Chart of the week: what do planners want from hybrid events?

The event industry is changing rapidly. Each week we illustrate how this is happening and what it means for your business.

Event technology connection and real-time attendee data are the priorities for boosting hybrid event marketing, according to a survey.

Findings from a new report show 64% of marketers say the top element they hope to incorporate into these business-to-business (B2B) shows are technology integrations.

Meanwhile, 57% said they wanted to interact simultaneously with attendees and 54% said they wanted the data to be made available to them.

Only 15% of respondents said they wanted gamification to be a feature of future hybrid events.

Read ExpoPlatform’s full guide on hybrid events here.

Behind the figures

The world has gone digital over the last 18 months, so with the return to in-person much has been talked about how to keep hold of those advantages.

Part of this comes from incorporating the benefits brought through online events in to the physical world.

Figures from the ON24 report reveals that most marketers believe hybrid B2B events will become more common in the coming future – with 95% of respondents saying so.

Benefits highlighted by the respondents include significant boosts to the pipeline and more data compared with physical events.

The findings show many marketers are already well aware of how digital elements can help their events, meaning those who are not considering them could be left behind.

ExpoPlatform’s chief growth officer Luke Bilton told an International Confex panel discussion that to ignore the benefits brought through this information would be like “going back to the Stone Age”.

He added: “The problem for large-scale exhibitions is you push attendees through a door and let them do the rest themselves.

“Digital has brought all of this data, for me you would be going back to the Stone Age if you were to turn off all off that insight and go back to a concrete box you aren’t measuring.”

What does this mean for organisers?

The return of in-person events is great for the industry, but the digital transformation has laid the foundation for a successful comeback.

Producers who don’t incorporate hybrid into their business model risk being left behind. Here’s why.

Monetisation: Potential for monetisation through virtual has been historically under-valued by exhibition organisers, who now need to re-balance the pricing of digital and in-person in their budgets. This can ensure that even when people are unable or unwilling to travel, a healthy amount of revenue can still be brought in.

Pricing: Digital has been historically under-valued by exhibition organisers, who now need to re-balance the pricing of digital and in-person in their budgets. This can ensure that in the event of a show being cancelled, a healthy amount of revenue can still remain.

Measuring success: A hybrid event’s success can be measured by analysing post-event data, using technology such as ExpoPlatform. All virtual event metrics can be captured such as profile views, engagement or directory searches. Physical event scans and in-person meeting data can also be stored for analysis and reporting purposes.

For more on this download ExpoPlatform’s Hybrid Blueprint ebook.