Friday, October 24, 2008

Inside Meetings & Conferences

Get more mileage with your event by going hybrid

Video Gallery

MHT Editor Doug Banks on NECN: How companies are using social media

How is the economic crisis affecting tech companies?

MHT Sales Roundtable: Web 2.0, Meet Sales 101

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We all know that live events work. They always will be effective ways for marketers to connect with key audiences. If we create an immersive, engaging and educational experience, we will have a significant impact; in fact, the data says so. But, are marketers getting the proper bang for their buck?

Marketers feel compelled to inundate attendees with too much content by cramming a year’s worth of news and information into a three- or four-day affair, leading to diluted key messages and force-fed content. This practice is akin to sending consumers to the grocery store and filling their bags with three months of food that will spoil in a week. Who can eat that fast? The key is to stop over-filling their bags, give them something delicious to process at the event, and then keep them coming back so they take things in at their own pace.

The other side of the coin is the online channel. While the benefits of in-person interaction, like shaking hands, looking colleagues in the eye and sharing a meal, cannot be replicated online, there are other, perhaps equally powerful benefits. For instance, it may be more effective for a training program to take place over a few months, rather than a few days. Additionally the online channel fosters long-term interaction, and enables people to stay in touch better and with more regularity than over the course of a three- or four-day event.

So how can marketers experience the benefits of both events? One of the most effective ways is through a hybrid event.

It is difficult to define the term “hybrid event,” because it can have many meanings. Essentially, hybrid events blend in-person and online channels to create an experience that engages all key audiences. If implemented correctly, a hybrid event will inform, educate and engage target audiences with focused and relevant content. For marketers, the main benefit is that they are not forced into choosing either live or online experiences; they can have both.

There are many ways to create a hybrid event. One way is to shorten what is normally a week-long event to two or three days, and invest the remaining capital in an extensive online communications campaign that can take place at other times that year. Marketers not only retain that important in-person component, but engage in long-term communications with their key audience.

Another way is to use online tools leading up to, during and after an in-person event. Webcasts are great tools for engaging audiences before the event because participants can provide direct feedback and ideas on event themes, speaking tracks or seminar topics. During the event itself, marketers can use RSS feeds, forums, webcasts, podcasts and live Q&A sessions to share information during the show.

Often, marketers miss the opportunity of interacting with their audience when the event is over, but this is a prime time to continue the online connection. Online interactions become even more important, in that the audience will likely grow once the face-to-face element of the event is over, and the entire audience will go online for information. To keep the audience engaged and continue to build relationships, marketers must leave open the lines of communication.

Hybrid events give marketers the opportunity to reach a much wider audience than face-to-face-only or online-only events. Interested parties who are unable to attend an event due to the rising costs of travel or the time required to be away from work or family, can still be involved.

Additionally, because the lines of communication are constantly open, marketers can gather important information about components of the event that were successful, as well as ones that did not work, to maximize the experience for the next year. Furthermore, marketers can track comments in forums, the most popular RSS feeds and the number of times a webcast or podcast has been downloaded to see what news and information was the most popular during the event.

A hybrid event will reach more people, build a community and provide valuable feedback on what could make the experience better. The trick for marketers is to figure out which hybrid event method works best for their individual needs.

 

Phil Collyer is a senior vice president and creative director for Cramer, a digital marketing and event agency in Norwood. He can be reached at pcollyer@crameronline.com.