{"id":4590,"date":"2020-11-24T11:14:37","date_gmt":"2020-11-24T11:14:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/internal.n4engage.co.uk\/?p=4590"},"modified":"2020-11-24T11:14:38","modified_gmt":"2020-11-24T11:14:38","slug":"planning-successful-hybrid-events","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/internal.n4engage.co.uk\/2020\/11\/24\/planning-successful-hybrid-events\/","title":{"rendered":"Planning a Successful Hybrid Event: Everything You Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p style=\"font-size:15px\"><em>This blog was co-authored by&nbsp;Rachael Lubinski &#8211; Content Manager, Emma Charlton &#8211; Events Manager, and Adam Chapman &#8211; Videographer.<\/em>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019re&nbsp;seeing a rise in hybrid events, and it\u2019s highly likely they\u2019re here to stay. Not just as a short-term solution for&nbsp;organisations&nbsp;planning events in a pandemic, but&nbsp;as a&nbsp;longer-term&nbsp;development, making all kinds of events more attractive, accessible and budget-friendly.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this blog, we discuss the key things you need to consider when planning&nbsp;a&nbsp;hybrid event, from&nbsp;deciding on your audience journey to&nbsp;sourcing technology for&nbsp;a hybrid event.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In a hurry? We&#8217;ve got a nifty table of contents to help you navigate to the section you&#8217;re more interested in:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-ps2id-block-target\" id=\"hybrid-events\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><a href=\"#hybrid-events\"><span class=\"has-inline-color has-black-color\">What are hybrid events?<\/span><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#benefits-of-hybrid-events\"><span style=\"color:#161a30\" class=\"has-inline-color\">The benefits of hybrid events &amp; meetings<\/span><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#planning-hybrid-event\"><span style=\"color:#161a30\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Planning your hybrid event<\/span><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#choosing-events\"><span style=\"color:#161a30\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Choosing an online events platform<\/span><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#tech-hybrid-events\"><span style=\"color:#161a30\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Technology for a hybrid event<\/span><\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#hybrid-event-checklist\"><span style=\"color:#161a30\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Hybrid event checklist<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"color:#69be9f\" class=\"has-inline-color\">What are hybrid events?&nbsp;<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In short,&nbsp;hybrid events are&nbsp;physical events in which online attendees&nbsp;can&nbsp;participate.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is&nbsp;some&nbsp;confusion over this definition, with&nbsp;many&nbsp;people&nbsp;describing&nbsp;live-streamed events&nbsp;as \u201chybrid events\u201d. Others argue that this is simply a live event with technical&nbsp;elements&nbsp;and&nbsp;that a true hybrid event is one that involves participation from&nbsp;the&nbsp;online audience.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However&nbsp;we define it, one thing is clear: a superior hybrid event will cater for its physical and virtual attendees equally, preferably including interactive elements for those who can\u2019t be there in person.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hybrid events&nbsp;include&nbsp;events of all sizes, from&nbsp;small internal meetings to global conferences.&nbsp;Examples include:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ps2id-block-target\" id=\"benefits-of-hybrid-events\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Festivals<\/strong>&nbsp;with virtual passes, offering live-streamed and on-demand sessions.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Award ceremonies<\/strong>,&nbsp;live-streamed and&nbsp;with&nbsp;online voting.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Conferences<\/strong>&nbsp;with&nbsp;webinar sessions on platforms like&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/internal.n4engage.co.uk\/products\/video-conferencing-online-meetings\/\" target=\"_blank\">Cisco&nbsp;Webex&nbsp;Events<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/microsoftteams\/teams-live-events\/what-are-teams-live-events\" target=\"_blank\">Microsoft Teams&nbsp;live&nbsp;events<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Training workshops<\/strong>&nbsp;with&nbsp;some participants joining virtually via a platform like&nbsp;Zoom,&nbsp;Microsoft Teams or&nbsp;Cisco&nbsp;Webex&nbsp;Teams.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Internal meetings<\/strong>&nbsp;with&nbsp;physical and virtual attendees collaborating&nbsp;using&nbsp;tools&nbsp;like video,&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/internal.n4engage.co.uk\/products\/video-conferencing-online-meetings\/#WebexBoards\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Webex&nbsp;Boards<\/a>&nbsp;and breakout sessions.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"color:#69be9f\" class=\"has-inline-color\">The benefits of hybrid events&nbsp;&amp; meetings&nbsp;<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When you think about it, there are some pretty obvious benefits to offering your event as both a physical and virtual experience\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Wider audience&nbsp;reach<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your event suddenly appeals to&nbsp;more&nbsp;people, perhaps even a global audience. Those who are keen to attend in-person can still come along. Those who can\u2019t, due to the cost&nbsp;or time&nbsp;involved, can sign&nbsp;up for&nbsp;a&nbsp;virtual&nbsp;pass&nbsp;instead. You\u2019ll also capture people who want to try your event, but&nbsp;who don\u2019t want to, or can\u2019t,&nbsp;make the sacrifices of attending in person.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Flexibility<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Taking a hybrid approach&nbsp;gives you more options and enables you to adjust your plans if circumstances change. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we\u2019ve seen organisations use hybrid events to adapt to changes&nbsp;in government guidelines, falling back on the virtual element of their event when their physical event couldn\u2019t&nbsp;take place, for example.&nbsp;When government allowed, some scaled down their physical events to meet social distancing rules, while&nbsp;still ensuring everyone could participate through their virtual offering.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Reduction in travel costs and environmental impact<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not just your virtual attendees who save on travel costs. You\u2019ll need fewer members of your event team on-site, and the same goes for your sponsors. With&nbsp;fewer&nbsp;people travelling to your event, you\u2019ll reduce&nbsp;your carbon footprint.&nbsp;It\u2019s an important consideration for organisations who are trying to uphold their&nbsp;corporate social responsibility (CSR)&nbsp;credentials,&nbsp;and it may also&nbsp;resonate with delegates&nbsp;who are concerned about the environmental impact of travelling&nbsp;to&nbsp;an&nbsp;event.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Improved business productivity<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If attendees don\u2019t have to travel to events, they\u2019ve got some more time on their hands. This is a big benefit when it comes to holding&nbsp;internal meetings and training workshops. Imagine you have some staff who live far away from the event location. Rather than wasting time on trains,&nbsp;buses and long car journeys, they simply join virtually, and in the meantime can focus on their job and revenue-&nbsp;generating activities.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Greater sponsorship opportunities<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you can increase&nbsp;your&nbsp;audience reach, that\u2019s pretty attractive to sponsors.&nbsp;Your virtual offering may appeal to&nbsp;their&nbsp;target audience,&nbsp;whether&nbsp;that\u2019s&nbsp;remote working professionals&nbsp;or&nbsp;digitally savvy&nbsp;millennials. You\u2019ll also be able to offer businesses&nbsp;more&nbsp;sponsorship opportunities, from live-streaming sessions to virtual drinks receptions.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>More metrics<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ps2id-block-target\" id=\"planning-hybrid-event\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll get more than just attendee headcount on your virtual events platform. With events platforms such as&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.n4engage.co.uk\/products\/video-conferencing-online-meetings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cisco&nbsp;Webex&nbsp;Events<\/a>,&nbsp;you can&nbsp;review data&nbsp;such as&nbsp;how participants engaged&nbsp;with your event&nbsp;and when they dropped out of sessions. These are&nbsp;powerful insights to feedback to event sponsors,&nbsp;and they\u2019ll help&nbsp;you with planning future events too.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-white-color has-text-color has-background has-medium-font-size\" style=\"background-color:#161a30\">Are you planning a hybrid event and not sure where to start?<br><br>Our experts are offering complimentary consultancies to ensure you&#8217;re using the technologies that will set your event up for success.<br><br><a href=\"http:\/\/internal.n4engage.co.uk\/free-event-consultancy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Interested? We&#8217;ve got all the information you need <\/a><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/internal.n4engage.co.uk\/free-event-consultancy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">here<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"color:#69be9f\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Planning your hybrid event&nbsp;<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As mentioned earlier, the key to planning a superior hybrid event is treating your physical and online audiences equally.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By not attending the live event,&nbsp;online audiences can miss out on that physical and emotional human connection. With that mind, you should consider including interactive elements that make those joining remotely still feel connected.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Interactive elements include:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ps2id-block-target\" id=\"choosing-events\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Q&amp;As, polls and chat&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;<\/strong>Most leading&nbsp;webinar&nbsp;platforms&nbsp;allow you to host&nbsp;Q&amp;As, polls and chat with online audiences. In Q&amp;As, questions can be sent to moderators&nbsp;who review them before sharing with the presenter.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Breakout rooms \u2013&nbsp;<\/strong>Again,&nbsp;on&nbsp;online events&nbsp;platforms, you can split out your attendees into different rooms for smaller group discussions or networking events.&nbsp;After a certain amount of time, you can bring them all back into the \u201cmain room\u201d for&nbsp;your headline&nbsp;act.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Event packs&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;<\/strong>Mailing event packs or goodie bags to delegates is another way to make them feel more included.&nbsp;Think about&nbsp;providing&nbsp;branded merchandise,&nbsp;sponsor collateral and vouchers for coffee or lunch.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Post-event drinks&nbsp;\u2013&nbsp;<\/strong>At the end of the day, nothing can quite replace that feeling of a post-event drink in the bar.&nbsp;So&nbsp;activities that involve all attendees,&nbsp;such as a hybrid wine tasting or cocktail making class,&nbsp;could be&nbsp;a&nbsp;great way to add a social element to your event, whilst making a lasting impression on your delegates.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"color:#69be9f\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Choosing an online events platform<\/span><strong><span style=\"color:#69be9f\" class=\"has-inline-color\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When it comes to the platform that you host your event on, think about the size of&nbsp;your&nbsp;event.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For large events<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re planning a professional online event or corporate meeting for&nbsp;participants in the thousands, then&nbsp;you\u2019ll benefit from a dedicated&nbsp;online&nbsp;events platform.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leading&nbsp;platforms&nbsp;such as&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.n4engage.co.uk\/products\/video-conferencing-online-meetings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cisco&nbsp;Webex&nbsp;Events<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/microsoftteams\/teams-live-events\/what-are-teams-live-events\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Microsoft Teams&nbsp;live&nbsp;events<\/a>&nbsp;offer all the features you need to run a&nbsp;large-scale event \u2013&nbsp;video, audio, screen sharing, Q&amp;A, polling, chat and so on.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The most important thing to bear in mind&nbsp;is choosing a solution that\u2019s established in the market, which offers:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Reliability<\/strong>, i.e. a high-availability platform that won\u2019t let you down on the day of your event.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Scalability<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 infrastructure that can scale, especially if you\u2019re planning on a regular event that could get bigger and better.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Expert support<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 consider a solution that\u2019s provided as a service, with support for your team, so&nbsp;you&nbsp;focus&nbsp;less on the technology and more on delivering a great event.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>For&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>small events, internal meetings<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For&nbsp;events or meetings&nbsp;involving smaller numbers, you can get away&nbsp;with using a paid&nbsp;collaboration solution such as&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.n4engage.co.uk\/products\/video-conferencing-online-meetings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cisco&nbsp;Webex&nbsp;Meetings<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.n4engage.co.uk\/products\/video-conferencing-online-meetings\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Webex&nbsp;Teams<\/a>,&nbsp;Microsoft Teams&nbsp;or&nbsp;Zoom.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ps2id-block-target\" id=\"tech-hybrid-events\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>All&nbsp;enable virtual attendees&nbsp;to&nbsp;participate in a physical event, using features such as video, audio, content sharing and chat.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You can make it even easier for physical and virtual attendees to interact by investing in your on-site equipment.&nbsp;For example, swap your standard whiteboard for a digital whiteboard (<a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/n5GUVcYICXo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Webex&nbsp;Boards)<\/a>&nbsp;so that virtual attendees can brainstorm&nbsp;alongside people in the room.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"color:#69be9f\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Technology for&nbsp;a&nbsp;hybrid event<\/span>&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Your technology needs will depend on the kind of hybrid event you\u2019re planning.&nbsp;If you\u2019re&nbsp;offering live-streamed and on-demand sessions, you\u2019ll need to think about cameras. If you\u2019re planning to run webinars alongside&nbsp;a&nbsp;live event,&nbsp;there\u2019s the&nbsp;IT to consider.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>IT<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Your IT really can make or break your event. Glitchy&nbsp;videos&nbsp;and limited features on your webinar platform will, at best, come off as an amateur attempt at a virtual event, and at worst, turn your audiences away for good.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Think carefully about whether you\u2019re going to&nbsp;run your event&nbsp;from&nbsp;home&nbsp;or your offices.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Connectivity is key. If you\u2019re running the event from home, do you have the bandwidth? If it\u2019s a big event, it\u2019s worth considering going into a fixed office location where you\u2019ll have more guaranteed bandwidth.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Cameras<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With so many cameras available across the entire pricing spectrum, it can be difficult to know where to start. While 4K DSLR and mirrorless cameras with video capabilities are becoming more affordable than ever, it\u2019s important to consider if&nbsp;you really need&nbsp;4K resolution.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>European tax laws dictate that cameras able to record beyond 30 minutes are classified as video cameras, meaning higher tax implications (and therefore higher price).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To mitigate this, popular cameras such as the Sony A7 series will automatically stop recording at 30 minutes, meaning you have&nbsp;to hit record again&nbsp;if you go over and risk losing a few seconds of footage.&nbsp;If your events are typically under 30 minutes in length, or recording is taking place on your events platform, then the Sony A7 series provides a great set of options.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Other photography-first cameras from Sony, Canon and Nikon may not have the internal fan system to handle long-form video content, and you may&nbsp;find those cameras overheating if the room isn\u2019t air-conditioned.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If long-form,&nbsp;then direct-to-camera recording is important to you,&nbsp;and the Blackmagic Design Pocket cameras&nbsp;are the cameras of choice for many hybrid event producers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Microphones<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Audio is arguably the most crucial part of your set-up. You can have the slickest-looking event or the most engaging presenter, but if the message can\u2019t be heard clearly, your audience will switch off.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have the budget, invest in&nbsp;lavalier&nbsp;microphones for each presenter. These are small, hands-free microphones which can attach to collars, ties or other clothing \u2013 and allow&nbsp;excellent quality audio with minimal ambient noise.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Classic handheld microphones are&nbsp;also&nbsp;an option, but many presenters prefer&nbsp;to have&nbsp;both hands to allow them to gesture&nbsp;and&nbsp;control the flow of their slide deck.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Lighting<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As&nbsp;more hybrid events begin to use peoples\u2019 homes as venues, lighting&nbsp;has become&nbsp;increasingly&nbsp;important. It can help an audience to focus on the presenter, rather than whatever unexpected activity may be occurring in the background.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are countless options for LED light panels out there, but if your budget is tight,&nbsp;then the two&nbsp;fundamental&nbsp;principles are:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Light your subject&nbsp;evenly from the front. Natural light is best, but a lamp on&nbsp;the&nbsp;desk can do the trick.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><li>Avoid natural light from behind the subject, as this can cause problems with cameras&nbsp;auto-adjusting&nbsp;their exposure settings.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-ps2id-block-target\" id=\"hybrid-event-checklist\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In a world currently saturated with hybrid and online events, production touches such as introduction videos for speakers, informative slides and appropriate music between sessions can really help enhance the experience&nbsp;for your audience.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Production<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Leading&nbsp;online events&nbsp;platforms&nbsp;enable you to schedule&nbsp;a whole programme of events, with the same branding throughout.&nbsp;This means audiences move through a series of events, all with a consistent look and feel,&nbsp;which sets a professional tone for&nbsp;the event.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-white-color has-text-color has-background has-medium-font-size\" style=\"background-color:#161a30\">Are you planning a hybrid event and not sure where to start?<br><br>Our experts are offering complimentary consultancies to ensure you&#8217;re using the technologies that will set your event up for success.<br><br><a href=\"http:\/\/internal.n4engage.co.uk\/free-event-consultancy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Interested? We&#8217;ve got all the information you need <strong>here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3><span style=\"color:#69be9f\" class=\"has-inline-color\">Checklist for your hybrid event&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>There are&nbsp;lots of&nbsp;tips out there&nbsp;for delivering the virtual element of your event (courtesy of<a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/office\/best-practices-for-producing-a-teams-live-event-e500370e-4dd1-4187-8b48-af10ef02cf42\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">&nbsp;Microsoft<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.cisco.com\/collaboration\/tips-on-how-to-host-a-great-virtual-event\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cisco<\/a>).&nbsp;We won\u2019t rehash them here, but we will leave you with a simple checklist&nbsp;to help&nbsp;you with planning a&nbsp;hybrid event:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li><strong>Plan an audience journey<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 for&nbsp;both&nbsp;virtual and physical attendees.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Consider&nbsp;interactive elements for virtual attendees<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Q&amp;As, polls,&nbsp;event packs and so on.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Decide on the technology you\u2019ll need<\/strong>.&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Assemble your events team<\/strong>,&nbsp;and assign roles and responsibilities for driving&nbsp;the&nbsp;technology.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Schedule in a test-run<\/strong>&nbsp;(or two&nbsp;or three!).&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Devise&nbsp;a back-up plan<\/strong>, whether that\u2019s a presenter in another location or pre-recorded content&nbsp;that you can play if there\u2019s an issue.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li><li><strong>Get&nbsp;shouting about your hybrid event<\/strong>!&nbsp;With many consumers turned off by the thought of&nbsp;yet another webinar,&nbsp;your&nbsp;hybrid approach could be just the twist&nbsp;that\u2019s&nbsp;needed to get audiences excited.&nbsp;<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:30px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>With Government guidelines changing regularly it\u2019s vital you incorporate virtual elements into any event you organise. If you would like guidance on planning your next hybrid event,&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/internal.n4engage.co.uk\/contact-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">get in touch<\/a> with our experts today.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This blog was co-authored by&nbsp;Rachael Lubinski &#8211; Content Manager, Emma Charlton &#8211; Events Manager, and Adam Chapman &#8211; Videographer.&nbsp; We\u2019re&nbsp;seeing a rise in hybrid events, and it\u2019s highly likely they\u2019re here to stay. Not just as a short-term solution for&nbsp;organisations&nbsp;planning events in a pandemic, but&nbsp;as a&nbsp;longer-term&nbsp;development, making all kinds of events more attractive, accessible and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4699,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[92],"tags":[96,89,155,137,156],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v15.6.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Planning a Successful Hybrid Event: Everything You Need to Know<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We discuss the key things you need to consider when planning a hybrid event, from deciding on your audience journey to sourcing technology.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" 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