Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, the ways events are executed changed drastically on short notice. Nearly all face-to-face events turned online after the quarantine periods worldwide, and the pandemic was the biggest reason behind this. After the so-called 'Normalization Periods' all over the globe, a relatively new way of organizing events emerged as most countries started to stretch the quarantine rules and health regulations. This relatively new way may be the best way, of organizing events is called hybrid events. A hybrid event can be defined as a combination of in-person and online elements, consisting of an experience tailored to the specific needs of each audience (online and in-person). An example would be great to explain the definition of a hybrid event. In a hybrid event, an online attendee could watch a speaker speaking to a crowd face-to-face from their device with the help of a virtual event platform. In contrast, a participant attending the event in person would be able to follow an online speech.
Hybrid events enable event organizers to reach more attendees due to the central fact that one can reach out to more people on two platforms, which are online and face-to-face. However, engaging your attendees in hybrid events is crucial to being successful. Engaging with your attendees can be quickly done with some adjustments. Firstly, an online registration form is essential to reach more attendees. A registration form that involves simple questions would prompt people to attend the event.
Moreover, an online registration form would lead to in-person communication between the attendee and the organizer. This type of communication would engage the attendee with the event more, as the event would probably feel more welcoming. Secondly, the event's webpage is significant for promoting your event. An event webpage should include good visual elements. Visual elements can make people attend an event while promoting the event simultaneously. An event webpage with an online support system could be a difference maker, as it would be easier to answer the questions that may come from potential attendees. Thirdly, the streaming of the event should be impeccable to engage the attendees in hybrid events. A little error in the virtual event streaming could lead to the loss of active attendees in an event. Thus, virtual event streaming, combining two different platforms, must be maintained without an error.
Furthermore, combining two different platforms can bring new opportunities to engage attendees more with the event. Before the pandemic, nearly all events used to host foyer areas. With the introduction of hybrid events, online foyer areas are now accessible to online attendees in some events. Bringing an online foyer area where attendees can meet with companies would make an impact, as it makes online attendees engage with the event possible.
To sum up, the elements mentioned in the paragraph above could be the answers to the question asked in the heading. Especially the correct application of the features online registration form, event webpage, and virtual event streaming might help event organizers to promote and engage event attendees in hybrid events successfully. Hybrid events opened up a lot of new doors to organizers. However, event engagement in hybrid events is not done with ease, and the proper usage of the elements mentioned in this paper can help maintain event engagement in hybrid events.