January 2021 Partner Content 43 safely and on time .
The cinema room was a great way to compromise and to avoid exceeding the number of people allowed in one room . We made sure to arrange with the client that the cinema room would be set up to look just as stunning as the live stage room . This included a lighting setup , and a large projection screen which was showing the event happening in the other room . The live stage room was set up in the same way that it had been prior to lockdown . We assured our client that we would be able to do the same setup with the large stage , screens , and speakers around the room , since we knew how important the layout and design of the event was .
We also set up ways to stream the conference across the UK to other delegates who could not attend in person . We offered to stream the live conference on the online events platform ReAttendance , as well as streaming to Zoom and a private Facebook group . We had been planning to work with ReAttendance in late 2019 , however the pandemic offered the perfect opportunity for us to collaborate with them and their platform . Delegates viewing the conference online clicked on one link and were taken into a watching are over the course of the three days . They could interact directly with the presentation and send in questions , which were answered from the live stage . The handouts and workbooks used across the three days were also available to download , meaning that everything delegates needed to engage and enjoy the conference were all in one place .
“ FINDING A WAY TO ACHIEVE THE PERFECT BLEND OF HYBRID EVENTS IS GOING TO BE ESSENTIAL FOR EVENTS TO CONTINUE TO THRIVE UNTIL THINGS CAN RETURN TO A NEW NORMAL .”
The online platforms we used also allowed networking to take place . Through ReAttendance , the online delegates had the option to create a virtual business card . This allowed delegates to exchange contact details , and there was also a private chat function to allow for one to one networking . It was important that we were able to offer people the chance to view the conference on multiple platforms . The wide range of accessibility meant that we were able to give delegates the option to choose the platform they were most comfortable with . There were also opportunities for those attending the event in person to network , all while socially distanced and in no groups larger than six people .
The three-day conference ran smoothly , and the cinema room was a great addition . It was the perfect remedy to ensure that everyone could have access to the event . All the live streaming elements worked , and it was great to see engagement between the presenters and the guests across platforms , including the online and live aspects of the event . During these unprecedented times , it is important to keep being innovative and finding ways to make events work . The industry needs to adapt to the challenges it is constantly being presented with during this year , and beyond that . Finding a way to achieve the perfect blend of hybrid events is going to be essential for events to continue to thrive until things can return to a new normal .