Hybrid Events & Their Importance To Drive Better ROI in 2022
With the COVID-19 pandemic posing a threat to the future of in-person events, there are numerous queries regarding what's on the horizon. However, one thing is quite apparent - hybrid events will be prevalent worldwide in the months to come.
As the world is becoming more acquainted with the global pandemic, there are significantly more ways of facilitating gatherings now. In short, you can have a limited number of participants in your venue while simultaneously providing virtual streams for individuals who can't physically be present at your event.
Why hybrid events?
Hybrid events benefit both event professionals and the people attending them during such unstable times of viral outbreaks. It allows attendees to have safe options to access the event in person or virtually. Event professionals can have a greater global reach of audiences with hybrid events than they would with just in-person.
62% of event organizers will continue to plan hybrid events even when in-person events are normalized. This is based on the survey conducted by the Event Manager Blog. The 2022 hybrid events will further showcase their true potential.
How well are hybrid events performing at present?
The re-emergence of the COVID-19 viral episode across the globe has greatly jeopardized the future of in-person events. Countries like Canada, the USA, and Europe have already imposed fair restrictions on travel. In such a scenario, hybrid events and gatherings have been steadily gaining traction as the most feasible option for conducting meetings, conferences, trade fairs, etc. Hybrid events have become one of the most popular formats for organizing large audience participation safely for multiple organizations.
Primary advantages of hybrid events
A silver lining of this worldwide pandemic is the innovations and technologies that have emerged. Event professionals have taken an unprecedented step forward in quickly adapting to the vast variety of virtual platforms. Besides, they also consider point solutions that further enable them to design event experiences that help them maximize the hybrid benefits.
Let's have a look at the benefits of hosting hybrid events:
Global Reach:
Despite presenting limitations in large gatherings for in-person attendance, hybrid events allow a significantly greater number of individuals to partake virtually. The accessibility factors also enable the participation of more global businesses and speakers. Their presence can enrich the experience and content of the event.
Unique Experiences:
Event professionals can reimagine unique experiences safely planned for the in-person experience and potentially a different set of immersive experiences virtually for the online audience. For hybrid, event professionals will need to carefully plan interactions that bridge the two audiences into one world with shared experiences. Solutions like adding digital gamification enable the hybrid audience to play and compete against each other. Embedding networking opportunities that connect in-person and online participants can also help connect the shared experiences.
Lead Generation:
Hybrid events provide great potential for lead generation and increased demand. Including digital gamification activities where sign-up to engage is required, event organizers and marketers will capture leads through engagement plays. At the same time, audiences take this chance to win a prize while gaining greater brand and product awareness.
Better Networking:
A hybrid event enables event professionals to connect with all types of prospective clients, industry leaders, and influencers. By incorporating gamification activities such as Engamio's virtual networking profile map, individuals attending the hybrid event can have access and knowledge to see the global participants while taking the option to connect with them online.
Increased Sponsor Visibility:
Hybrid events offer the opportunity to encompass sponsor content into the activities associated with the event. Particularly, with the inclusion of gamification tools, event organizers can feature storytelling & branding features through interesting games to amplify sponsor visibility. These games can be Jigsaw Puzzle, Word Search, or Virtual Selfie Booth.
Eco-Friendly:
A downsized physical participation can likewise mean a more eco-friendly gathering, with reduced carbon emissions & waste generation. The sustainability benefit to our earth is a cautious planning requirement for many event professionals and brands who aim to leave a more green footprint from their events.
Conclusion
Hybrid events will be a long-term solution for many event professionals. Due to their ability to quickly adopt innovative event technologies that help them connect people despite travel & gathering limitations.
Are you planning to make your hybrid events more engaging this year? Reach out to us for a free consultation! Our intuitive and easy-to-use event gamification solutions can effectively improve your event's engagement rate. Besides, these games help generate quality leads for your sponsors by ensuring a highly immersive and entertaining experience for everyone present.