Q. There’s a lot of talk now about hybrid events and conferences and my Board is asking the staff to plan them for our upcoming events. I believe I understand the concept – providing the usual value to those attendees who register and attend in person, and then at the same time providing an online experience to share with those who remain at home tuning in. We have keynotes and simultaneous breakout sessions during our 3-day conference. Does this mean hiring videographers to attend the sessions and livestream? Or would an AV company handle all this now? I’m just unsure of how to budget and plan for this, but of course my Board is expecting something. Thank you.

A. We are all finding our way through this new phase of conference planning, so do not think you are behind at all. The easy answer is yes, bring in your AV partner to help with all the in-person production requirements, and today most of the larger AV houses have a virtual option for creating a hybrid experience to keep it seamless.

The longer answer is about the design. Remember there are two audiences – the in-person attendees and the virtual attendees – both with different expectations, limitations, and motivations. The hybrid event should be designed to address the needs and goals of both audiences.  The art is in identifying the needs and goals that are similarly addressed; those are the opportunities for shared experiences which are the bridges between those two audiences.  Do not make the mistake of forcing one audience into the other’s medium under the impression they both have to participate in the same content or experience at the same time. 

For example, for the virtual audience you should determine which if any of the content from the in-person event should be recorded, and then which of that recorded content should be offered on demand or as pre-recording streaming with live chat and discussion break-outs.  Many of us have already produced hybrid experiences and have learned so much from just those few events.

You can reach out to me directly if I can lend any of our experiences for your purposes. Email me at phope@kellencompany.com

Phelps R. Hope is Senior Vice President of Kellen. He has more than 30 years of experience in meetings, events and tradeshow management and holds the Certified Meetings Professional (CMP) designation, an indication of both his experience level in the meetings industry and his dedication to excellence.