10 Creative Ideas for Networking at Hybrid Events
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Due to the digital shift that happened majorly in 2020 event organizers had to adopt virtual event platforms as their roadway to deliver life-like event experiences to their attendees. At this point, hybrid events are becoming a popular alternative to promote brand awareness and maximize global reach.
But planning a successful hybrid event is not just a matter of online sessions being conducted using a virtual stage. It requires a strategic approach and planning to include both physical and virtual attendees at a time. Besides combining both audiences into one unit it is necessary to promote networking and keep them engaged and involved throughout the event.
Here are 10 creative ideas that you can incorporate at your hybrid events to promote networking
among the attendees;
Provide a central location for both virtual and physical attendees
It is important to remember that you have to connect your in-person and virtual participants during your hybrid event. You need not treat them as different segments, rather consider all of them as one essential unit. Your virtual attendees can join through their laptops, tablets, or phones and physical participants can join through their mobile devices.
Even if all of them cannot have face-to-face interactions, they can still communicate using the right hybrid event platform. Hence, this is why it is important to choose an ideal hybrid venue partner to make your hybrid events more successful and unique.
The benefits of choosing an all-in-one hybrid event solution are;
- Allows you to live stream your event in a distraction-free atmosphere
- Assures that the attendees can easily access each aspect of the event
- Lets you send reminders and notifications to your attendees seamlessly
Understand the changing needs of your audience
With advancements happening every day, it is vital to understand the growing needs and expectations of your virtual and in-person attendees. Take time and choose your hybrid event software reasonably. Make sure that the platform can seamlessly facilitate all the latest features and tools to connect both audiences and make your event a successful affair. After setting a clear perception of attendee preferences, it becomes easier to segregate the expectations of both virtual and in-person attendees and plan the hybrid event accordingly.
Make the most of the AI matchmaking tool
We understand that networking for your physical attendees is way simpler as compares to the virtual audience. The on-site participants can enjoy the benefits of social suggestions, body language, and many more to discover a relevant context and experience a good meeting. But as virtual attendees are an important aspect of hybrid events, you have to make sure that they don’t feel left out. Think of some striking ideas that you can incorporate to promote engagement and interaction among the virtual audience.Providing virtual attendees with a list of people who share the same interest helps pave the way for more meaningful communications.
Include group chat for the audiences
We all know that group chat features had been highly beneficial during virtual events. Consider including a chat or discussion group that is easily accessible by both virtual and in-person attendees. It will promote networking among all the attendees, and it becomes relatively easier to connect, interact and make significant relationships. Remember to keep it mobile-specific for the physical attendees, so they don’t have to carry their laptops or any other devices.
Include gamification
Friendly competition is considered a quick way to arouse excitement at a hybrid event, and you can choose from multiple options that will work well for both physical and virtual attendees. Look for a hybrid event platform that has a collection of customized games to make the event more enjoyable for each attendee.
For example, Dreamcast, one of the leading hybrid and virtual event platforms, has a compilation of 100+ games that can attract more attendees to your event. You can also think of including sponsored games like word games, crosswords, spin the wheel, shooting games, and many more to add a fun and interesting element to your hybrid event. You can also think of keeping a leaderboard challenge that will award scores to each attendee who wins a game. In the end, the top scorer can take home exciting prizes and rewards.
Make breakout rooms or networking lounges accessible by both audiences
If your hybrid event consists of breakout rooms or networking lounges, make the most of event technology to involve both on-site and virtual attendees to promote networking and engagement among the attendees. It is an excellent way to help replicate the on-site event experiences for your virtual audience.
Embed social walls
To encourage networking during your hybrid event, you can insert social media walls while you are live-streaming the event. It is an efficient way to let attendees make new and strong connections. Social media walls gather the most suitable feeds from different social media channels to enable participants to connect and interact seamlessly.
Allow virtual attendees to exchange their business cards
We know that people at physical events can conveniently exchange their business cards, which is a bit difficult with the virtual aspect. Therefore, consider including a virtual business card exchange feature so the online audience too can connect and interact with global delegates, sponsors, and exhibitors to begin significant connections.
Social media and third-party app integration
Currently, social media has become a powerful means to promote networking or the event itself. A significant portion of the population is active on social media channels and spends ample time scrolling feeds. Combining your social media handle links with the hybrid events helps in increasing your followers’ list with whom you can contact and nurture meaningful corporate relationships.
Facilitate 2-way communication
Enabling 2-way communication at your hybrid event is very important as it allows both virtual and in-person attendees to ask questions directly to the speaker. You can do this by using the audio, chat, & video features or by sharing the screen.
In this blog, we’ve covered some brilliant networking ideas that you can include at your hybrid events to make them more effective and realistic.
Looking for an all-in-one hybrid event platform? Get in touch with Dreamcast today
