What is a hybrid event?
A hybrid event unites elements from both in-person and virtual experiences to ensure attendees in either experience — physical or digital — get the same level of value from the same event.
Any type of event can be formatted as a hybrid event, from conferences and product launches to interactive workshops and seminars. As ever, success with hybrids comes from achieving the best possible engagement from your content — and using the data generated from this engagement to help you understand what worked well and what didn’t.
Let’s go on a guided tour of the hybrid event landscape in 2024 and everything you’ll need to consider when it comes to developing a winning formula for your next hybrid session.
What A Hybrid Event Is Not
When learning the answer to ‘what is a hybrid virtual event,’ it’s important to also know what a hybrid event is not.Hybrid physical/digital events mean many different things to different people. Unfortunately, to many a hybrid event is really just a physical event, where the presentations are also streamed to a digital audience.
In these cases, the event is only really an event for the people at the event. For a virtual audience, however, it’s just staring at a screen for endless hours with little to do. What’s missing for remote attendees is the experience.
People go to physical conferences with a set of expectations. Yes, they want to see all of the great presentations and content, but they also get excited by all the other elements of the experience, from networking with other attendees to visiting booths, gamification, swag, and planned entertainment.
The question now is: why would a virtual audience expect less?
The answer: they don’t. They expect more. A true hybrid event means delivering an event experience for every attendee, regardless of whether they are there physically or digitally.
Painting a complete picture of hybrid events
Post-pandemic, audiences generally feel positive about attending virtual events. According to a 2022 survey carried out by VFairs, titled The Future of Virtual Events, more than 93% of respondents were achieving what they deemed to be successful attendance rates for their online sessions, and more than three-quarters of those questioned said they prefer virtual events because they are easier to attend.
But there’s two small asterisks to this bullish perspective on virtual events: many attendees feel they don’t get the same personalized experience as in-person attendees do and miss having the opportunity to network and socialize with their peers.
So, we’ve entered an era where audiences want the best of both worlds: the “buzz” and the community-minded feel offered by in-person events and the accessibility and flexibility of digital experiences in instances where physical travel isn’t an option.
Hybrid events provide audiences with the best of both worlds and provide organizations with a viable event-type path for future events. Let’s take a look at why now.
What are the advantages of running hybrid events?
You’ll get more attendees
If there’s no need to travel to a venue, and they can access your insights from the comfort of their own home, your contacts will be more inclined to sign up.
Your sponsors will reach a wider audience
There’s nothing your sponsors want more than exposure – and by expanding your guestlist, you’ll be bringing them greater opportunities for brand awareness.
You can record your entire event
If one of your registrants can’t attend on the day, you can send them a recording so they can log in later and catch up with your content when ready.
They are the more sustainable option
With all the travel and resources involved in physical events, onsite attendees leave a significant carbon footprint; digital ones don’t.
You get better data and insights on your attendees
One of the great ironies of physical vs. digital events is the idea of interactivity and engagement. While the perception is that physical events are naturally more interactive, in fact, the opposite is true. When you attend a session at a physical event, it is largely a passive experience.
However, in a digital version of your event, each session can feature online chat, Q&A, polls, downloadable content and resources, and links to key calls-to-action. And all of that interactivity is captured, making the leads from your virtual attendees more valuable than their physical counterparts.
When does hosting a hybrid event make sense?
Hybrid events are often the sensible choice in any scenario where the aim is to generate the highest possible number of registrants or where there might be some barriers to physical attendance (for example, you need to engage people in different timezones, or you can’t find a venue to accommodate everyone who wants to attend).
5 Times You Should Consider Running a Hybrid Event
1. When you want to increase the reach of an event
Hybrid events are a great solution for extending the reach of a live event. They help you to involve your extended community, include top-of-funnel prospects and can provide a virtual participant with a budget and/or travel friendly means of participating.
2. When you want to deliver a large event across multiple geographies
Running an onsite event alone limits your brand’s reach – even if it’s a massive user conference. A hybrid approach changes this dynamic and allows you to scale your event anywhere.
This is especially important in an era where the funds for travel (not to mention the willingness to travel in the first place) isn’t a guarantee.
And being able to scale dynamically can also be helpful when you want to target (or are running events in) specific regions and geographies. If you’re running an in-person roadshow, for example, you can use your virtual event platform to target and connect with a digital audience in the same region – you can even provide them with a free lunch to get the full experience.
3. When you want to extend the life of an event
Events have a predictable shelf-life. You promote them, run them, then end them over the course of weeks or months, depending on the size of the event. Hybrid, however, changes this dynamic.
Not only can you hold pre-event events (like live thought leader panels before your big day), but you can extend the life of your event by adding a digital component.
To truly extend the life of your event – and the virtual content that’s come out of it – plan to record, re-mix and re-purpose sessions, keynotes, panels and more. Doing so empowers you to integrate your event takeaways and messages into additional campaigns, e-books and other subsequent events.
4. When you are running training or enablement events
Internal training and enablement events are essential, but not everyone is able to attend a one-off event. Sales reps can be in the field. Marketers can have conflicts. And, of course, regional teams may be off-hours.
An internal hybrid event solves this problem by empowering remote teams to tune in and participate in the training no matter where they are or when they’re watching.
That’s because with an internal hybrid event, a remote attendee can still participate by asking questions (which can be followed up over email, if they’re watching on-demand), downloading resources and watching the same presentation or training as their in-person peers.
5. When you want to offer more value and reach to sponsors
Hybrid events are also a great way to incentivize sponsors. That’s because hybrid events provide brands with two unique opportunities: first, the ability to brand a dedicated digital environment; second, the ability to measure engagement and immediately identify promising leads.
Providing sponsors with branded digital properties and direct audience engagement is a huge value add. Both empower sponsors to directly interact with audiences (whether through virtual booths, networking sessions and chats) and provides them with on-demand resources that can be used as follow-up collateral for physical attendees.
When You Should Not Use a Hybrid Event
Okay, so we now know when you should consider running a hybrid event. But what about when you should avoid one? After all, it’s very easy and very tempting to set up a webcam for live streaming and call it a day.
The decision is not always clear. But bear in mind: if you decide a hybrid event isn’t right for your goals, that doesn’t mean you need to go all-in on a physical gathering. In fact, you may see more success with an all-digital approach.
Let’s run through two scenarios when a hybrid event would be an inappropriate use of time and resources.
When You Cannot Provide an Equal Experience for All Attendees
First and foremost, avoid running a hybrid event when you know you cannot provide an equally engaging experience for attendees. For example, if virtual attendees cannot interact, cannot engage and are generally treated as an afterthought, then going all-in on physical tactics may be a more appropriate approach.
There are also times when – by its nature – an analog-only approach is suitable. These examples can include small networking events and white-glove experiences where you need to pull out all the stops to impress critical accounts.
When You Need an Experience Fast
Hybrid events are not a great tactic to fall back on at the last minute. They take a lot of planning and a lot of coordination to pull off right – and if you don’t plan, you risk alienating your virtual audience.
If you need an event fast, go digital.
Start by analyzing what your goal is. If you need to generate pipeline to meet quarterly goals, then spinning up a virtual event, like a webinar, is a viable option. Don’t forget to include partners! They’re often great resources for panelists and joint promotion.
When you don’t want to add to the expense/travel restrictions of hybrid/in-person event
Let’s face it: for many, travel to a live event is tedious, uncomfortable and sometimes expensive. That’s not to mention potential travel restrictions given health conditions around the globe.
A hybrid approach makes life easier for these would-be physical attendees by providing a virtual component, allowing them to attend a session from the comfort of their office (or home) and while enjoying the same insights and networking opportunities.
The challenges facing your event marketing team
So, you’ve settled on a hybrid event. But how do you ensure your session sounds appealing to two different groups of people so you get the most registrations possible?
The key is understanding that each audience will have different needs and expectations — and it’s your marketing job to meet them.
Marketing to physical attendees
Those attending in person will usually be more interested in the networking element of your event. They will have cleared time out of their schedule to attend and, in some cases, may have paid a premium for the experience — and as a result, they want to get the most connections possible. Hook them in with the promise of plenty of social interaction in a new and exciting setting that aligns well with your brand.
Marketing to virtual attendees
More than anything, virtual visitors want a hassle-free encounter. Delivering an approachable and convenient experience that delivers value will be key to driving virtual attendees. Let your audience know about all of the features of your virtual experience, including featured speakers, and any fun elements such as gamification, virtual networking and entertainment.
You’ll need to select a virtual event platform that will enable you to create the type of event and virtual experience that your audiences will love. Features to look for in a platform include:
- The ability to to stream broadcast-quality video
- Engagement tools and virtual networking lounges
- Dedicated expo halls and virtual sponsor booths
Make sure you don’t isolate either of your audiences
Striking the right balance requires careful thought. There are a few ways to ensure everyone enjoys the same great experience from your session, wherever they are. Here are three tips to keep in mind as you plan your hybrid event:
1. Set a clear agenda
Every audience member, whether in a physical seat or logging in from behind a screen, will want to know exactly what they can expect from your day (or evening).
Send attendees your hybrid event agenda in advance, and reference it strategically throughout your session so everyone knows what’s coming up next. Remember that physical attendees will often immerse themselves in the entire program. In contrast, virtual guests may only want to sit in on the segments that interest them, perhaps choosing to watch some sessions later on-demand (one of the great benefits of hybrid events). Having access to the agenda helps these individuals plan their time accordingly.
2. Offer perks for virtual attendees
You will want to go all out to keep your virtual viewers happy for two reasons. First, it’s hard to keep remote audiences entertained, so you need to give them content to interact with, virtual breakout rooms to network in and, in some cases, exclusive content or rewards.
Second, suppose you think about your virtual guests on a cost-per-acquisition basis. In that case, they are usually loads cheaper to find and process — but they still expect a fantastic experience that caters to their needs. Exclusive offers and incentives are great tools for keeping them onboard and encouraging post-event engagement, too.
3. Fill in the gaps for people who aren’t in the room
You will need to take a break at some point – and physical and virtual attendees will react to these pauses in production differently. In-person guests will usually take the opportunity to grab a coffee and start networking, whereas digital viewers may get easily distracted by something else during this important downtime.
The solution? Try introducing gamification techniques like quizzes and polls to keep virtual guests engaged and excited for their next session. Or, link out to additional content they can browse through while you’re preparing your next piece.
4. Deliver the benefits of digital to physical audiences
Perhaps the biggest change in hybrid events is the ability to bring the interactivity and engagement of a virtual experience to your physical audiences. Choose a hybrid event platform that enables physical attendees to access all of the virtual engagement features and content offers, right from their phones or laptops. This not only delivers a better experience for physical attendees but it also helps you capture more data on their interests and needs.
Quality content always prevails
Unique insights, engaging presentations, world-class speakers – all these elements will combine to create a hybrid event that’s memorable for all the right reasons, regardless of its purpose or its format.
But why should the fun end when the curtain goes down on your session? Keep your guests interacting with your content long after your hybrid event has taken place – and allow virtual attendees to catch up on anything they missed in their own time – by making presentations and other assets available on demand.
Hybrid’s Time Is Now
We are at the dawn of a new event reality where a hybrid event platform allows us to engage more people, deliver better experiences, and drive more pipeline. Some companies will surely take the lazy way out and create “hybrid events” that don’t offer virtual audiences much of an experience. That strategy will surely backfire and result in a lot of virtually unhappy prospects who will likely drop off early and never return. But for those companies that embrace hybrid event training seriously and are dedicated to creating truly immersive, interactive, connected, fun experiences for both physical and virtual attendees… the future is very bright indeed.
A hybrid event provides every attendee – regardless of whether they are present physically or digitally — with a full, unique and engaging event experience. A hybrid event platform facilitates this by unifying physical and virtual environments into one cohesive experience. For event marketers, this means creating an integrated program sharing messaging, branding, event content and resources, speakers and more.
Keep in mind that a physical or virtual attendee doesn’t have to share the same experience (it’d make for an awkward experience to live stream a happy hour, for example), but two elements should hit the same beats. For example, if you’re hosting a happy hour event for your in-person attendees, consider throwing a mixology class or virtual happy hour for your virtual participants.
The point is that every attendee should walk away from your live event fully engaged – whether they attended in person or online – and satisfied with the overall experience.
Okay, so we covered what a hybrid event is. But what isn’t a hybrid experience when nearly everything has a digital element today?
A Quick History of Hybrid Events
Let’s take a quick pre-pandemic trip. If we hop into our time machine, we’ll discover that people were already doing hybrid events.
But, these early hybrid events were pretty crappy for digital audiences and the in-person audience wasn’t aware of their digital counterparts. Often, these would be large events with content streamed to at-home audiences.
Early hybrid events had no meaningful engagement opportunities for digital audiences, and they weren’t on an even playing field with their in-person counterparts.
Now, this type of hybrid event isn’t going to fly in the future. What we’ve learned in the last 18 months is that digital audiences crave engagement and interaction.
How Hybrid Events Have Changed
The bar has been raised as to what audiences expect from a virtual event. So, the hybrid events of the future must prioritize and capture the attention of the virtual audiences.
More importantly, marketers expect more from the data they capture at events. Event data for physical events was always a tricky subject and there wasn’t much to glean from “old school” hybrid events.
Digital events provide much more access to rich, first-party data. Marketers will not want to go back to accepting less data from events in the future, regardless of channel.
The hybrid events of the future will focus more on engaging virtual audiences and putting them on the same level as physical attendees when it comes to engagement opportunities and the resulting first-party data and buying signals.
Going Forward with Hybrid Events
Now that we’re back to the present day, marketers have a path ahead that will include navigating the three different delivery mechanisms for events: physical, virtual and hybrid.
No company will host every event as a hybrid event — that is not possible or in line with what audiences expect.
Please don’t get caught up in the hype of thinking that every event you do in the future will need to be hybrid. They will have their role, but only if marketers execute them well and make them of value for both physical and digital audiences. Marketers must be very clear about the audiences they want to engage and the experiences they want to create, then align the event channel to those needs.
Hybrid events reached hype status in 2021, but I expect to see a mix of event types in the future of B2B marketing.
It’ll be on marketing leaders to calibrate the right mix of events between hybrid, physical and digital event types. These decisions will need to be based on audience needs and preferences as well as budget and marketing priorities.
This is the approach that Gartner is centering their research on as well, an approach they refer to as a hybrid strategy.
Start Planning Your Hybrid Strategy Today
Hybrid events will be a crucial part of any marketing mix well into the future. Sit down and work with your sales and marketing teams to identify the most suitable use of hybrid for your audience.
Remember: the key objective of a hybrid event is creating an amazing experience regardless of whether an audience member attends in person or online. Just make sure you keep both your physical and digital audiences in mind while you plan and create content.
A good rule of thumb? Make sure it’s an experience, regardless of whether you attend physically or digitally, you’ll want to attend yourself. Good luck!
