The rise of hybrid events marks a significant transformation in the event industry, blending the physical and virtual worlds to create seamless, inclusive experiences. As the world adapts to the post-pandemic reality, event management companies are increasingly leveraging technology to design events that engage both in-person attendees and remote participants equally. Hybrid events offer the best of both worlds—allowing people to attend physically while giving those unable to travel the ability to join virtually from anywhere in the world.
This shift is fuelled by advancements in live-streaming, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and interactive digital platforms, all of which enhance audience participation, regardless of their location. With tools such as real-time polling, virtual networking lounges, and immersive 3D experiences, event organisers can create engaging, two-way communication that makes remote attendees feel as connected as those present in the venue.
Everything Experiential spoke to industry experts about the challenges of hosting hybrid events and implementing tech beyond its typical use cases to create enhanced experiences, as well as the imperative factor of profitability of such events.
Audience engagement
Hosting a hybrid event poses a unique set of challenges, quite different from live on-ground events.
Pramod Gaikwad, Co-founder, Ice Global reveals that in today’s times, they do use many different technologies to engage live event attendees. But these are quite different to those used in hybrid events.
Concerning audience engagement, he points out that due to the very nature of the participation, in-person and virtual audiences have different attention spans, needs and connects. The engagement can never be equal for both types of audiences.
“While we strive to enhance the engagement for each type of participant, it is important to use different tools to engage with different audiences. Technologies like holograms, projection mapping, AR, etc. make a huge impact on in-person audiences. Whereas interactive platforms which facilitate real-time quizzing, polling, word clouds and Q&A up the ante for virtual participants. Tools that gamify the experience with points, rewards, participation as a team, etc. are very appreciated by virtual audiences.
The focus for us is to create an inclusive space, where the online participants don’t get left behind. So we must go beyond the limitations of Zoom, MS Teams and Webex in creating engagement. We thus deploy various third-party tools and apps into hybrid events to create impact,” Gaikwad outlines.
He cites the instance of a hybrid corporate programme, wherein they had many winners and participants joining in remotely. So, they created a bespoke portal to allow the remote participants to join in. The portal had many virtual spaces and rooms, which gave the remote participants access to parallel sessions, the opportunity to meet exhibitors, access to in-person attendees etc. “Remote audiences could also toggle between various seating positions in the main auditorium (as we had many cameras broadcasting through a multi-camera setup). One could argue that every remote participant had VIP access to the event. During the event, our technology tools ensured that both in-person and remote participants were equally engaged in polls, Q&As and quizzes.”
Vidya Alva, Chief Operating Officer, Percept Ice, like many others, evidently understands that planning a hybrid event often feels like organising two distinct events that must interact seamlessly to deliver a unified experience. Managing costs and logistics for both is tough, but integrating live polls, Q&A sessions, and interactive features from the start helps remote participants feel involved in real-time. “We also use AI-powered engagement analysis to track engagement and adjust the experience based on real-time feedback.”
She brings out the instances of one of their hybrid events for their client Novartis Pharma wherein they successfully connected four cities with an on-ground presence, interacting with each other in real-time and over 500 attendees attending the same event virtually being able to interact with all the zones. This was also coupled with keynote speakers joining in from all around the world addressing audiences at the same time and taking questions from them at the same time.
Tech & security
Technology breakdowns and glitches can totally disrupt any experience. “When planning hybrid events, the pressure more than doubles. One of the problems is also that all the on-ground technology is not designed to segway into online solutions,” says Gaikwad.
He adds, “As the saying goes ‘different strokes, for different folks’. One must have different support crews for different audiences. We have a dedicated team for online participants to cater to their needs. Audiences joining remotely too struggle with technology. Creating ease of access is extremely important.”
Gaikwad suggests some pointers to be kept in mind, “Use chatbots to answer FAQs. Have helplines to help remote participants figure out their individual problems. For complex hybrid events, our integration team serves as a bridge between the tech teams on-ground and online. Having said this, one golden rule, is to not cut corners on good equipment, good crews and good internet.”
Alva emphasises that security is a top priority in hybrid event access. “We use multi-factor authentication, ticketing, and end-to-end encryption to ensure safe access for all our event participants, whether in person or online.”
Networking
Networking of online and in-person audiences is another challenge worth mentioning, as per Gaikwad, because one of the main highlights for attendees is the opportunity to network.
“While we design virtual meeting rooms/tables in online events to allow for remote participants to network, it might be worth the effort to create opportunities for remote and in-person audiences to meet during hybrid events,” he mentions.
Interaction ‘pods’, linked to the event portal allow for remote participants to meet with on-ground attendees. These pods mimic the virtual meeting rooms and allow for conversations and exchange of ideas. Scheduling systems on the event app allow for both types of attendees to connect. The same system works for online audiences to engage with exhibitors as well.
As per Alva, networking, a major challenge in hybrid formats, is addressed with AI-driven matchmaking and video meet-ups, encouraging meaningful interactions. “Digital twin technology has also recreated physical spaces online, enabling remote attendees to explore and engage.”
Content Access
Hybrid events take the engagement beyond the physical dimensions of the event space. With remote participants joining from across the world, this poses another layer of challenges for the planning team.
Gaikwad explains that to equalise the contest access for all participants, there are various tech-enabled solutions that one can put to use:
Alva outlines that they have created multiple touch-points through customised event apps, push notifications, email alerts, and social media to unify the entire experience. Real-time interactions, branded hashtags, sponsor trivia, live streams and unique activities bridge both audiences, fostering deeper connections.
Profitability
Considering its very nature, the obvious question is about hybrid events turning profitable (apart from sponsorship), especially when ticket fees for such events are nominal/free.
Understanding that hybrid events can feature the best from both worlds, online and in-person, audience participation hence would not be limited to venue capacity, accessibility to destination, peripheral costs of accommodation, flights, etc, Gaikwad fathoms.
Having said that a lot also depends on the type of the event. For example, in the case of musicals, concerts, food experiences, plays, etc. he doesn’t think that the demand for virtual participation will ever be significant. However, for conferences, conclaves, business expos, etc. it definitely would be.
Gaikwad recommends a few strategies one can utilise to increase revenue and make hybrid events and projects profitable:
1. Create diverse revenue streams
2. Differential promotions
3. Cost Optimisation
4. Better planning
Summing up, event management companies are increasingly investing in tech solutions that bridge the gap between physical and virtual experiences, ensuring seamless integration across formats. From large-scale conferences and corporate summits to entertainment and social events, hybrid models are now the go-to strategy for reaching broader audiences, providing flexibility, and ensuring accessibility. As the boundaries between virtual and real-world events continue to blur, hybrid events are not just a temporary fix, but a long-term solution that is reshaping the future of the industry.
