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One of the biggest changes to the experiential marketing landscape, over the course of the last eighteen months, has been the evolution of the virtual landscape and the rise of the hybrid event.
Our interactions with each other, within the context of broader society, have significantly changed. The ease of global mobility has been turned on its head and our ability to attend in person events is becoming increasingly limited.
So what exactly is a Virtual Event?
Put simply, a virtual event is an event that has been designed to be delivered online, via either video hosting or streaming platforms. Virtual events can be both pre-recorded (thus providing greater flexibility for speakers and attendees to present / replay event content) or be live streamed from any place around the globe with a half decent internet connection.
& why are they on the rise?
Our interactions with each other, within the context of broader society, have significantly changed. The ease of global mobility has been turned on its head and our ability to attend in person events is becoming increasingly limited.
But virtual events, simply by being virtual, mean that prospective attendees can consume the event content in the comfort of their own home, with a glass of wine in their hands or even in their pyjamas!.
Other benefits of virtual events include:
- Greater flexibility for audiences to consume content as they can consume content at their own pace and, when the event if recorded, replay information of interest
- Reduced costs (venue hire is eliminated) and creation of content
- Increased participation numbers and rates of engagement
- Increased networking opportunities through live chat rooms and tag based interactions. Searching for a prospective connection is also much easier as it’s easier to search a name in an electronic format than try to scour a room full of name tags.
- Easy to collect and collate feedback and attendance analytics
All of the above sounds pretty cool right? But what if there was another option, which combined the best of both virtual and physical events?
Enter the Hybrid Event....
A hybrid event is simple that; a combination of the best elements of a physical event with the those of a virtual one, in order to delivery a unified experience to the end consumer.
So how does a Hybrid Event work. We’ll explain?
Take your yearly sales conference, where you rock up, sit through numerous seminars and presentations, get dressed up and attend the formal dinner and networking session and then grab your complementary goody bag on the way home?
All very perfunctory and a great example of how a conference style event works and a great chance to get away from the office for a few days.
But imagine you could do all of the above activities, get your all important goody bag and never have to leave the comfort of your couch?
Sounds like a dream right?
You attend your seminars through webinars and live-streamed presentations; you network via chat rooms and live streamed Q&A sessions: you attend the Gala Dinner via webinar with a delectable grazing platter in front of you, pre-delivered right to your doorstep and most importantly, it’s all accompanied by your event goody bag.
Possibly event heaven?
So why consider a Hybrid Event?
- Allows a broader level of attendance with venue limitation eliminated
- Provides flexibility for attendees, especially those who may be unable due to health risks or travel restrictions
- Like virtual events, Hybrid can be cost effective for organisers and attendees and drive participation and engagement rates; lower cost of participation may mean the event is more attractive to a wider audience
- Encourages the growth of networks across both physical and virtual spaces
Virtual and hybrid events are certainly not new platforms for event delivery; however the ever changing global landscape has meant that their importance, in creating new avenues for consumer connection, is huge and what’s more, should never be discounted as a means of creating memorable experiences within the wider global community.
If you’re keen to explore the possibility of a virtual and hybrid event for
