Global teams, tighter budgets, sustainability goals, and distributed talent have made hybrid events a practical necessity for brands to reach their customers and elevate their teams.
Event organizers who understand how to connect in-person and virtual audiences simultaneously are invaluable resources to brands.
VIBE regularly plans hybrid events for clients seeking to unify attendees in a way that simply holding an exclusively virtual or face-to-face meeting cannot.
“Hybrid isn’t a trend,” says VIBE Founder Valerie Bihet. “It’s really a strategic response for how people work and connect today.”
Here’s why hybrid events remain a viable option and how to execute them effectively.
Hybrid Events Allow You To Expand Your Reach…
It’s no longer practical for companies to have all of their employees working within one office. In fact, it can be crucial to their success to have satellite sites in different regions of the country and the world.
Yet they still need to maintain that connection, especially at important times of the year. That’s where a hybrid event can be powerful.
For example, VIBE designed and delivered a hybrid event during last year’s crucial holiday season for L’Occitane’s beauty advisors in Canada and the United States.
The event’s goals:
- motivate teams
- reinforce connection to the brand
- spark a surge in sales
The geographical separation would have made it very difficult for all of the attendees to come together in one location. Instead, we produced three intimate, regional events in Atlanta, Phoenix, and Toronto with 70 in-person attendees each. Then, we added scale with a larger virtual event for 300 participants.
A virtual event may have been more efficient, but it would have lacked the emotions that only come from people interacting in the same room. With hybrid, you get the best of all worlds.
“Nothing replaces human connection in a room, but hybrid expands the reach and increases ROI,” Valerie says.
… But You Need to Create Different Experiences for Virtual vs. In-Person
There’s nothing like being in the room, but it is possible for virtual attendees to have a rewarding and enjoyable experience if planners make sure they are seen and heard.
Real-time polls, breakout sessions, and interactive Q&As drive engagement for remote viewers.
At the L’Occitane event, there was frequent interactive engagement with virtual attendees, remote product storytelling labs, and leadership recognized online teams on air.
Meanwhile, in-person attendees enjoyed an immersive Provence-inspired environment that included live product trials, on-site mentoring and recognition moments.
They were two equal but different programs.
“Hybrid only works when both audiences feel intentionally considered and connected,” Valerie says.
Take Your Planning Cues from TV Producers
Planners need to take into account potential distractions for viewers on devices.
Valerie suggests thinking like a TV producer to keep attendees engaged. That means sessions no longer than 45 minutes and using rapid editing during the digital broadcast.
High-quality visual components like slides, transitions, animations and jingles add significant impact, notes Valerie.
AI-powered tools like translation and captioning add accessibility, which is the reason behind the hybrid event in the first place.
“Companies want access without losing excellence,” Valerie says.
The Hybrid Event Formats That Work
The events industry got a crash course in virtual and hybrid events during the pandemic.
Looking back on it, the technology and event industries were not ready to change channels during an emergency period.
Today, brands and planners have the tools to engage remote and in-person audiences when used correctly.
We’ve found that a hybrid format works particularly well for town halls, sales kickoffs, leadership summits and multi-event series.
Several of VIBE’s clients, including a financial firm and F&B company, have wisely adopted hybrid events as a full-time strategy to build their brands and maintain a sense of community with global workforces.
“The companies who will master integration will communicate better, engage better, and lead better,” predicts Valerie.
VIBE is ready to use our experience to create memorable and rewarding hybrid events for your brand. Book an initial strategy call with Valerie today.
