When everybody stayed home, in-person events moved online.Two-thirds (67%) of B2B marketers and 39% of B2C marketers said they were doing virtual events in 2021, according to the most recent research. Shutdowns in the early months of the pandemic made the shift to virtual a necessity, but not every event hit the mark in terms of content and experience.
Many marketers have permanently shifted how they think about events. Still, with lingering pandemic concerns – and the realisation that some audiences like the convenience and accessibility of digital options – virtual and hybrid events have joined in person on the event menu.
We thought we would give you a few ideas we have learnt on creating better events in a hybrid world. Here’s a few of our own.
Meet your audience expectations
It's been 18 months of virtual events & attendees’ expectations about the experience of the event are significantly higher than they were in March 2020. What can you deliver to online attendees that the in-person audience can’t, and vice versa?
Buddy up
Make sure everyone feels included regardless of whether they’re virtual or in person. One way to achieve this is to assign the virtual attendees an in-person buddy to help them feel part of the live experience.
Pump up the Energy
You gotta’ think of how you communicate online. Given the limitations of online platforms, you have to invest energy into your voice and body language to compensate for the distance imposed by virtual media.
Wake up your audience
Keep sessions short, actionable, and interactive with a focus on the benefits. Use tools like polls & quizzes to engage the audience.
Practice
Content marketers should spend a significant amount of time with dry runs before the actual event. Practicing making the event as engaging as possible will help hybrid events turn out better for those joining virtually and in person.
In the past 18 months, you’ve probably attended more than a few events. What have you seen that works? What didn’t? What would you like to see changed as people are able to gather in person?
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