7 Engaging Hybrid Event Ideas for your 2023 User Conference
Surprise, surprise. In-person events are back, but with quite the focus on unique event hybrid experiences. Events look nothing like they did before and according to Forbes, the event planning industry has taken the last two data-filled, virtual years to evolve their strategy. Event planners are changing the content, structure, length, experience and more for all their upcoming events, focusing on how they can bring people together virtually and in-person. As if planning for your conference to be in-person isn’t challenging enough, now you must plan for a hybrid experience.
Although it adds more planning to your list, making an event hybrid has many pros. Hybrid events increase your reach and event attendance, allow for high engagement scores, increase sponsorship opportunities, reduce environmental damage, reduce travel costs, build your pipeline, aid in ROI, give you valuable data and context, and can help cut costs onsite. There are many ideas for engaging hybrid events that can help you create a meaningful and memorable experience for your attendees. In this post, we’ll provide 7 examples of how you can make your in-person event hybrid and extend your reach.
1. Birds of a Feather Meet Up
Hosting hybrid networking meetups is a great way for your virtual attendees to feel like they are onsite. Set up hybrid rooms and allow virtual teammates to Zoom in. By creating themed rooms based on job title, industry, company size, topic, etc, you can create “birds of a feather” meetups and spark conversation between all your attendees.
2. Virtual Trade Show or Shark Tank
Host a trade show and shark tank hour for your onsite and virtual attendees. Set up a room where sponsors can pitch their product or give demos onsite. This can be streamed to your virtual audience. Virtual attendees can vote on their favorite demos and pitch deals “shark tank style.” This will give your audience a chance to see the latest products and innovations in your industry, and potentially make new connections with vendors.
3. Bring on the Game show
During a networking break, host an onsite game show that can be streamed virtually. Allow virtual attendees to team up and battle onsite attendees. Provide prizes for participants who answer questions correctly. This will add an element of fun and competition to your event and encourage attendees to stay engaged.
4. Cooking Class or Mixology Class
During a networking break, host a cooking class or mixology class. Stream the class virtually and send the ingredient list with a Visa gift card to virtual attendees. This will allow onsite and virtual attendees to participate together. Once the food or drinks are prepared, turn the event into a hybrid happy hour or simply host a virtual and live event where everyone can mix & mingle.
5. Wellness Event
Virtual wellness events, such as yoga or meditation sessions, are a great way to help attendees relax and recharge during a busy conference. You can use a platform like Zoom to facilitate these types of events hybrid style.
6. Speed Dating
Put attendees into groups of 3 or 4 and set a timer for 5 minutes. During that time, attendees should introduce themselves to one another and share details about their professional background as well as any upcoming projects they are working on. Once the timer runs out, randomly switch up the groups so everyone can meet more people in less time. To make this hybrid, create speed dating rooms and pair virtual attendees with onsite attendees. When the timer is up, the onsite attendees move to a different virtual pair.
7. Hybrid Event App
Having an event app is one of the easiest ways to let virtual and onsite attendees engage with one another. Find an app that allows for connection, messaging, and setting up meetings. Most apps also allow you to create a game for onsite and virtual attendees to play. Finally, create a social wall in your app, so attendees can snap photos onsite and virtually.
The Bottom Line?
In conclusion, there are many different ways to make your hybrid event more engaging and interactive. By thinking outside the box and getting creative, you can create an event that will stand out in the crowded online landscape and provide a memorable experience for your audiences, virtually and in-person.
Not Sure Where to Start?
PlanWell helps small-team marketers bring their event strategy to life. We’d love to serve as the team within your team and help elevate your event experience. To learn more about our services check out our full list. If you are interested in learning more, you can book a call here.
