When should you use a hybrid event?

Five scenarios of when you should use a hybrid event. Written by Michael Mayday of ON24.

The simple answer is that you should use a hybrid event when you have a strategy to provide both virtual and physical audiences with an engaging event experience. But that’s a bit like saying you should only start painting when you’ve successfully reproduced a Van Gogh.

So, when should you run a hybrid event? Let’s take a look at five scenarios:

5 Times You Should Consider Running a Hybrid Event

1. When you want to increase the reach of an event

Hybrid events are a great solution for extending the reach of a live event. They help you to involve your extended community, include top-of-funnel prospects, and can provide a virtual participant with a budget and/or travel-friendly means of participating.

2. When you want to deliver a large event across multiple geographies

Running an onsite event alone limits your brand’s reach – even if it’s a massive user conference. A hybrid approach changes this dynamic and allows you to scale your event anywhere.

This is especially important in an era where the funds for travel (not to mention the willingness to travel in the first place) aren’t guaranteed.

And being able to scale dynamically can also be helpful when you want to target (or are running events in) specific regions and geographies.

If you’re running an in-person roadshow, for example, you can use your virtual event platform to target and connect with a digital audience in the same region – you can even provide them with a free lunch to get the full experience.

3. When you want to extend the life of an event

Events have a predictable shelf-life. You promote them, run them, then end them over the course of weeks or months, depending on the size of the event. Hybrid, however, changes this dynamic.

Not only can you hold pre-event events (like live thought-leader panels before your big day), but you can extend the life of your event by adding a digital component.

To truly extend the life of your event – and the virtual content that’s come out of it – plan to record, re-mix, and re-purpose sessions, keynotes, panels, and more.

Doing so empowers you to integrate your event takeaways and messages into additional campaigns, e-books, and other subsequent events.

4. When you are running training or enablement events

Internal training and enablement events are essential, but not everyone is able to attend a one-off event. Sales reps can be in the field. Marketers can have conflicts. And, of course, regional teams may be off-hours.

An internal hybrid event solves this problem by empowering remote teams to tune in and participate in the training no matter where they are or when they’re watching.

That’s because, with an internal hybrid event, a remote attendee can still participate by asking questions (which can be followed up over email, if they’re watching on-demand), downloading resources, and watching the same presentation or training as their in-person peers.

5. When you want to offer more value and reach to sponsors

Hybrid events are also a great way to incentivize sponsors. That’s because hybrid events provide brands with two unique opportunities: first, the ability to brand a dedicated digital environment; second, the ability to measure engagement and immediately identify promising leads.

Providing sponsors with branded digital properties and direct audience engagement is a huge value add.

Both empower sponsors to directly interact with audiences (whether through virtual booths, networking sessions, and chats) and provides them with on-demand resources that can be used as follow-up collateral for physical attendees.

When You Should Not Use a Hybrid Event

Okay, so we now know when you should consider running a hybrid event. But what about when you should avoid one? After all, it’s very easy and very tempting to set up a webcam for live streaming and call it a day.

The decision is not always clear. But bear in mind: if you decide a hybrid event isn’t right for your goals, that doesn’t mean you need to go all-in on a physical gathering. In fact, you may see more success with an all-digital approach.

Let’s run through two scenarios when a hybrid event would be an inappropriate use of time and resources.

When You Cannot Provide an Equal Experience for All Attendees

First and foremost, avoid running a hybrid event when you know you cannot provide an equally engaging experience for attendees. For example, if virtual attendees cannot interact, cannot engage, and are generally treated as an afterthought, then going all-in on physical tactics may be a more appropriate approach.

There are also times when – by its nature – an analog-only approach is suitable.

These examples can include small networking events and white-glove experiences where you need to pull out all the stops to impress critical accounts.

When You Need an Experience Fast

Hybrid events are not a great tactic to fall back on at the last minute. They take a lot of planning and a lot of coordination to pull off right – and if you don’t plan, you risk alienating your virtual audience.

If you need an event fast, go digital.

Start by analyzing what your goal is. If you need to generate a pipeline to meet quarterly goals, then spinning up a virtual event, like a webinar, is a viable option. Don’t forget to include partners! They’re often great resources for panelists and joint promotion.

When you don’t want to add to the expense/travel restrictions of hybrid/in-person event

Let’s face it: for many, travel to a live event is tedious, uncomfortable, and sometimes expensive. That’s not to mention potential travel restrictions given health conditions around the globe.

A hybrid approach makes life easier for these would-be physical attendees by providing a virtual component, allowing them to attend a session from the comfort of their office (or home) and while enjoying the same insights and networking opportunities.

This content is sponsored by ON24.