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How to Turn Your Next Event Into A Successful Hybrid Event

September 10, 2021

Hybrid events aren’t going anywhere. The addition of virtual experience components to in-person events looks to be the continued future for the events industry. According to a survey from EventMB, 67% of respondents agree: hybrid is the roadmap for events going forward. In fact, 71% of the respondents said they will continue to employ a digital strategy after COVID concerns pass. So, consider how you are going to evolve your future events by adding a hybrid component.

The critical factor is making sure you are making your event a hybrid event in the right way. For example, a hybrid event is NOT an in-person event with a live stream or video-on-demand replays of the live event. Creating a successful hybrid event means taking both your in-person and virtual audiences into account during event development and programming.

successful-hybrid-event-header

Types of Events That Can Be Made into Hybrid Events

  • Awards
  • Career Fairs
  • Commencements
  • Conferences
  • Educational Courses, Training, & Workshops
  • Expos
  • Fundraisers
  • Galas
  • Networking
  • Seminars
  • Summits
  • Tradeshows
  • Panels
  • Parties & Weddings
  • Product Announcements, Launches, & Demos
  • Internal events
  • Kickoffs
  • Large Meetings
  • Townhalls

A virtual component can enhance nearly any in-person event to turn it into a successful hybrid event.

The Benefits of Hybrid Events

The biggest pushback about adding a virtual component to a traditionally in-person event is that it will split the event’s attendees, and fewer people will show up in person. But, what we have found over the years is that virtual events don’t split your event’s audience. Instead, turning your in-person event into a hybrid event through a virtual component increases your audience size. The majority of remote attendees to a hybrid event would not participate if the event were offered as an in-person-only experience. When event admission, travel expenses, or simply taking the time away from the office prevents in-person attendance, a virtual experience opens your event to a broader audience.

Hybrid Event Scalability

Another essential benefit of hybrid events is scalability. Many of the growing pains associated with growing an in-person-only event are bypassed by turning your event into a successful hybrid event. Scaling the virtual component of a hybrid event for hundreds or thousands of more attendees is significantly easier and more cost-efficient than organizing the same growth for an in-person-only event.

Improved Analytics

Getting accurate numbers and metrics for an in-person is a difficult and often costly affair. Digital platforms and spaces are built with analytics in mind from day one. Event producers have a much easier and accurate measure of a hybrid event’s digital consumption. Instead of counting people coming in the door of an exhibit hall, many digital platforms can tell you how many people participated, in some cases down to the minute. It is much easier to determine what parts of your event were hot and which were not. These improved analytics make it much easier to plan your next event and rely less on guesswork and gut feeling.

Improved Flexibility

Hybrid events give you increased agility to pivot your event to changing circumstances. Travel restrictions, natural disasters, inclement weather, and shutdowns can wreak havoc on an in-person event. Often these upsetting circumstances can force an event to be postponed or outright canceled. Adding a digital component to your event to create a hybrid event provides you the flexibility, if needed, to move would-be in-person attendees to the virtual programming you already have in place as part of your event with much less work.

What Makes a Hybrid Event a Success?

The primary factor that leads to whether a hybrid event is a success or not is if it is engaging for your audience, especially digital audiences. What can your event do to make it a more fulfilling experience for your virtual audience than watching a live or recorded video stream of the event? Unique elements like behind-the-scenes and virtual attendee exclusive content are an excellent place to start. Can you offer breakout rooms, live chat, polling, or Q&A sessions for your virtual attendees to enhance their experience? Think of how you can turn your virtual attendees from a passive audience into an active audience.

Design Your Event Programming for Hybrid Audiences

One of the best ways to ensure your hybrid event is a success is by designing your event for attendance for in-person and remote audiences. It’s crucial your virtual attendees don’t feel like second-class attendees who are can only access parts of your event. Virtual audiences understand they will not have the same event floor experience as someone attending the event in person. But, think of how you can make their event experience as close to the in-person experience as possible.

Alternatively, you can design your event from the group up as two different experiences. For in-person attendees, you may want to focus on the networking element, meet and greets, booths, and mixers. Those experiences all play to the strengths of the in-person attendee. Meanwhile, remote attendees can focus on speakers, panels, and digital-first workshops. Because nothing stops an in-person attendee from going to these events in person or taking a break from the event floor to participate in a virtual session from their hotel room, consider what exclusive content you can create that caters to the strengths of each audience.

Produce Your Event Like a TV Program

Think of your event as a television show filmed in front of a live audience. Try creating smaller, in-person audience experiences and focus your event budget on increasing the production quality of your video, audio, lighting, and effects for remote audiences. Enhancing production quality in this way will make your hybrid event a better experience for both virtual and in-person attendees.

With this in mind, it’s critical to choose a venue for your hybrid event that has the AV technology, support, and internet quality to support your hybrid event. Experienced, full-service event production companies like Onstage Systems can help you choose a venue and work around any limitations.

Keep Your Programming Fresh

As previously stated, engagement is the number one factor for hybrid event success and success for any event type. Look for opportunities to mix up your programming, keep it fresh, and avoid the bog-standard corporate keynote, breakout, and repeat tendency. New, engaging content is essential when you’re dealing with virtual audiences. Their email, social media, and the rest of the internet are just a click away.

Digital attention spans are shorter than those of in-person attendees. Keep your programming focused and be concise. Keeping your content shorter and liberally structured with small breaks can help keep your audience fresh and engaged for a longer period of time.

Hybrid Event Pitfalls to Avoid

Creating a hybrid component for your event can lead you into some unexpected pitfalls, especially if you’re new to building an event to service in-person and remote audiences. Here are some common pitfalls to avoid when planning your successful hybrid event.

Not Treating Your Audiences as Equals

It cannot be overemphasized how important it is that both your in-person audience and virtual audience feel like they’re getting a fantastic experience from your event. That means you need to go out of your way to ensure each audience has special moments of experiences that give them that sense of fulfillment. To craft a unique and memorable experience for your virtual audience, you can’t just set up a camera and mic and record what’s going on for the live audience. Include parts in your event programming that provide an experience that cannot be duplicated or better executed for other types of attendees.

Scheduling Your Event Without Thought to Timezones

It can be easy to forget that your virtual attendees may be tuning in from a different timezone. If you have a keynote speaker that starts at 8 AM EST, that’s 5 AM for your attendees on the West Coast. This problem is compounded further if you need to consider a sizable overseas audience. Assess the geographic distribution of your attendees and give priority to the most-anticipated parts of your event, scheduling them in the most convenient time slots for the majority of your virtual attendees. You might also consider some early-morning or late-night programming for your event that your faraway attendees to access according to their schedules.

Spending Your Budget in the Wrong Place

Overspending on food and beverage budgets or an oversized venue is not uncommon. Introducing a virtual component to an in-person event can allow you to spend your event budget in new and different ways. Conversely, you must avoid skimping on your A/V budget. A sizable portion of your hybrid event’s audience is dependent on good video, sound, and lighting to get the most out of the experience. People are not going to be happy with a subpar virtual event experience.

Complicated Technology and Tech Problems

Technology issues can be a death knell for the virtual component of your hybrid event. You need the resources to handle complicated technology, tech gremlins, and other logistical issues. These issues can range from picking a venue with subpar internet capabilities, a difficult-to-use virtual event platform, or an amateur event partner. That’s why it’s best to partner with a capable, full-service event production company like Onstage Systems, which has a successful history of putting on in-person, virtual, and hybrid events of all types. A great events partner can help you plan for a successful hybrid event from the start and assist you in picking the venue, software platforms, and equipment to create a successful hybrid event.

Successful Hybrid Events with Onstage Systems

A recent GBTA study found that the number of hybrid events is expected to double compared to last year. Creating your successful hybrid event means partnering with a company you can trust to help bring your event to life. Work with a professional event production company with decades of experience producing all manner of events: from helping put on concert tours across the US for some of the biggest names in music to black-tie galas, corporate conferences, virtual holiday drone shows, and more. Let Onstage Systems help make your next event into an unforgettable hybrid event.

Contact Onstage Systems

Category: Special Events Production, Concerts & Tours, Corporate Events, Music Festivals, Worship Events, Sporting Events, Trade Shows

Event Management and AV Production for the Cattle Baron’s Ball

November 1, 2019

 

Cattle Baron's Ball AV Production / lighting solution / staging rentals by Onstage Systems

The Cattle Baron’s Ball is one of Dallas’ most well-attended fundraising events. Since 1974, the Cattle Baron's Ball has raised over $81 million for cancer research. For many years now, the one-night fundraiser benefiting the American Cancer Society has been hosted at Gilley’s Dallas.

The fundraiser contributes much of its success to the sponsors and partners that donate luxury raffle items such as vehicles from Volvo, Mercedes, Porsche and Range Rover, a Hawaiian Getaway, a $10K Debit Card, and a $10K Highland Park Shopping. 

Onstage Systems has been a long-time supporter of the Cattle Baron’s Ball. For over 40 years we have provided this event with event management and av production services such as staging rentals, lighting, audio, live event production, and onsite technical assistance. Onstage organized the event logistics of the live auction by preparing lights, speakers, and microphones. Perhaps even more exciting than that, we were granted the opportunity to manage the full production and offer onsite technical assistance for this year’s headlining talent, Keith Urban.

Keith Urban and Travis Tritt on stage for the Cattle Baron's Ball, AV Production by Onstage

Keith Urban and Travis Tritt helped raise funds with spectacular performances. However, they are only the latest in big names to have performed here. Throughout its history, many adored country music stars have supported the cause with entertainment, including Tammy Wynette, Johnny Cash, Crystal Gayle, Willie Nelson, George Strait, Waylon Jennings, Brooks & Dunn, Clint Black, Dwight Yoakam, Big & Rich, Toby Keith, Sugarland, Brad Paisley, Zac Brown Band, and many more.

Cattle Baron's Ball AV Production / lighting solution / staging rentals / technical support by Onstage Systems

In the early years of the event, Onstage Systems faced challenges with venue preparation. The tent outside Gilley’s Dallas was unable to hold the number of video walls, automated lights, and large top-of-the-line speakers due to weight restrictions. Times like these are when having a staff of creative and experienced technicians become critical. Our staging department designed a custom indoor ground supported rigging grid that could fulfill all of our needs. This has since been certified by our engineers for safety and is now the standard for this event. 
With Onstage’s complex staging, lighting, and audio visual elements, we had to coordinate our complex installations with vendors bringing tables, chairs, and decor that also required the space. Onstage contributes to the annual success of this event to our attention to detail and everyone’s dedication to cooperation.
Cattle Baron's Ball AV Production / lighting solution / staging rentals by Onstage Systems

Category: Featured Work, Special Events Production

AV Production and Decor Lighting for the 2018 Petroleum Ball

April 3, 2018

Dallas Petroleum Club wanted to shake things up a little more this year!

For years we have provided AV production, design, and technical support to include decor lighting, audio, and staging.

Each year the Petroleum Ball host one or two bands, usually a headliner followed by a party band on a separate stage. This year, however, our client wanted something different.  They wanted no downtime and two national acts!

To accommodate a growing crowd, the decision to reduce the number of stages to one main stage was made. The logistical challenges of doing this with two bands were further increased with the client's request of one band to immediately follow the other without interruption. Our av production and creativity had to be at its best to pull off this exciting challenge.

The momentum of the event would continue after the headliner to the party band was solved by Onstage Systems to provide a 48’ diameter rotating stage this year to achieve that goal.

After dinner, the Petroleum Ball's main stage lit up with Pat Green and his band keeping the audience entertained. With both bands on the stage back to back and separated from sight by a drape, the guests were treated to not only a seamless performance but a creative transition as the real magic happened.

Huey Lewis and the News drummer took to the stage and started the sound of a heartbeat with his kick drum as the stage slowly turned. The band entered to the roar of an amazed crowd. Huey Lewis and the News moving performance electrified the crowd to an out of their seats experience for their entire set.

In addition to the great stage production and av production, Onstage Systems worked hand in hand with the decor design to help create exactly what the client was looking for.

Teamwork, across different companies involved in one project, is integral to a cohesive and well delivered overall product. In these cases, you know the left hand is talking to the right hand — and it shows in the final overall outcome!

The many challenges that we faced in presenting such an event push us to technical resolves and creative options that fuel us. These and other types of events are truly what drives us to the best at what we do.

The satisfaction of our clients in being able to take an abstract thought and transcend past even their greatest possibilities is what separates the good from the great.

Category: Featured Work, Special Events Production

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Dallas, TX, 75227
Phone: 972.686.4488

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