Pre-pandemic Hybrid Events had a broadcast location and multiple live meetings throughout the country or the world that needed to receive the broadcast and conduct teach-backs and presentations. We produced events with over twenty locations throughout the United States, all interconnected for the general sessions, but then provided teach-backs to everyone from each remote site.
After the pandemic hit, our clients found that the percentage of attendees who were uncomfortable traveling was running between 20% and 30%. At first, this new hybrid event style meant a combination of virtual and onsite participants. It often felt like two separate events where the virtual participants could see and hear what was happening onsite but had minimal interactivity. These changes made us realize we needed to think about Hybrid Events differently.
Our final step in the maturation of the Hybrid Event was the concept of Hybrid Equity, defined as the ability for virtual participants to have the same level of engagement and impact on the outcomes of a hybrid event as the onsite attendees. We developed the AV2 process to assess the Audio, Video, and Venue requirements to ensure we had the right design, location, and equipment to meet the event’s objectives, with the understanding that all participants were attending live. They just needed to interact in different ways. If you need to deliver a Hybrid Event and want to ensure everyone has an impact and meets the objectives, schedule a meeting, and we can help you deliver a successful Hybrid Event.
