10 Opinion
September, 2020
Hybrid events bring together
in-person attendees and online
delegates. While hybrid events
have been around for a while they
have been gaining more prominence
as ‘the event’ that is going
to be the ‘new normal’ as soon as
the Covid-19 virus is under control.
In fact, according to UK-based etc.
venues’ survey in July 2020, 95% of
event organisers claim that they are
likely to run a hybrid event in 2020.
While that may be a touch optimistic,
it does demonstrate the appetite
that planners have for such events.
Having the hunger for hybrid
events is one thing, but producing a
successful one is quite another. To
be successful, planners will need a
TV style production mind-set if their
hybrid event is to stand out from the
crowd. This means treating the event
as a production. It means using tricks
and techniques that come from the
TV and film world. Today, the online
audience demand more. Long gone
are the days when a planner could
get away with sticking a camera in
the back of a room hoping that would
be enough for the online delegates.
Scott Ashton of Quintessential
Promotions agrees. He notes that
“hybrid events have evolved in recent
times and are now a more primary
focus for a number of clients. Clients
recognise that production standards
need to align with their expectations
and the requirements of their
audiences regardless of the dialling
down of the physical elements.”
Covid-19 has moved the dial on
online events. This in turn increases
the expectations of virtual delegates at
‘The planner has to become a
producer, making a programme,
not running an event’
Planners
must become
producers
Adopting a TV style production mindset
is imperative for hybrid event
success, says Paul Cook
Words
Paul Cook
hybrid events. To satisfy these expectations,
planners need to be thinking
like TV broadcasters or film producers.
If this sounds scary it needn’t
be. What is needed is the ability to be
able to deliver a production that takes
both audiences into consideration, to
ensure that they have a great experience.
This will require some new skills
but the crucial thing to understand is
that planners are now producers and
need to act accordingly. Planners can
use models that have been around
and adapt them for their own events.
Let’s take a broadcast sporting
event, a Formula 1 Grand
Prix race, as our hybrid model
and look at what happens.
The in-person attendees arrive
at the track in good time and once
through the entrance they move to a
position in the grandstand to view the
race. They see and meet other people.
They can stop for refreshments and
have a look at whatever is happening