Jodi and JoEllen attended their first hybrid event this month and are here to breakdown their experience. The goal of attending this conference was to gain knowledge on how to planning meetings as we move forward, how to keep attendees safe, and what kind of messaging attendees should be receiving before, during, and after the meeting.
What was your overall impression of the hybrid event experience?
JoEllen: “To be honest you would have never known this was a hybrid event. The way that it was run the speakers did their live sessions and then went and did a separate virtual presentation. This made the sessions run a little bit smoother, but at the same time we missed out on some of the great conversation happening from the on-line audience.
I think the hybrid portion was most noticeable during the General Sessions when our fantastic emcee really involved everyone virtual and in person.
In the leadership breakout we were able to use some new technology called Weframe. It is the size of a blackboard, but is a screen, camera, whiteboard, and monitor all in one. The great thing was after the meeting they were able to send us everything that was on the board in an email (no more taking photos of flipcharts). We were able to zoom a speaker in on this board and people at home were also able to send notes and questions for the board from their phones the same way the people in the room were communicating. The technology was great!”
Jodi: “As you can imagine, it was wonderful to once again experience the energy, networking, and, really, other-ness (of food, surroundings, environment, people, weather, scenery, etc.)! I’ve done a lot of virtual education and networking since March, and as most of us know you just can’t replicate the feeling you get when being in person.
I also have a hard time concentrating on Zoom calls, particularly when the video feed is off. Email is right there, family is generally somewhere in the background, I can quick run and change a load of laundry, my phone is begging for me to text someone. It takes a LOT to keep my attention for an hour when I’m just sitting in front of my monitor.
All that being said, I was anxious to get into an environment where I could really focus. MPI did a fabulous job of bringing in the virtual audience to all aspects of the general sessions. Here’s a few ways they kept them engaged:
Periodically showed video streams of the virtual audience listening in, clapping, etc.
The emcee, Dena Blizzard, introduced 4 virtual attendees on a large screen at the beginning of each session, and spent time chatting with them.
Live polls
Dena, speakers, and anyone on stage generally directed their content to include the words “virtual audience”, “for those of you at home”, etc. so that it didn’t feel like they were creeping in on a presentation for a live audience only.
Live chat for virtual attendees only that the emcee addressed consistently
This wasn’t as prominent in the breakout sessions, so I think more thought needs to be put into that and how to carry over the “we’re all attending and engaging with this” feeling into the small sessions.
Overall I feel they did a great job showing what a hybrid experience could successfully feel like, and I’m excited to bring some of these concepts into event planning for Impact’s clients.”
What health and safety measures were put into place? Did you feel they were adequate?
JoEllen: “This was my fourth WEC and I have to say it is one of my favorite annual events. This event usually has around 2500 people attending from all over the world. When I registered in February, I had no clue the twist and turns this event would go through. At first MPI was adamant about holding the event in June and I was nervous because of the international attendees it pulls. Finally, in April the decision was made to postpone. When they moved to November, while still leery, what compelled me to go was my love for the meetings industry. I wanted to give all my travel and meeting industry colleagues hope, hope that we can meet again safely.
The safety measures began way before the conference. Expectations were communicated months in advance and our swag bags including our badge, mask and program all arrived before the event. This was to forgo the mass crowds that usually congregate around registration. The information for the event app was even released early so we could plan our conference experience even though it was ever-changing…more about that later.
The day we got in we had to download a second app to check-in and answer a few questions about our recent travel and how we were currently feeling. Every day we had to check in on the app and show the travel nurses in attendance our thumbs up for the day and then they took our temperature. Being the event went from 2300 to 600 we had a lot of room. 8’ rounds were spread out and only allowed 4 per table, everyone was masked and if you had your mask down to eat or drink you were immediately reminded to pull it up or put it back on.
Education was well attended, after-hour events were not. It seemed some people could not justify taking the chance on the full event experience. What they missed out on was great food and drink experiences that were served in a reasonably safe fashion and event venues that could have held ten times the amount of people that were in attendance. The reason I say reasonably safe is because I later was involved in an interesting conversation about the service of many single-serve plates and finger food. Finger food was an interesting choice, I should mention hand sanitizer was available at every turn. Those who did like the single-serve food items were met with the argument that there is no good way to do a green meeting with all the waste that is created. There are several things to take into consideration while planning an event like this and in the end you may not be able to check all of the boxes you normally would.”
Jodi: “I went into the experience knowing I was taking a risk for the sake of experience and education. To minimize that risk I quarantined the week before and the week after, I wore my mask the entire time, I didn’t hug or shake hands, and I tried to maintain social distancing as much as I could. That being said, I knew there was still a risk and I accepted that – all attendees need to make sure they’re comfortable and take personal responsibility for following the guidelines…or don’t go.
I will say that MPI did a great job with enforcing the guidelines:
Lots of clear communication leading up to the event outlining what would be expected of attendees
Duty of Care needed to be read and signed prior to the event
Daily temperature checks required before entry into any event area
The emcee and just about every speaker reinforced “wear your mask the entire time!” all day, every day
Every volunteer was tasked with keeping an eye on attendees and making sure they wore their masks, and they weren’t afraid to say something if you didn’t. Kind, but firm.
Signage EVERYWHERE.
Hand sanitizer all over the place.
They also took extra precautions in general:
Our badges and masks were mailed to us ahead of time in order to reduce lines at registration
Exhibitors were placed throughout the entire event space instead of in one area
Seating at each table was very limited (for example, 4 chairs at a round instead of 8 or 10)
Grab and go food, with only one meal being plated
I felt like they did everything they could to minimize risk and exposure and enforce the rules they had in place, which made me feel secure.”
What do you feel was the biggest challenge for the event? What went exceptionally well?
JoEllen: “The education and speaker changes were the biggest challenge to me. Speakers were secured months in advance then ten days leading up to the event many had to drop out due to travel restriction, exposure, and illness. The education for me was a bit lackluster this year. Many of the programs on my original schedule were moved and changed and I was left to pivot at the event.
I think the venue itself was an exceptional location, having the event at a location like the Gaylord Texan with 490,000 square feet of meeting space made it possible to create a socially distanced event. I felt comfortable being able to sit with small groups of people and eating though I tried to stay with my small pod of people from my home region.
Attendees were always conscious of others giving plenty of space and many elbow bumping instead of a hug or handshake when they saw their friends. It was interesting to watch attendees at a touch-free event measure each other’s comfort level.”
Jodi: “The networking was a challenge – all events were outdoors (or at the very least indoor/outdoor) with lots of extra space. This was great for social distancing, but we’re still trying to figure out how to successfully network when keeping 6’ apart yet meeting new people. This was probably where I saw the most rules being broken, myself included. I met plenty of new people (although not as many as pre-COVID networking) but between the masks and the plexiglass for speed networking, I was definitely closer than 6’ just to hear what the other person was saying. Again, weigh the risk/reward and minimize risk as much as possible. I think in-person networking will be the biggest challenge for the foreseeable future.
In terms of what went exceptionally well, I think the clear and consistent communications were great. Emails, printed newsletters on site, push notifications on the app, and the speakers all had the same consistent language regarding taking personal responsibility for minimizing risk, as well as all things conference-related (changes, maps, upcoming speakers, exhibitor offerings, etc.).
The one exception to this would be the post-conference email. They were great about providing a link to take the event survey and made it very convenient (“click here to take the survey”). However, the email said we needed to self-report if we tested positive for COVID but gave no indication of who to report to or how to do it. Being very transparent that it is a possibility and giving a link to the email/web page would have been the right thing to do.”
What do you envision events will look like moving forward?
JoEllen: “I think hybrid events are not going anywhere, I do think sitting through a six to eight-hour event virtually will go by the wayside. There is a reason TED talks are so popular; people want shorter bite-sized presentations. I can see presentations being available individually or giving people the ability to purchase all the sessions but watch them at their leisure.
I also think that extroverted people that need to have human interaction will never be able to have that through a computer screen. In the future there will be a choice to suit everyone’s needs. After all, it is often said people learn more outside of the event from the networking and after-hours events then they do in the event itself.”
Jodi: “I think hybrid events will be our new normal. There are so many great things about this structure!
It allows for more attendees
Those who can’t travel or don’t have the financial ability to travel can now attend
Which allows for more exhibitors/sponsors
They have access to even more people
Greater variety in sponsorship levels
Which allows for a bigger budget for A/V to make it a great experience for those attending virtually
Take advantage of the virtual aspect – you can now have speakers that were perhaps out of your budget if they were to come in person. Have them present virtually, saving on travel and time costs. It will also give your virtual attendees the feeling of inclusion if some speakers are also virtual.
Incorporate “micro-events” or viewing opportunities. This is where small groups of people get together in a socially distanced meeting room, hotel meeting space, etc. to view the event together.
This offers the in-person environment on a much smaller scale along with the virtual attendance of the conference.
For state or national organizations, you can then offer mini-networking events/mine viewing events for a small additional fee. Unique revenue generation!
We will get better at the technical aspect, the networking aspect, and the inclusion aspect as we gain experience in the hybrid model. I think it opens up so many opportunities and am excited to see how it develops!”
What was your biggest educational takeaway from the event?
JoEllen: “My biggest takeaway was that we can still meet in a safe manner. Of course, there are times that are safer than others. I do not think this pandemic is going anywhere fast and we are going to have to learn how to live with it and how to do better at our events. The days of the candy walls and self-serve buffets may be over, but I think the better question is should they have ever been there to begin with?”
Jodi: “I think my biggest takeaway, educationally speaking, is that we need to update our crisis communication plans. How do we keep people informed and up to date (pre, during, and post-event)? What cybersecurity do we need to have in place now that we’re doing more online education and mass video distribution during conferences? Reputation/PR planning? How do we address COVID? Now is the perfect time to update those plans, and ensure we’re continuing to look at them and keep them relevant.”
As you can see, meeting again has its ups and downs. What is important is to keep the safety and comfort of your attendees top of mind. This event was filled with people who plan meetings so it made sense for their audience to come together and experience the event. In some cases, it might not and it is okay to remain virtual. Find what works for you and your organization.