From the moment that we all realised this pandemic was going to last longer than we thought and we all took a dive into the world of virtual conferences and webinars, where would we have been without Zoom, we’ve all been talking hybrid events once we can start having events on-site again.

The plus side is we have all been able to attend talks, conferences and webinars from all over the world and if you are like me it has allowed me to attend events I would not normally have been able to either because of distance, cost or both.

I like the idea of hybrid events but what are they? This is what many are still trying to work out and...the cost. A hybrid event could prove more costly and you might not have the attendance in the same way. Does that mean it is going to cost more and bring in less revenue? I guess there will be a lot of people pouring over Excel trying to figure that out.

For many events I would have added live streaming and was in some cases a nicety for those who couldn’t attend and wasn’t treated as important as the audience that were physically there. And often the live stream was free of charge.

Now it is important to get it just right and you need to know that connections are going to work.

At a squeeze I could have done a basic live stream single handed. Things have stepped up a level and now there will be more gear and crew than before.

I seems a hybrid event will mean interacting with the online audience, that is taking questions. It also could mean some of your speakers are remote and will not only mean projecting them at the venue but also streaming them too. This could mean wrangling multiple Zoom calls or callers. Someone looking after the questions. Then there is the person mixing all this together. That is three additional people right there.

Now you have:

• A camera person
• Live streamer/vision mixer
• Zoom or online call manager
• Question wrangler

With the online call, lets call it Zoom, you should do rehearsals and check this in advance. The Zoom manager can check their systems and make sure they are familiar with sharing the screen if they need to and to find out what their connection and system is like.

The other things about the virtual conference and hybrid event is the extra work now in recording talks and other content for playback. This can work well but there is the extra time in organising, filming it if necessary and editing. Many record the talks themselves but might still need some help and editing.

Let’s not forget the graphic designer who will need to create the elements to make sure it all looks nice.

This might all sound daunting but we have been doing this for many years now and we don’t just sit back and do the deliver the technology but help you produce it and talk the stress from you and your team.

This all does add a lot of value to your event and is exciting as it is a live event.

If you want to know more do get in touch.