WHY HYBRID EVENTS ARE HERE TO STAY!

Due to the global pandemic we have experienced a shift in every-sphere of our lives, from the way we learn, our habits around health and hygiene, to how companies work and engage their potential customers. Whilst virtual events have united the nation providing light relief during these past months, allowing families and friends spread across the nation to reconnect, zoom fatigue is inevitable and the zest for human interaction is getting stronger by the day. 

With virtual events forecasting at a market size of £313bn by 2027, it doesn’t come as a surprise that the events industry will continue to implement key elements into their strategies making the Hybrid model their main experience. 

Hybrid events are ideal as they have no travel costs, reduced environmental impact, the ability to reach a wider audience and have higher engagement. With restrictions and distancing measures likely to still be in place, hybrid events look like the next go-to experiences. Let’s take a look at their three main advantages.

ADVANTAGE 1: Broader audience reach at less cost

Whilst events companies have familiarized themselves with new platforms and apps to make their live experiences interactive and highly engaging, they’ve also realized that thanks to the magic of technology they can reach and accommodate a broader audience. As they have no time zone or border restrictions, hybrid events allow companies to reach a new global audience, which can help them to grow their worldwide brand awareness and unlock new revenue streams. 

ADVANTAGE 2: Sustainable

With air pollution being at an all time low globally and wildlife reclaiming their spaces, people have adopted a newly found respect and awareness for the environment which will directly influence their decision making when picking an events company. The tidal wave of collective environmental and societal consciousness that swept through the past decade is set to keep sustainability near the peak of business agendas. For example shifting in person conferences which normally attract a huge crowd that travels by planes, trains and cars to a virtual model can positively impact the reduction of carbon print whilst still engage the same, if not even more, number of people.  

ADVANTAGE 3: Higher engagement 

Hybrid events can benefit from not only apps, chat rooms and live streaming but also the use of tech props like iPads and 3D animations making the whole heightening the multi-sensorial experience. Exciting and interactive innovations such as 5G and wearables have helped to blur the line between the real world and our digital lives by giving us a seamless experience that can be virtually better than the live one by allowing to mix the two. Which is why many events companies have already implemented technology as key business strategy elements, and are likely to stay even in our post-pandemic world. 

As the post-pandemic world will see a tech-savvy eco-conscious new wave of crowd hybrid events will continue to evolve and close the gap between the experiences that physical and virtual audiences have. We're seeing today's hybrid events go beyond a live stream to fully engage both virtual and in-person audiences through chat, streaming, networking, and more.