Satisfying Attendees ’ Expectations
In-person attendees of a hybrid event come with a variety of expectations and needs . At the most basic level , they must be able to see and hear the presenter and experience the program content ( presentation , performance , PowerPoint , video , etc .) on the room ’ s display .
In addition , an in-person attendee can look around and see their fellow attendees , and hear the presenter interacting with attendees . The event may also feature thought-provoking Q & As with the keynote speaker … and even simple opportunities to meet and interact with fellow attendees . The more of these types of features and experiences , the more likely the attendee will perceive the event as being worth their time .
In contrast , consider the same event ’ s remote attendees . Unless planners have intentionally taken these attendees ’ event experience into account , they may experience a fraction of the value that in-person attendees enjoy . Instead , remote attendees may be able to see and hear only the presenter and view their presentation slides . Remote attendees may not be visible to the in-person attendees at all , or perhaps they appear in a “ Hollywood Squares ” or gallery view format on a display screen .
Designing a Hybrid Meeting Space to Engage All Participants
Now let ’ s talk about the next generation of meetings — the hybrid event , where half of the audience is physically present and half are remote , attending via a collaboration platform such as Zoom , WebEx , Teams , etc . What is that experience like for these events ’ attendees , both in-person and remote ?
We cannot fix a bad room with technology , so let ’ s start with the basics of an effective room : good acoustics , lighting , and arrangement . Then add in good sound system technology , including both microphones for both presenters and participants , and sound reinforcement for the presenter , program , and remote participants . Last but not least , ensure good placement of cameras and displays .
As hybrid meetings begin to occur , many venues and their technical teams will need to experiment with
Building in the AV equipment to serve the typical room arrangement saves time and money , while providing a much better technical and aesthetic experience for the attendees .
portable equipment and temporary configurations until they get it right . Until they do , there will be many low-quality experiences that will test the tolerance of remote attendees . It ’ s also likely that many venues will plateau at “ good enough ” and simply meet the level of toleration . Unfortunately , their remote attendees will be marginalized , and far less engaged than in-person attendees .
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