Virtual Event Solutions for Today and Hybrid for Tomorrow
Chadd Blodgett
We have been faced with mental, emotional, and economic thoughts about the pandemic. COVID-19 has altered our reality, and we are not sure when it will all be over. It was the general thought that this reality and the danger associated would emerge and remain only for a few weeks. Unfortunately, weeks are now turning into months. Engineerica and the event industry have turned to virtual tools as our immediate solution; however, we are hopeful that this current situation will eventually become a memory. We crave human interaction, face-to-face relationship building, and beautiful event venues. We look hopefully toward the events pre-scheduled for late fall and early winter. Will we finally be able to meet again safely? We are hopeful, but only time will tell.
This uncertain position poses a distinct challenge for the conference organizer. Conference Organizers must continually consider every logistic of their event. Logistic and strategic planning have always proved daunting, now with added uncertainty, there is even more pressure!
Questions conference organizers face with the consideration of live fall and winter events are:
-What if my state opens, but travel restrictions remain?
-What if my attendance is lower due to safety concerns?
-I have already contracted my speakers, but what if they are unable to attend?
We recommend you consider the hybrid event model where you can incorporate both virtual and live elements into your upcoming event. Presented here are the many aspects of the hybrid event and how they would work with Conference Tracker:
Registration
In a hybrid event model, you will have three registration packages offered through the Conference Tracker event management system:
- Virtual Access: This option can be offered at a lower price point for your attendees who are unable to attend your live event but wish to still have the event experience. This will also give the conference organizer the ability to subsidize revenue that would otherwise be lost.
- Full Access: This option can be set at the highest price-point for your attendees who wish to have a flexible event experience. Attendees who choose this registration package will have live and virtual conference access.
- Live Access: This registration option will be your typical live event registration at your expected price point.
Badge Printing
Badges will need to be sorted, so only your attendees who have purchased your full and live access packages are provided with printed badges. This will eliminate waste and will cut costs on badge printing. Automatically generated, sorted, and grouped badging capabilities are available through the Conference Tracker event management system.
Sponsors and Exhibitors
Your sponsors and exhibitors will need exposure to both your live and virtual attendees. You can satisfy this need by first offering sponsorship packages that have both virtual and live elements. You can also have exhibit halls or trade-shows that engage all of your attendees. The hybrid trade show will incorporate video content that accurately portrays your exhibitors and their offerings. Interaction is encouraged through our event management tool, such that your exhibitors are not limited to gathering leads only from live attendees, but they can also expand their reach to virtual participants.
Networking
Networking should not be limited to the live attendee experience. You can provide the ability for both live and virtual attendees to interact. This can best be done through the built-in social walls of the event management tool through forums where individuals attending the same session, whether live or virtual, can interact with each other, post photos, like, comment, and even continue their discussion in a private chat window.
Attendance/Credit Tracking
- Live Attendance Tracking
This process can be done through automatically generated QR codes on badges created by our event management system. You can have your attendees scan into sessions to track their attendance and credit hours.
- Virtual Attendance Tracking
This process is automatically done through our event management tool. When your attendees start to watch a session, our system tracks their start and end time and will award attendees credit hours based on their attendance.
Both methods of attendance tracking generate data that is automatically integrated and complied in order to calculate earned credit hours and award certificates.
Awarding Certificates
Certificates for CE/CEUs can be awarded to all virtual or live attendees automatically. All participants who have attended a required session, whether live or virtual, will be awarded a detailed certificate that can be printed, downloaded, or emailed.
Reporting and Analytics
A hybrid event allows for data collection in live and virtual settings. You'll be tracking many data points. Registration analytics, financial analytics, social analytics, attendance/credit tracking, and so much more. Automatically retrieving, compiling, and integrating this information is vital to achieving a seamless event. Using Conference Tracker allows for collected and integrated data to be reported in real-time.
A hybrid event is a step into an uncertain future; however, this method of meeting provides your attendees and sponsors with peace of mind and flexibility. It also provides a smooth pivot to or from the fully virtual or fully live event model—more than ever before, we need to consider all options in our event planning. Let us consider the hybrid event model.
Learn more about how you can achieve a seamless hybrid event and sign up for a demo with one of our consultants.