Between conventional in-person conferences and virtual ones, a new type of event has emerged called the hybrid conference. This type is currently experiencing significant and notable growth and is predicted to become the dominant model for events in the near future. A recent survey conducted by EventMB indicates that 93% of conference organizers plan to include hybrid elements in their events, while 97% of participants prefer attending hybrid conferences over virtual conferences only.

So it's time for you to familiarize yourself with the concept of hybrid conferences, how they differ from traditional conferences, their advantages, and how to effectively organize them. In this article, we will try to answer these questions and provide you with a comprehensive overview of their concept, goals, characteristics, and how to plan and manage them successfully.

What are Hybrid Conferences?

Hybrid conferences are a type of event that combines both physical and virtual attendance for participants and speakers. By leveraging virtual communication technologies, individuals who may face challenges in attending the conference in person due to factors such as travel, time, financial, or health constraints can still participate in the event using virtual communication tools. At the same time, those who prefer face-to-face interaction, direct engagement, and physical attendance can attend the conference at its physical location, experiencing new cultures and building diverse relationships.

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Benefits of Hybrid Conferences

There are numerous benefits provided by this type of conferences for organizers, participants, and stakeholders. Some of these benefits include:

• Increased Accessibility: Hybrid conferences offer increased accessibility by breaking down geographical, temporal, and linguistic barriers, enabling a more extensive audience to participate in the conference. The information and knowledge gained from the conference can be easily disseminated to a wider audience through various communication channels, including social media and other communication channels.
• Incorporated Emergency Plan: Provide a flexible solution to cope with unforeseeable problems and challenges, such as air travel disruptions, health restrictions, or emergency situations. In the event of any unexpected circumstances, organizers can seamlessly transition to virtual conference platforms, eliminating the need for physical attendance and ensuring the continuity of the conference. 
• Enhancing Interaction and Engagement: These conferences provide better opportunities for interaction and engagement, allowing attendees to actively participate with the speakers. Participants can ask questions, join discussions, and engage in interactive elements such as live polls, surveys, and interactive sessions, creating a more engaging and participatory experience.
• Cost Reduction and Environmental Impact: This type offers cost-saving benefits by reducing expenses related to travel, accommodation, transportation, and logistics. Additionally, they have a positive environmental impact by minimizing resource consumption, material waste, and harmful emissions, thereby promoting sustainability in the conference industry.

Technologies Used in Hybrid Conferences:

Various virtual communication technologies are employed to simulate an immersive environment that replicates the physical presence of individuals in a specific location. Examples of such technologies include:

• Virtual Reality Headsets: Virtual Reality Headsets are head-mounted devices that encompass the user's eyes and project lifelike three-dimensional images that respond to the user's head and body movements. These headsets are designed to create an immersive and authentic experience, giving the user a feeling of being present in another location. Popular examples of virtual reality headsets include Oculus Rift, Samsung Gear VR, HTC Vive, and Google Daydream.
• Large Display Screens: These devices with expansive dimensions, designed to exhibit high-quality images or videos that occupy a substantial portion of the viewers' visual field. These screens are frequently utilized in hybrid conferences to create interactive and captivating experiences, providing information or entertainment to the attendees. Some examples of large display screens include LED screens, LCD screens, and projector screens.
• Mobile Applications: These are applications designed for mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, providing a quick and direct means of communication and interaction between conference speakers and participants. These applications enable users to send questions, express opinions, leave comments, participate in polls, play games, win prizes, and engage in other interactive activities. Some examples of mobile applications commonly used in hybrid conferences include Slido, Mentimeter, Kahoot, and Poll Everywhere.
• Voting Devices: Voting devices are small devices used to conduct opinion polls or vote on particular topics, with the results displayed on a large screen. These devices enhance engagement and interaction between speakers and attendees while also measuring feedback and impressions. Examples of voting devices include TurningPoint, iClicker, and eInstruction.

How to Organize a Successful Hybrid Conference:

Choosing the Venue and Building the Conference Team:

To start, it is essential to select a venue that can accommodate the expected number of attendees and offers and provides all the necessary facilities and services for seamless conference organization. This includes well-equipped halls, high-quality audiovisual technology, and strong internet connectivity.

As for the conference team, it is important to assemble a group of experienced and competent individuals in their respective fields. The team will take full responsibility for planning, preparation, execution, and follow-up of the conference. Each team member should have clearly defined roles, specific tasks, and effective coordination for successful collaboration.

Choosing a suitable platform for the virtual conference:

It is necessary to select a suitable virtual platform that supports hybrid conferences and provides the required functions and features. This platform should allow direct online communication with participants and support interactive engagement such as polls, discussions, and social networking while providing a smooth and flexible virtual attendance experience.

Additionally, the platform should have high-quality audio and video capabilities, an interactive user interface, and a user-friendly experience. It is also important that the platform supports presentations, multimedia content, and facilitates communication and interaction between speakers and participants.

Planning the Program and Schedule:

When organizing a hybrid conference, it is essential to plan the program and schedule carefully. This involves selecting topics, sessions, and workshops that align with the conference's objectives and the target audience's needs. It is crucial to ensure that the topics are relevant and engaging for the participants. Additionally, it is important to structure the schedule in an organized and appropriate manner, allowing ample time for breaks between sessions, particularly if they involve discussions, seminars, or workshops. This approach helps to optimize the attendees' experience while ensuring that the conference runs smoothly and efficiently.

Content Preparation and Presentations:

Content preparation is critical factors that determine the success or failure of a hybrid conference. It is essential to gather relevant content for each session, ensuring that it is informative, engaging, and aligned with the conference objectives and audience needs.

To enhance the attendees' experience, it is advisable to prepare presentations and visual media that clarify concepts and ideas in a visually appealing manner. Presentations should be well-organized, easily understandable, and contain strong content that effectively conveys the message. By prioritizing high-quality content and presentations, organizers can ensure that the conference is a valuable and memorable experience for all attendees.

Promotion and Marketing:

To promote a hybrid conference and attract the target audience effectively, it is crucial to utilize social media, email, and websites. A comprehensive marketing campaign should be developed that targets the appropriate audience and highlights the value and opportunities available at the conference.

Engaging partners and sponsors in the marketing and promotion process can be beneficial, leveraging their networks and capabilities in reaching and attracting the target audience. By working with partners and sponsors, organizers can increase the conference's visibility and potentially attract more participants, resulting in a more successful event.

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Tips for Organizing Successful Hybrid Conferences

Organizing a hybrid conference requires careful consideration and taking appropriate measures to ensure its success. If you are planning and organizing one, here are some tips that can help you achieve that:

Setting Goals:

The first step in organizing a hybrid conference is to define clear objectives and goals. Is your aim to provide knowledge and new content, build business relationships, or facilitate the exchange of expertise and knowledge among participants? When you answer these questions or define your primary goals, you will undoubtedly be able to achieve them and witness the success you have always desired for your conference.

Audience Analysis and Understanding Their Needs:

It is crucial to study the target audience and understand their needs and expectations. What are the age groups, interests, and professional backgrounds of the target audience? What information and skills do they expect to gain from the conference? To gain a deeper understanding of the audience's needs and expectations, it is recommended to conduct surveys or interviews to gather feedback and insights. By collecting all the information and characteristics specific to your audience, you will be able to provide a conference that meets their expectations, contributing to a greater success of the event.

Smooth Registration Process:

A smooth and efficient registration process is crucial for a successful hybrid conference. To achieve this, You may need to set up dedicated areas for in-person attendee registration and a virtual platform for online registration. To reduce wait times and streamline the registration process for in-person attendees, self-registration techniques can be utilized, such as using computer or touch-screen devices. For virtual attendees, registration links can be sent via email or unique access codes can be provided to join the virtual event platform.

Choosing the Technologies, Tools, and Software for the Conference:

It is essential to choose technologies, tools, and software that are compatible with each other, user-friendly, secure, and of high quality. This may include virtual event platforms, video conferencing software, virtual reality headsets, large display screens, and voting devices, among others. By selecting the appropriate technologies, organizers can ensure that the conference is a smooth and engaging experience for all attendees, whether they are in-person or attending virtually.

Evaluate event performance: 

It is essential to evaluate its performance and assess its impact on participants and stakeholders. Collecting feedback and impressions from attendees and beneficiaries is crucial to improving future events and improve the overall experience, comprehensive surveys should be conducted for each of the following:

• Participants: The survey should ask for their opinions, impressions, and evaluations of the conference. These surveys can take the form of closed-ended, open-ended, Likert scale, comparative, or other types of questions. They should cover various aspects of the conference, such as format, content, interaction, technology, service, value, quality, and more. It's important to send these surveys shortly after the conference ends to ensure valuable and honest feedback from them.
• Stakeholders: Gather feedback from stakeholders such as organizers, speakers, partners, sponsors, and media. Inquire about their opinions, impressions, and evaluations of the conference. This feedback should cover various aspects of the conference, including planning, execution, communication, collaboration, impact, revenue, and more. Collect this feedback in a timely manner after the conference to obtain comprehensive and accurate reports from the stakeholders.

Choosing a suitable platform:

When selecting a high-quality virtual platform for a hybrid conference. It is essential to choose a platform that includes interactive features such as live chat and forums, as well as the ability for live streaming and event recording. The platform should meet the conference's needs and deliver a seamless experience for both in-person and virtual attendees.

In addition to functionality, the platform should be user-friendly for both organizers and participants. It should have an intuitive user interface and easy navigation, providing instructions and resources to help users prepare and engage smoothly. Moreover, the platform should be capable of delivering a seamless and reliable experience without disruptions or service outages.

From a security standpoint, it is crucial to ensure that the virtual platform for a hybrid conference adheres to high-security standards and safeguards the confidentiality of personal information and data. The platform should provide necessary protection for participants and comply with privacy and security regulations. It is also important to verify the availability of a technical support team for the platform and their readiness to assist in case of any issues or inquiries.

WOTN is your Partner in Organizing Successful Hybrid Conferences:

We understand that organizing hybrid events requires high-quality and user-friendly virtual platforms that allow participation from anywhere in the world. That's why we offer a range of tailored technological solutions to meet the needs of hybrid conferences.

Using cutting-edge technology and innovative virtual platforms, we make it easy for you to organize an exceptional hybrid conference that brings together in-person and virtual attendees. Our advanced technical solutions for live streaming and active participant interaction, as well as the ability to record and access the events at a later time, ensure a seamless and engaging experience for all attendees.

If you are looking for a reliable and creative partner, look no further than WOTN. Our team of experts will work with you to deliver a customized solution that meets your specific needs and exceeds your expectations. Contact us now to join our list of clients from various sectors and fields. You'll find the support, expertise, and creativity you need to execute your conference in the best way.