For the past year, event organizers have continued, with resilience, to adapt their events to the formats that health regulations require.

First, we observed a simple transposition of physical events into virtual format, which was the lesser evil given the ban on any physical gathering. We believe this simple transition is not enough.

Since health regulations have eased, hybrid formats are being talked about everywhere. At first glance, it looks like the best of both worlds: building connections while limiting costs, and reaching the largest possible number of attendees while reducing the event's carbon footprint.

We may be going against the current, but at Digitevent we believe hybrid will only suit certain specific types of events (detailed below).

We need to go back to basics and understand which formats best match which event objectives.

1. 😅 Why the hybrid format doesn't fit every event

  • Cannibalization

Cannibalization is one of the major problems with hybrid events: some attendees who would have come in person prefer to stay home instead. As a result, it's harder to precisely quantify the number of in-person registrations, and hybrid events tend to see a higher number of no-shows.

  • A hybrid event is two events.

Obviously, you have to manage a multitude of factors when organizing a hybrid event.

On the virtual side: on-site production, live streaming and recording, moderation of the interaction platform, and production work. For example, some video conferencing software requires moderators to "admit" participants, which can be a frustrating experience for some guests if the wait is too long!

On the physical side: the venue, catering, organizing and hosting staff, event logistics, etc.

As a result, a hybrid event is estimated to cost on average around 1.5 to 2 times more than a physical event. On top of these budget and logistics constraints, there's an obvious time constraint, since you have to organize and take care of the virtual technology side on top of the physical project.

  • The difficulty of creating a unified experience

Your hybrid event needs to offer a consistent, enjoyable experience for every type of attendee. Yet it's difficult to create a unified, synchronized event experience across two different event formats. It can also be hard to synchronize interactions between the on-site audience and the virtual audience.

2. 🎥 Which formats for which objectives?

Objectives NOT compatible with hybrid.

You can't always have it all. For some objectives, it's better to favor one format over the other. Mixing these formats isn't necessarily the most suitable solution.

  • Team-building events

Can we really say that an online activity or a virtual happy hour is the equivalent of an in-person team-building event? This type of event aims to build connections, so by definition it doesn't suit the virtual format (and even less the hybrid one, with the risk of leaving one of the two groups out, whether virtual or in-person attendees!)

  • Client lunches

Client lunches are meant to build a strong bond with your clients, creating a human connection that's far more powerful than a professional relationship. This type of event is therefore much harder to make impactful in virtual or hybrid format, and won't be as effective in those formats.

  • VIP meetings and events

The various types of VIPs (partners, key clients, suppliers, etc.) won't be satisfied with a virtual event, and you shouldn't try to make them settle for one. The beauty of a venue, the buffets served on-site, the service staff, and all the other touches that make a VIP event so enjoyable can't be reproduced virtually, and so can't be delivered optimally in a hybrid event.

Objectives compatible with hybrid.

  • Brand-awareness events

There's nothing better for building awareness than being seen by as many people as possible. Why not combine the personal contact of in-person events with the unlimited reach of virtual? Brand-awareness events are the perfect example of events that benefit from the hybrid format.

  • Networking

Networking can benefit from the hybrid format: while in-person meetings happen at a set time, a virtual directory would be a good complement to these B2B encounters.

  • Deal-making

To convert your prospects into clients, or to gather leads, both formats (in-person and virtual) deliver a similar result. Hybrid is therefore perfectly suited to this type of event.

Most of the time, virtual is used to gather or provide

information to prospects (top of funnel), and in-person is used to convince (bottom of funnel).

  • Knowledge sharing

For all events focused on sharing knowledge (associations, federations, conferences, etc.), both formats work well. In-person and virtual formats both convey information effectively. Virtual also gives you the assurance that your materials (slides, videos, graphics, etc.) are clearly seen by every attendee.

🤓 Conclusion

The best option isn't always the one that offers the most distribution channels: you need to take the best of what each format can offer, focus on the event's objective distinctly, and not always default to omnichannel strategies, which can be counterproductive.