Building interactive communities with hybrid events

Making solid connections is a healthy challenge in the best of circumstances. Success is an ongoing strategy where businesses and individuals look to secure leads, convert prospects, boost confidence, expand relationships and advance our interests through education and networking. 

As event coordinators I think we all know the old tried and true ‘traditional’ in-person event model had to evolve, though nobody anticipated or wanted a global catastrophic event to be the catalyst. An expensive, narrow offering and geographic limitation model is no longer the one to strive to. An accessible, affordable, engaging, and relatable model is. 

Hybrid event technology has provided the best of both worlds: the ability to host a targeted, concentrated event with a level planning field where all organizations – large and small – can establish a global reach and expand their networking beyond current geographic constraints and the confines of a smaller budget. 

In short: hybrid events open borders and opportunities, encouraging whoever wants to join a community to do so and attend an event or activity that may have otherwise been beyond their reach.

The key is to understand how to be relevant to the masses in a world where they now have a lot of choice and embrace the customer journey while customizing the individual experience. 

Do it with the 3 trends that facilitate connections in a hybrid world:

1. First: Unconference

We are never going to be 100% virtual, but there are facets of the hybrid event experience that will maximize an in-person event even better than what you could do for a just a live activity. 

It is long past time to redefining what a conference is by creating a seamless virtual and physical experience that amplifies participant collaboration through real-time interaction and providing fluid content that is influenced by the audience. 

Be sure to engage, react and customize through: 

• Surveys
• Contests
• Real-time chats

The upside of the hybrid model is that you can do both but pay special attention to the ‘why’ people are attending and make it work. Be sure to make it work.

2. Next: Journify

An event is a journey for your participants. They’ve spent the time to register, showing interest in a topic you’re presenting. Holding that interest is not accomplished in a couple of generic emails slapped together that acknowledges a form fill through a couple of emails. They have options and can click the off switch faster than you can send another email. 

Utilize data to guide, connect, and curate using shared commonalities and interests to personalize communications and the boost engagement per person.

Offer things they care about, personally, via technologies such as gamification, augmented reality (AR), holograms and surveys to keep them engaged and not flip the off switch.

3. Always: Humanize 

Everybody wants to be heard. Every person who attends your event feels their time is valuable so make it work for them. It is your responsibility to make every person feel like what you’re offering is worth their time, in-person and virtual. 

The ability to understand that event participants need an individual experience based on their learning styles to boost their virtual and in-person experience. 

Want to learn more? Download the Nextech AR and formfuture white paper Return on Experience (ROE) Through Hybrid Events on the 3 trends to facilitate personal interactions here. 

Attend our signature event, LiveNOW, next June 29th at 15:00  BST, to explore new ways of engaging with your community, discover how augmented reality changes the way we live, shop, learn, and work today and in the future and get inspired by thought leaders, industry-leading keynote speakers and astonishing virtual surprises!