competition. At ibentos, we develop the most comprehensive and customized models for each client to cater to their specific requirements and offer complete end-to-end solutions, from ideation to implementation.
Read more | Virtual Conferences – The 2021 Guide
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