Best of Both Worlds: How Event Pros Are Finding Balance in Hybrid Events

“The overall scale of the wedding was much more compact,” explained Zani. “Instead of decorating an entire venue, vignettes in the couples' style were created for each of the moments that they wanted to capture. We used sketches and storyboards to communicate and discuss these vignettes with the couple ahead of time so they could be involved in how the virtual audience experienced what was happening in the venue.”Photo: Bob & Dawn Davis Photography & DesignMost event and meeting professionals agree nothing can replace the human connection that makes in-person gatherings so powerful. Like any successful event, there are many components to consider when merging both virtual and live events. Here are just a few.

The Virtual-Live Balance
Cassis Productions founder and president Allison Pieter began planning hybrid events 20 years ago and notes that each element of an event should be given equal weight. “With technology being so fantastic, it’s almost like planning two events at the same time that are complementary to each other.”

Anthony Vade, a veteran of hybrid and virtual events and an experience architect at FMAV, echoed the sentiment, noting that parent company PSAV recently supported the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence and its hybrid event in Dallas. “The planning process was not much different to planning a normal live event,” said Vade. “With the big exception that we needed to take safety into account for the live attendees and needed to design two experiences, one for the live audience and one for the remote audience.”

Chicago-based Kehoe Designs and BlackOak Technical Productions merged virtual and live this past May when they helped a couple’s dreams come true with a hybrid wedding. While the in-person gathering held at The Geraghty in Chicago was limited to 10 guests, 150 guests tuned into the nuptials virtually. “The ceremony, first dance, and toasts were all virtual elements. We used Zoom as a platform and even created breakout rooms to simulate the experience of guests dining at a table together,” said Jonathan Zani, BlackOak sales manager. To engage the virtual attendees, guests were sent custom wedding “Events To-Go” boxes that aligned with the wedding theme and ambiance.

While there are a variety of solutions that can be used when working to engage the virtual end, including polling, Q&As, and attendee guidance tools, there’s much more to be thinking about. “Smart planners are thinking about pace, tempo, and cadence of attendee engagement,” Zani advised. “Ideally, these strategies align multiple stakeholders from event owner, planner, speaker, and attendee.”

Changing for COVID
COVID-19 concerns on the live side of the event is one of the biggest reasons hybrid events are trending—gathering intimate groups makes it easier to social distance. Linder Global Events in Washington, D.C., reformatted an entire event to meet current guidelines. Ike Week and the Eisenhower Memorial Dedication—originally slated to take place in D.C., in May—was rescheduled from an open-to-the-public celebration to an invite-only event that kicked off on Sept. 17. “The dedication ceremony was completely reimagined from a one-day public celebration to multiple days with multiple events, with both a smaller in-person audience and livestreamed to a virtual audience,” said Rose-romaine Bikoy, marketing manager at Linder Global Events. Other changes included moving the Donor Appreciation Dinner from an indoor event to a smaller, outdoor reception, and redesigning the food service from family-style meals to individual, preset meals.

Hargrove, based in Maryland, supported elements of the Democratic National Convention, which kicked off Aug. 17 as a newly hybrid event with some live components at the Wisconsin Center in Milwaukee, Wis. COVID-19 concerns were high priority, noted vice president of customer experience Christine Kiesling. The team implemented PSAV’s MeetSafe guidelines, which include a number of safety protocols and recommendations on how to reduce risk and promote health.

Hybrid is Here to Stay
As event pros navigate how to successfully merge in-person and virtual events, there seems to be an agreement that hybrid events are effective at managing pandemic risks while also bridging communities and expanding reach. “We are living in a world today that requires us to be nimble, and a reality that wasn’t here before—that not everyone is able to travel to a single location,” Kiesling said. “This forced function has shown live [events] can recover when ready, but remote participation can be as effective if strategically thought out and well executed.”

Scroll down for a behind-the-scenes look at some recent hybrid events.