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staging design

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

Lighting Solutions for Mark Cuban’s 60th Birthday Party

August 5, 2019

mark cuban 60th birthday dallas mavericks onstage systems audio visual event production

Texas Billionaire investor and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban celebrated his 60th birthday in style with a surprise party planned by his wife, Tiffany Stewart.

Onstage Systems enhanced a lavish tent in Mark Cuban’s backyard complete with audio, visual, staging, and lighting solutions. From artistic lighting features to personal video visuals, Onstage Systems transformed a small tent into a memorable venue fit for a Texas King.

Lighting solutions for Mark Cuban 60th birthday dallas mavericks provided by Onstage Systems: audio visual event production company

mark cuban 60th birthday dallas mavericks onstage systems audio visual event production
mark cuban 60th birthday dallas mavericks onstage systems audio visual event productionmark cuban 60th birthday dallas mavericks onstage systems audio visual event production

Category: Featured Work, Special Events Production

What Is Stage Lighting and When Should You Use It

May 31, 2018

types of stage lightingStage lighting is lighting that is needed to light up a stage, and it’s a powerful tool for all events.

It’s a way to increase attention at your event and used to highlight people, stage backdrops and props, and more!

Taking a deeper dive, we find that we can direct someone's focus with light drawing their eyes around the stage.

Lighting can communicate emotion using color, texture and different amounts of light.

An experienced lighting designer can transform a simple event into an exciting experience. From conferences to concerts, or sales meetings to church services, stage lighting can be used for any type of event.

Providing More Than Light

Stage lighting provides four main functions at events: Visibility, Motivation, Composition, and Mood.

Visibility:

Staging lighting provides visibility and direction for where the audience should direct their attention.

Motivation:

For most events, lighting designers strive to make the light look natural for the environment and setting.

Composition:

For events like plays, the lighting director will work closely with the scene designer to make sure the background and important props or people are visible to the audience.

Mood:

Lighting has the ability to change the mood of a crowd, whether it’s slow and mellow or colorful and upbeat.

stage light positionsStage Lighting Positions

Most stage lighting designers focus on five main positions of stage lighting.

Front Lights

– These lights are the primary source of lighting for the event.

Side Lighting

– Primarily used to highlight the sides of the performer’s body.

High Side Lighting

– These shine the light on the top of the performer’s head, neck and shoulders so you can see their facial expressions.

Back Lighting

– These lights create depth and separate the performer with the background.

Down Lights

 – This lighting is used to wash an area of the stage with soft or harsh light.

Types of Stage Lighting

 

Automated Lighting

Automated lighting can be a flexible and economical alternative to stationary lighting. It’s perfect for events in a theater, nightclub, concert hall or church.

Conventional Fixtures and Spotlights

Unlike automated lighting, conventional lighting fixtures provide only one function, and that's illumination. We recommend conventional lighting for conferences, company events or large seminars where there’s only one person speaking at a time.

LED Lighting

LED lighting is the most energy-efficient way of lighting an event. On-stage performers appreciate the comfort of LEDs, as they emit very little heat and they rarely need replacing.

Equipment You May Need

  • Mixing Console
  • Decor Lighting
  • Dimmers
  • Motors & Lifts
  • Backdrops
  • Trusses
  • Atmosphere & Special Effects, such as: Fog Machines, Confetti Cannons, and Strobe Lights

Learn more about our Stage Lighting Equipment Rentals »

Need to rent equipment to light your next event? Contact Onstage Systems today!

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Category: News

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