With hybrid events being the latest trend, hybrid event engagement is a challenge. However, don’t fret! We have a complete guide on how to increase audience engagement at your hybrid event. Boosting audience engagement for your in-person and virtual audience takes clear planning. However, you can benefit as an event planner by engaging with your digital and live audience. If you’re looking for some hybrid event benefits for 2021, we’ve got you covered. Attendee engagement is possible with strategic planning. Aligning your event’s mission with your audience’s needs should be the top priority. A survey showed that 73% of event planners will run a hybrid event in 2021. So, they need to get their hybrid event engagement right. Planning and organization is the way to successful audience engagement. First things first, you should conduct audience research to understand the audience. After all, how can you engage with your audience if you don’t understand them? As Albert Einstein famously stated, “Any fool can know. The point is to understand.” That statement is still relevant these days and is useful for hybrid event planners.

Outline hybrid event engagement goals

Firstly, explore your event goals, and any strategic plan for your organization. Analyze your hybrid event to identify touchpoints for audience engagement. Then outline how those touchpoints can align with those goals. Look out for any time your audience will want to communicate, for example:

• Before, during and after events
• During breaks
• At networking events
• During games

Identify your audience

• Knowing your audience demographics is key to hybrid event engagement. Information to note includes age, gender, job position, and organization size.
• Analyzing your audience will help you discover helpful information. For example, pinpointing common pain points between your business and the audience.

Understand your audience’s needs

Do you know your audience? You need to find out how they can and want to engage with your hybrid event. It’s the golden rule of efficient hybrid event engagement. For example, whether guests need an induction for a virtual event platform. Also, are they willing to travel to be there in person? Understand how they like to learn, how they like to network and what entertainment they enjoy. We’ve outlined some tips on how to create a hybrid event engagement strategy.

Send a pre-event survey to attendees

To identify what your audience wants to know in advance, email guests a survey. Ask insightful questions that will help you align your event with their needs. If you need inspiration, SurveyMonkey put together the complete guide to event surveys. Preparing for excellent hybrid event engagement starts from before the event kicks off.

Assign event moderators to ensure communication

Delegate hosts to float around the physical expo floor and the virtual floor. These moderators should encourage discussion within various groups. Send moderators training documents in advance to keep them in the loop. In the document, be sure to include questions to ask guests, and event information. The moderator will be the key to your hybrid event engagement plan.

Gamification

Hosting some games at your hybrid event is an exciting way to engage virtual and in-person guests. Gamification is a fun way to get attendees involved on and offline. You can even host a game between the physical and virtual audiences. You can run a scavenger hunt, hiding items both digitally and physically.

Foster engagement between live and virtual audiences

The main challenge of hybrid event planning is connecting in-person and virtual audiences. You can promote interaction between the two though. Moreover, ensure that content is suitable for virtual audiences. Also, have small groups of both virtual and live guests to boost hybrid event engagement. After all, we can communicate face-to-face or via virtual conferencing. So why not mix the two. Smaller groups allow guests the chance to engage in knowledge sharing and networking. Hybrid events pose a challenge, but they also provide an opportunity for innovation. Audience engagement is a top priority - both virtual and physical. Remember that your guests expect the wow factor at the event. So, make them feel valued by investing in engagement initiatives. If you follow our advice, you don’t have to worry about your hybrid event engagement plan.Now that you have your hybrid event engagement strategy in place, you can organise sponsorships! Check out our article on how to maximize your hybrid event sponsorships.Remo creates an intimate space for guests to exchange ideas and engage at your virtual event. If you’re looking to maximize the virtual event experience, look no further! Check out a free trial or book a guided tour.

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