When the pandemic struck, businesses – and the trade show and live events industry, in general – were forced to suddenly adapt, and make do with the new reality at hand. While everyone was caught off guard, it ultimately challenged us in an entirely new way to use our creativity and collaborative team to come up with never-seen-before methods of connection.
As we move back into the world of in-person shows, we’re bringing with us the tools and techniques we adopted for virtual events to connect with a wider audience and to enrich the in-person experience.
So, how do we bring the virtual into our live shows and create successful hybrid events?
The Value of Creating Hybrid Strategies at the Outset
In essence, the ‘old school’ approach to live events and trade shows has very much been a mirror image of a traditional market. But the demand and appeal of hybrid approaches in live events has been growing for well over a decade, and the past two years have truly catapulted into the spotlight the evidence of its necessity. To truly experience their benefits, virtual components cannot be seen as additions to be duct taped on. When approaching a live event appearance with a hybrid strategy, companies are offering experiences wherein their audience will connect more deeply with their brands. It’s become a way of enriching your live event and trade show experience for your audience – and creating a wider audience while you’re at it.
Hybrid events not only extend your events to become newly available for audiences at a distance, but also make your event accessible to people who could not attend the event in-person and the differently abled, as well. When attendees aren’t required to show up in-person but can still participate virtually, it paves the way for an entirely new audience, without barriers. Take a look at how you can make your hybrid events more inclusive.
The Connected Office
With effective hybrid approaches, companies can bridge the gap between their consumers and their subject matter experts around the world. Without absorbing extra travel costs of sending a larger number of their employees to global events, companies can provide a platform for their product and/or service experts to connect with engaged consumers wherever they are in the world.
For example, take a look at this project that we executed for Engadget at the Consumer Electronics Show back in 2015. Long before anybody was speaking about hybrid events, we built an exhibit space that could also function as a studio for live broadcasts and content delivery, bringing the live CES/Engadget experience to a much wider audience. The event was a success and very early on displayed the effectiveness of hybrid events, even outside of the context of a pandemic-ridden world.
The truth is that although we can make predictions, nobody can say for certain what the future holds.
Become Part of the Paradigm Shift
The rise of hybrid event hosting is not a hassle – it’s an opportunity. With more mediums to work with and a larger audience at our fingertips, the opportunity for creativity and innovation within trade shows is at an all-time high.
This shift in the way we approach live events and trade shows is happening now. Audiences and consumers are engaging with brands in every industry in different ways and are enjoying connectivity at live events. Hybrid approaches are opening the doors to much more active storytelling, and a deeper level of engagement.
Connect with us now to discuss your 2022 hybrid events!