Five key quotes from VEI’s recent virtual summit, ‘Delivering and Monetizing a Hybrid Event’, sponsored by Brella.
Data integration
"Data integration isn’t easy but is crucial. It is vital for registration systems to talk back and forth with your virtual platforms. There are always challenges around integration but it must be put in place because you're not going to understand your audience if you can't get that data back from them."
Scott Craighead, Vice President of Exhibitions & Events, IAEE
Multi-dimensional hybrid experiences
“Thinking of hybrid as an extension to a live event diminishes the whole point about needing to think about the separate attendee experiences. For example, watching a live stream isn't a singular experience because everybody watches differently. To understand attendee behaviors, there are three important profiles. There are the multitaskers who listen in the background while checking emails, while some will be really focused and engaged. And then you have the binge watchers, who consume all of the content in one hit, but maybe watch on-demand and do not care as much about being part of the live experience. We’re creating multi-dimensional experiences and so must think about those different dimensions individually and specifically, so we can cater to the needs of more people, more effectively.”
Toby Daniels, Founder of Social Media Week
Show value
"Beyond just making sure your content matches what your audience needs, access to your event needs to be easy. It must be easy to engage and to extract value. If you can’t demonstrate value for your attendees then they are not going to take the time to enter your platform and even experience what you're offering from a brand level."
Elizabeth Irving, Executive Vice president - Head of Marketing, Technology & Customer Experience, Clarion Events
Prioritize quality
"To capture the audience's interest and keep them in their virtual event you need to focus on content and video production that is high quality and reflects your brand. There have been too many events using low quality video products that do not accurately represent a company’s brand."
Sami Toivonen, Chief Revenue Officer, Brella
Balancing needs of attendees and sponsors
“Many event organizers are thinking about the virtual event platform first – there is a constant conversation about what is the right platform to use. This is the wrong question to be asking. We should be thinking about our audience – what is the audience interested in, and what type of content and experience do they need? That is the best way of delivering on objectives in a cost-effective way. Now is also the time to have open and creative conversations with partners to explore how you can deliver value. How can we use everything at our disposal to give partners a personalized bespoke solution? If you get that right, it will lead to monetization and longer deeper relationships.
Laura McQueen, Managing Director, Leaders in Sport