Posted on June 11, 2021
Blog
Conferences
Event Management
Did you know hybrid event formats can adapt for a range of businesses and event styles?
Understandably, a lot of businesses have been cautious about planning events in the current health climate. But equally, many others are embracing the power of technology to successfully deliver events using a hybrid model of in-venue and digital platforms. In fact, at Cliftons, we’ve connected over 110,000 people over the past year. And that’s not counting the 1000’s of virtual attendees who logged in to attend or view an event anywhere, anytime.
But maybe you’re wondering if hybrid events are suitable for you? Are you not sure how to blend live, remote and pre-recorded elements to create a holistic event experience? Or wondering how you can connect people across multiple locations? Not to mention worrying about what to do and how to keep your event schedule running in the face of restrictions unexpectedly changing.
The good news is that there are answers. A combination of the right tools and know-how means you can harness the potential for interactivity and connection.
Are you ready to find out just how varied hybrid events can be?
Connect and collaborate with certainty
Hybrid events give you the potential to communicate and network across multiple cities, even across countries, in an affordable and scalable way. You can incorporate the interactivity and collaboration of in-person events via intelligent, efficient and affordable technology platforms. And because if the past 18 months have taught the world anything, it’s the importance of a plan B, the right partner and platform will give you the ability to shift event formats rapidly.
Want to know how you can do it? We’ve put together a few examples of the successful hybrid event formats we’ve executed so you can get a sense of what’s possible.
Facilities Management Australia Awards
The FMA chose Cliftons to run their 2020 FM Industry awards as a hybrid event bringing together more than 200 industry professionals across simultaneous events in Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne. Participants enjoyed breathtaking views and superb catering on-site, with seamless digital connectivity between the locations. FMA CEO, Nicholas Burt, described it as an “unforgettable and highly successful celebration.”
"Cliftons provided the perfect event solution for the 2020 FM Industry Awards. Breathtaking views, superb catering, first-rate service, and digital technology to seamlessly connect more than 200 professionals across the four events (Perth, Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne) helped make this an unforgettable and highly successful celebration.
Seamless multi-city experience for IWD
On International Women’s Day in March 2021, Cliftons coordinated a multi-city event with speakers and an in-venue audience across Sydney and Melbourne and remote attendees for one of our clients. Rooms with socially distanced theatre-style seating and screens lined up, so it appeared Melbourne and Sydney’s speakers were in the same room. Multiple camera angles were used to create interaction between speakers and the audience across the two venues, with participant feedback that seamless integration meant everyone was in the same room.
Uniting sales teams across four locations
The challenge many businesses find with hybrid events is the collaboration element. For our own sales conference in March 2021, we brought together our sales team across Singapore, Auckland, Perth, and Sydney. The event was a sales kick-off and planning meeting, with a lot of interactivity required between sites and remote guest speakers for a training session.
To overcome the challenges of multiple locations, we set up breakout tables with a screen at the front of the desk to allow participants to join, virtually, the small group sessions held in person. Using multiple cameras and carefully positioned microphones, we were able to replicate the same sense of intimacy that would have existed had we been able to have everyone together in the same room. The robust setup successfully demonstrated the viability of hybrid events for strategic interactive workshops.
Creating a big conference impact both in-person and online
In September 2020, we partnered with speaker bureau, Ovations to host our first-ever hybrid speaker showcase, Elevate. The hybrid conference featured as much complexity as we could think of, designed to demonstrate the power and effectiveness of this style of event. We had multiple sites with speakers and in-person attendees, live presentations, pre-recorded presentations, recorded live sessions, and more. In addition, one of our planned sites in Melbourne was returned to lockdown restrictions and required a pivot to a purely remote format for participants there.
The event successfully demonstrated that hybrid events and polling capabilities showed a positive shift in the audience about this style of event. Feedback included comments like, “It has certainly opened my eyes to what is available, and so I thank you for that” and “Well done on being innovative in finding a way to communicate.”
Watch the hybrid event in action
Rapidly changing event plans in response to COVID case
Hybrid event platforms also give you the capacity to host with confidence. Good Talent Media experienced this benefit in May 2021 when on the morning of its planned “Press the Press” event with over 60 participants registered, the announcement of a mystery COVID case was made. Snap restrictions were put into place from 5 pm that day.
Fortunately, Cliftons quickly activated plans to stream the event live and create a virtual option for delegates nervous about the mystery case and the possible risk of infection.
Read the case study and discover how to host your next event with confidence.
Flexible events with compelling benefits
Besides the flexibility to continue running events in the face of ongoing travel restrictions and capped numbers for social distancing, hybrid events offer other benefits. You can take advantage of:
Increased ability to gather data: Various polling platforms and post-event surveys mean you can harness valuable information to inform your strategy for future events
Reduced environmental footprint: Hybrid events offer a sustainable alternative for events requiring air travel, as well as the impact of food wastage
Repurposing potential: Make use of presentations throughout your marketing, internal communications and onboarding programs with the capacity to edit recorded content and repurpose
Increased reach: Expand your audience to other locations and timezones through live streaming and on-demand playback of recordings
An experienced provider you can rely on
As experienced events professionals, Cliftons can help you deliver seamless events, whether in-venue, digitally, or hybrid. We can start by identifying your goal and what you want to achieve, then outline the various options available. Together with well-equipped spaces, our audio-visual capabilities mean we can help you deliver a cost-effective professional event and meet your strategic aims.
About Cliftons
Event Solutions
If you’re ready to start bringing your event plans to life, talk to our
team to discuss your goals.
Start with a no-obligation chat about what you want to achieve, and our team can guide you through the services we offer.
In the spirit of reconciliation Cliftons Event Solutions acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.
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