It’s the moment to stop talking about 2020 and look at steps we can advance our marketing strategy in 2021. Have you studied hybrid events yet? Well, you should have. And this blog is going to describe to you why.

What is a Hybrid Event?  

A hybrid event occurs both online and in-person. This form is expected to soar in popularity as the events industry struggles with travel restrictions, lockdowns, and the laws enforced globally to support the fight against the pandemic. 

If your business manages trade show marketing to generate leads and build brand awareness, hybrid trade shows are something you will have to get used to. They enable you to capture further data from leads using the virtual platform while building evergreen content that visitors will have access to for life. 

How to Build a Successful Hybrid Event

Now that you’ve planned out your goals and defined the elements you need to include for your hybrid event, it’s time to initiate planning your program. You must know some common challenges faced and how to solve them, as well as how to build the perfect agenda and keep your attendees involved.

Increasing Reach and Access with Hybrid Events

Strictly live, in-person event arrangements allow a sense of intimacy for meeting and events planners, but also come with certain limitations, such as per-person budget constraints, venue capacity, and geographic considerations. These physical limitations of a one-format, are pleased with the hybrid trade show format while expanding reach to event attendees, developing programming, and increasing sponsorship opportunities.

By proposing a virtual component, the commute to a meeting or event can be decreased to a few seconds for both attendees and participants, enabling them to be present through the single click of a button. Additionally, recorded exhibitions and meetings provide non-attendees admittance to the content they missed – eliminating the requirement for planners to host multiple or duplicative events for new audiences or other areas.

Will hybrid events turn the game in the future?

We have seen a spike in the presence of the audience in hybrid events, as most of the people who attended in-person events in history are refraining themselves from going to the event venue because of the increasing cases of COVID-19. Hybrid events are no more identical than they used to be a year back. Changes have steadily seeped into this form of events as well. While there has been an improvement in the number of attendees at hybrid events, the success of the fact that digital space expands the scope has made event organizers provide this form of events more preference.

While various countries are raising the ban on outdoor events, and the vaccines for the virus are anticipated by the pharmaceutical companies, there is however a fear among the people of stepping out in the public and getting in contact with others. Why to unnecessarily attract trouble when it can be avoided? Administrators are in a dilemma about whether to host live events or catch them online. The only answer to this confusion is to host digital or hybrid events.

Advantages of hybrid events

So why should you host a hybrid event?  Well, did you understand hybrid trade shows have been occurring since 2012? AladdinB2B hosted a virtual event when they couldn’t manage to bring their attendees mutually due to budget cuts.

1- Raised reach & attendance

It’s a misunderstanding that your audience can either take a role virtually or in person – there is no in-between. Companies may assume that by hosting a hybrid event, you split your total attendance. However, the reverse is true. Hybrid events enable you to increase your reach and get more attendees, not fewer.

2- Higher engagement with your audience

Adding a virtual component to your live event opens up many more engagement moments than would be desirable at a strictly live event, both during and post-event.

This is the reason your virtual audience is actively joining from their mobile devices or desktop computer, indicating they can talk, share, like, comment, and much more.

3- More powerful sponsor opportunities

72% of corporate sponsors are involved in participating in a hybrid event, as long as they can efficiently reach both audiences. That’s because hybrid trade shows are amazingly valuable for sponsors. A hybrid event can report on many important metrics, assuring your sponsors see that they spent their money well.

4- Good for any size budget

Hosting a hybrid event operates with almost any budget. Having restricted physical tickets and unlimited virtual attendee slots provides you the ability to host a tremendous event for little cost.

However, if you’re hosting an excellent event that needs extensive coverage in multiple spaces, your prices will go up.

5- Improved Content Engagement

While you host a hybrid event, you will be live-streaming your speakers and gatherings for virtual attendees to view. This enables you to record these sessions and transfer them out after the event. Attendees who couldn’t make some sessions or simply want to rewatch and determine more now can engage with the content days or also weeks after the event is over. This will hold your event, and your company, in the memories of your attendees long after the event has closed.

6- Enhanced return on investment (ROI)

ROI is critical to calculating events because of all the moving pieces. However, hybrid events allow increased return on investment, due mainly to the expanded reach and therefore the scalability. Because you are making more attendance through your hybrid events, that can turn into greater views for sponsors and more sign-ups after the event.

As well, you gain lots of data to present more accurate reporting on your performance. 

How to host your hybrid event

Yet if you’ve never hosted a hybrid event already, don’t let that stop you from trying. The time is accurate, and the technology is more convenient than ever.

And, in reality, they aren’t difficult to host. Not if you have the proper tools and the right knowledge.

If you have recognized hosting a hybrid event, you should take measures now to start planning one and see how effective they truly are.