Opinion 11
Stop calling them hybrid . When will we start calling them events again ?
The event sector appears to be going through some sort of identity crisis , says chief evangelist at Glisser , Vanessa Lovatt . Are we currently the virtual event sector ? Soon to become the hybrid events sector ? Perhaps the better question is , does what we call these events really matter ?
The event sector appears to be going through some sort of identity crisis . Are we still the events sector , or are we currently the virtual events sector ? Soon to become the hybrid events sector ? Or perhaps we ’ re one of the many names being used , from ‘ composite events ’ to ‘ blended events ’ to ‘ mash up events ’. Who and what are we right now ?
Perhaps the better question is , does what we call these events really matter ? And the answer is a resounding NO .
Sure – I believe quite strongly that at this moment in time the sector is craving progress from both a business perspective and a human need perspective ( we ’ re all still human and emotionally we need to move forward ).
The term ‘ hybrid event ’ shows immediate progress , so has a moment in time relevance . However it ’ s not what they are called that matters , it ’ s what they achieve . Ideally this will be inclusion .
To achieve this we must develop progressive forward-looking events that are not stuck in 2019 , but which offer multi-faceted , multi-channel access for our attendees .
Attendees are already saying they want the ability to participate in the manner of their choosing , and not necessarily in ways we as events professionals may have forced upon them in the past .
They no longer want to be forced to travel to get access to a small number of relevant content sessions , in amongst a larger agenda . Attendees are demanding the right to choose .
The debate on what we call these events can be really quite polarising . Indeed , I myself have been drawn into this debate and ran a poll earlier this year that indicated that 65 % of events professionals embrace the term hybrid , which means that a whopping 35 % don ’ t .
Looking to others for their thoughts , and you can see passion levels can be high :
“ Hybrid is such a terrible word in the world of events . There are other alternatives . It just requires thinking outside of the box and a bit of tweaking of the business model . From a semantical point of view , hybrid is perceived as something not natural to us humans . Leaning towards genetics and robotics and implies unknowns and complexities that can scare people . We should use just , ‘ Events ,’” says Dejan Mitov , chief futurist at ZIGNotch . com .
In the UK there is evidence of attendee interest in attending in-person events with several occurring in recent weeks , including the Reconnect hybrid event hosted at Chelsea Football Club where there were around 30 people in the room , and 500 online .
Incidentally , it used Glisser as the hybrid event platform to enable synchronised interaction and engagement of the in-person and virtual audience , and we ’ re hoping for a re-run in October where perhaps the ratios of in-person to online will have shifted .
What ’ s clear is that attendees want choice : they want the ability to go in person or the option to join online if they prefer . This shouldn ’ t really come as a surprise . To look to another commentator on the ‘ what we call events ’ debate , attendees are perfectly capable of deciphering how your hybrid event will run , and what the best attendance option is for them :
“ Good events were already driving more digital content and engagement . It ’ s just a matter of degrees . We will take that further , but I don ’ t think a new name helps . I think ‘ Event ’ alone is fine . These days everyone knows they have to read the next line to get relevant details ,” says James Flinchbaugh , founder of Old Dutch Group .
Given that attendees are also progressing on this event evolution and are becoming proficient at identifying what attendance channels are available , does this mean we ’ re already one step closer to just calling them ‘ events ’?
I believe so . Whilst I ’ ll be using the phrase ‘ hybrid events ’ at this moment in time , I believe the phrase will become obsolete in the coming years , if not months .
And as long as nobody is looking backwards to events of old and we are all looking forward to future events , which are expanded , multi-channel and inclusive , then who ’ ll really be worrying what we call them anyway ?