Stuck in the middle?

After all, it might be several years before the world recovers from Covid-19, so providing a physical experience for those able to travel, and an online experience for those who can’t, makes sense.

The format, however, has not met with universal enthusiasm. This might have something to do with how the definition of hybrid has shifted during the pandemic.

Associations were experimenting with hybrid long before Covid-19, but often in a fairly limited way. Live streaming a few sessions, for example, or providing an online chat function. Nothing too major.

Now hybrid commonly describes a more comprehensive online experience – requiring two separate, but integrated, events and separate organising teams.

Some associations, with the budget, have started experimenting with multi-hub events, which include a main event in a host city and other ‘satellite’ events around the world. Here delegates can attend either online or at a local or regional event, depending on travel restrictions.

No wonder, perhaps, that words like ‘complex’ and ‘expensive’ now pepper conversations about hybrid. But, in truth, much depends on the size of the meeting and the association’s overall objectives.

It might be that streaming or recording a few sessions is sufficient for your needs. If that’s the case, you can still run a 'hybrid' event without much fuss.

Thomas Reiser, executive director of the International Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis, said most associations were still ‘feeling their way’ into hybrid.

“What hybrid means is still crystalizing and will depend on the technological solutions that become available,” he said.

“As we have discovered, some things work very well in the digital world, and there are some things that don’t really work well in the digital world.”

Reiser said he was convinced hybrid was ‘here to stay’, but change would happen gradually.

“Over the last 18 months we have heard everything from, ‘everything’s going back to normal’ to ‘everything’s going to go virtual’. And I think we’re somewhere in the middle. We are feeling our way through the changes. It will be more evolution than revolution.”

Reiser’s caution is reflected in various industry surveys.

New research, ‘Are Associations Ready for Hybrid Events’, found that 59 per cent of associations were planning hybrid events.

However, according to the report by event management company Eventsforce, half of them (49%) were unsure if the format would endure beyond the pandemic.

There was also evidence that many associations were not willing to take the hybrid route. The findings showed a quarter (32 ) of the 120 associations surveyed had opted out of hybrid and were instead running a mixed portfolio of in-person and virtual-only events.

Magdalina Antanassova, Marcom Director at professional congress organiser Kenes Group, said associations would choose which format - in-person, virtual, or hybrid - to use depending on their own objectives.

"Most healthcare professionals now see virtual events as somewhere to get content, but not somewhere to grow their professional network. And that has completely flipped from last year when they expected a virtual conference to do everything."

In terms of barriers to hybrid events, higher costs and lack of budget topped the list with 73 per cent of association planners.  Another 68 per cent felt hybrid events were risky with no certainty of success, while 59 per cent said they were too complex and time-consuming to manage. The findings also showed that 42 per cent were avoiding hybrid as they felt they lacked the skills and experience needed to run successful hybrid events. 

Nicole Walker, CEO of professional congress organiser Arinex, said the shift to virtual formats – including hybrid – had led to the emergence of an entirely new job.

Writing for AMI last month, she defined a ‘digital conference organiser’, or DCO, as a ‘specialised event professional that plans and enhances conferences using emerging digital technologies’ and had emerged ‘in response to the changing requirements for events and the rise in virtual or hybrid events.’

“A DCO,” she said, “is now seen as an important component of a professional conference organiser (PCO). These DCO event managers understand event technology – as well as what it takes to run a successful online event – better than anyone else in the industry.”

Creating programs and agendas for hybrid events was another issue in the Eventsforce survey with 56 per cent of association planners, while 41 per cent are also concerned about how they should staff both events to avoid prioritising one audience over another.

Reiser was sceptical that a hybrid meeting could ever be fully integrated.

“I think this idea that under hybrid the physical and the online experiences somehow merge, and everyone has the same experience, is not reasonable,” he said.

“Certain content will be primarily digital, potentially viewed onsite as well, and other things will happen in-person. It’s just a matter of communicating and being clear about that.”

Atanassova agreed: "One of the biggest questions for event planners is how do you get the two delegates sets, online and in-person, to interact, which always leads me to ask, 'do we really need to? Or want to?' If I'm there in person I don't want to talk to someone on a screen. I'm fed up with screens!"

The survey results flagged up other concerns around hybrid revenue models – with more than one in three struggling to decide how much to charge virtual vs. on-site attendees and a similar number having issues findings sponsors/exhibitors that want to invest in hybrid events.

Ori Lahav, president of the International Association of Professional Congress Organisers and VP clients and operations at Kenes Group, said finding a workable funding model for hybrid was crucial.

“Everyone is looking for the financial model that can make it work. Does it mean we have to double our investment financially and operationally? If income is lower what does this mean for our profit levels? And so much depends on the percentages.

“Because, obviously, it’s completely different if it’s 80 per cent in-person and 20 per cent online – or vice versa! We’ll have to test it out like we did with virtual events. There will be a learning curve, and, over time, we will improve the delivery.”

So, with the outlook for in-person events still cloudy, what should association be doing now?

Atanassova said: "At the beginning of 2022 it will be extremely difficult to predict anything. If you plan a hybrid event, how many people will attend in-person? You don't know. So you need to be very flexible and have a very flexible supply chain, otherwise all the cost will be incurred by the client. I'm pretty sure most associations will play safe and plan for fully virtual or fully in-person rather than risk going hybrid."

But Walker said planning for hybrid would give organisers more flexibility in the long run.

“Our recommendation for events in the next couple of years is to plan for a hybrid event; that way funds are already allocated for the virtual component while planning for the physical component can begin. This way you can transition between the options effortlessly. There is a nominal additional cost because you already have two platforms (virtual and physical) established.

"Another benefit of planning hybrid events is that sponsorship packages can be designed from the start of the event journey, allowing you to maximise revenue and demonstrate ROI from the outset.”

Sourcing the right tech for hybrid events was also a growing problem for 20 per cent of association planners surveyed by Eventsforce.  But despite a significant degree of reticence, the survey also showed that associations recognised the opportunities that going hybrid could afford them.

The findings show that 90 per cent of association planners felt hybrid could help them reach out to more people and attract new members, much in the same way virtual events have done. More than half also felt the move would allow them to be more strategic in how they serve members (locally and internationally), while 41 per cent said it would help them drive more engagement with existing members. Other opportunities associations cited included better data from events and more revenue from on-demand content.