Why should you Host a Hybrid Event?

A hybrid event has a number of advantages over a strictly live or virtual event, and in this segment we’ll outline a few of these advantages and discuss what could make a hybrid event the perfect choice for your next project.  

The most obvious advantage is budget related. As a strictly cost savings measure hybrid event allows travel time for out of town/country employees to be lowered, allowing them to attend from wherever they are. In addition, if live attendance numbers are lower, then a smaller venue can also be selected further reducing costs.

But for a moment let’s flip that argument around, hybrid event also allows the SAME budget to be used in more interesting ways. Perhaps more notable keynote speakers or presenters which may have been out of reach before can be booked, more engaging production can be arranged,  the advertising budget can be increased for the event, or more likely, all of the above! Either way you will end up with a smaller budget, or more value from the current one.

Further Benefits of a Hybrid Event

Any event requires attendees, and going hybrid increases the likelihood of more people tuning in, simply because they can access the event easily. There is also a huge opportunity for growth as you are no longer constrained by the size of the selected venue, inevitably a sold out or full event would mean there are many more potential attendees which COULD have participated had there been capacity. And now they can! Larger attendance numbers lead to larger revenues if it is a ticketed event.

OK, so now you have a killer event planned and people are filling the room both live and virtually; what other advantages does the hybrid event give you? As the planning and production partner, one of our favourite things about a hybrid event is the data we can report to you. The subjective nature of a live event makes it extremely difficult to measure true engagement. Sure, you have someone in the seat, but are they getting your message? Enjoying the programming? Likely to act/buy once they leave? The virtual side of the event allows us to report on who attended, for how long, what they watched, what they didn’t, and what they interacted with afterwards. This data is invaluable for measuring the success and justifying the expense of your event and can even lead to larger partner or sponsorship opportunities.

Finally, having the event existing in the digital space means there are multiple opportunities to use the content in other ways after the event is over, further adding to the value of the event. The event in its entirety can be made available on demand for customers or employees, and sections of the event can be repurposed for social media content. So there you have it, you also received a video production and months worth of digital content for the same budget as the original event!

Live events will NOT be going away, humans are too social by nature and will always come together. Humans subconsciously communicate with facial expression and body language, and there is a euphoria from a well done live event that can’t be matched. A hybrid event is simply taking the best aspects of a live event and creating a new digital experience for a new audience that is more impactful.

Would you like a free consultation on your event? Get in touch with us:

info@kiwiproductions.ca  

780-886-0547