In-Person, Virtual Or Hybrid Events: Which One Works Best for You?
Whether you are planning or have recently planned an event, you must have heard from event management experts speak of the various approaches to hosting an event, i.e., in-person, virtual, or hybrid. What exactly are these approaches? And how do you know which one is best for your event?
Let’s look at the advantages and challenges of each approach to help you make the right choice.
What Is An In-Person Event?
In-person, or live event, is one where all delegates are physically present in a location; in other words, your “old-school” seminars, conferences, trade shows, exhibitions, etc.
Why Choose An In-Person Event?
Networking and relationship building are the reasons people attend events. Hence, the most obvious and significant benefit of in-person events is the opportunity for attendees to interact face-to-face. Being physically present is most effective in driving meaningful connections and facilitating the nuances of communication such as body language, postures and gestures. With live events, you also have more leeway in creating spectacular sight and sound effects that translate into memorable experiences for the audience. This means that in-person events are more likely to be remembered than other approaches.
What Are Its Challenges?
In-person events come with limited capacity, and thus, you can only reach a limited number of participants. It can also cost you more – expenses such as venue, refreshments, decorations, live shows and others will need to be budgeted. And while COVID restrictions are gradually easing, safety measures and regulations are likely to stick around for a little longer, which can pose some inconvenience for the speakers and attendees.
What Is A Virtual Event?
A virtual event is one where participants attend entirely online.
Why Choose A Virtual Event?
Virtual events are relatively quick to organise and deploy, and they can cost significantly less. With lower costs, you can reduce the price of admission, allowing businesses with smaller budgets to attend. With no capacity and distance constraints, you can now reach across continents and enable people across the globe to interact without needing to spend on flights and hotels. Similarly, prominent, high-demand speakers who might not have the time to commit to being physically present at your event can now do so virtually.
What Are Its Challenges?
It is a challenge to keep the virtual audience engaged all the time as you are just one of many things vying for their attention (think urgent emails, screaming kids at the background, Shoppee deliveries, etc.). These distractions make it harder for you or the speakers to get the message across. The virtual audience also needs shorter sessions and more breaks as they cannot possibly sit in front of the screen all day long. And no matter how engaging the online experience is, it will never have the same level of connection as having the attendees sit in the same room.
What Is A Hybrid Event?
A hybrid event is an event that leverages technology to meaningfully integrate the participation of in-person and virtual attendees.
Why Choose Hybrid Events?
With hybrid events, you enjoy the best of both worlds, allowing participants to attend either in-person or virtually. As it offers attendees a choice, it has become a popular approach in events management. And like virtual events, hybrid events have a broader reach, capturing those who wish to attend but cannot travel. Lastly, because there is a strong physical element in hybrid events, superior production quality can be achieved to enhance the overall event experience.
What Are Its Challenges?
Despite popular belief, hybrid events are not necessarily cheaper than in-person events. Since your budget needs to cater to both audiences’ needs, additional technology and professional hires may be required to make it work seamlessly. This means it can be the most expensive of the three options. The other challenge in hosting a hybrid event is creating content that keeps both audiences engaged and interacting. With two different audiences, it can be hard to find a suitable middle ground.
So, which approach is right for your event? Ultimately, it boils down to the objective of your event, size, budget, timeline and your attendees’ location. As shown, each approach has its benefits and challenges. You need to weigh the pros and cons and consider the different factors before making the right choice.
Call us at (65) 69966700 or email [email protected] if you wish to discuss your events management needs with us.