April 8, 2024
Most marketing professionals will tell you that social media is a critical component of their brand promotion activities. In 2019, according to content tool developer Buffer, 58 percent of marketers considered social media “very important” to their overall marketing strategy, while 30 percent considered it “somewhat important.” But despite its importance, social media is a difficult process to learn and manage effectively. With platforms and tools evolving constantly, many marketing pros don’t even know where to begin, much less manage a consistent flow of brand content. Training is the key, but who has the time?
This was the case for our client, a global pharmaceutical company. One problem was the fact that, while some of their marketing teams were located near the main headquarters, many others were scattered all across the country. Travel to a training venue would be costly, not only in terms of airfare and accommodations but also in terms of time away from their busy schedules. Travel costs and schedules were also factors for the presenters—trainers, social media company reps, and an improv training team from Second City in Chicago. An all-virtual training event was a possibility, but the company felt (and we agreed) that a hybrid approach was best.
Large hybrid events always sound like a good idea, but there’s a lot that can go sideways. In order for everything to go smoothly, the physical venue must have all the right facilities, including room(s) with the right dimensions and capacity, adequate and accessible power, and (very important) a robust, dedicated internet connection. In concert with the client, we chose a hotel ballroom that met those criteria, and even had an in-house AV team to ensure on-site audio quality.
Our setup included five remote controllable cameras, to capture the main stage, individual presenters, and the on-site audience members. Two large, on-stage monitors displayed presentations and/or the current presenter, whether they were on-site or virtual. At the foot of the stage were three monitors allowing the on-site panelists to see the virtual participants. Portable microphones were available for on-site audience questions. During a hybrid or virtual event, one of the most frequent problems involves sound or video glitches affecting individual remote participants, so we set up the usual command center to handle those, and let the presenters focus on the event.
Beyond the technical issues, one of the major challenges for events of this kind is hybrid equity—maintaining a comparable, positive experience for both virtual and on-site participants. In this case, there were about 190 on-site participants and 115 virtual, with a mix of on-site and virtual presenters. (The improv team from Second City was all on-site.) The day was broken up into 45-minute segments, plus breakout sessions and role-playing games led by Second City. Our job was to make sure the virtual participants were as fully engaged and participating as their on-site counterparts—and vice versa.
A major way to achieve this was through the Q&A process. Early in the event, virtual participants would submit questions via Zoom chat, and one of us would verbally introduce the participant and their question. But as people warmed up to the spirit of the event, we facilitated more virtual participant questions by showing their Zoom feed and letting them ask the question directly.
When on-site participants asked questions or made comments, our move was to turn one of the cameras in their direction and zoom in, so that the virtual participants would feel more like they were there. When Q&A was not involved, we would frequently use these side-view cameras to show audience reaction and create a sense of “you are there” for the virtual audience.
Overall, the entire event proved to be a learning success for both on-site and virtual participants. The presenters from social media companies were able to reach both sides of the audience effectively, and the majority of participants felt that the ambitious learning objectives had been met or exceeded. The only complaint was a compliment of sorts—namely that some of the breakout sessions involving role-playing games with Second City were too short.
Hybrid training events are not for the faint of heart. The logistics and tactical maneuvers require a high level of skill and advance planning. But when done right, they are a net positive for both “sides” of the virtual divide.
Gary Deamer is Director of Production and Josh Kotzen is a Virtual Production Manager at Leading Edge Training Solutions (www.letstrainonline.com), a leading producer of hybrid and virtual events, informational meetings, and training programs since 2009.
