Producing a hybrid event requires coordinating many essential vendors and stakeholders. Key among these are your venue, AV company, and sponsors.
This article, excerpted from our eBook “Keeping Up With the Connectors: The strategies, tactics, and tools from the minds behind Cvent CONNECT,” walks you through the process of selecting and working with our hybrid event venue, AV vendor, and working with key sponsors at Cvent CONNECT Hybrid 2021. Inside, we share the best practices documented along the way so that you can apply them to your event.
Hybrid Event Venue Sourcing
The added complexities of hybrid production coupled with current health and safety concerns require extended capabilities from event spaces. When sourcing your hybrid event venue, consider both AV support and physical space requirements.
While taking content outside the venue walls helps you reach a bigger audience, it adds technical overhead. This year, bandwidth was a significant concern for Cvent CONNECT, as we wanted to live stream many sessions. We worked closely with our venue, looping in the production company and our IT team to ensure nothing was left to chance.
When selecting a venue for your hybrid event, be sure the internet capabilities can support both streaming and a crowd of attendees on devices. Keep in mind that breakout rooms need space for multiple cameras that can provide a clear view to virtual attendees. Find out what the venue offers in terms of in-house AV capabilities so you know what gaps in sound equipment or lighting will need to be filled by an external vendor.
In our case, working with Caesars Forum helped a great deal, as it’s a brand new, innovative venue. We had a state-of-the-art meeting space with all the amenities necessary for a modern hybrid event; internet, bandwidth, and electrical capability were more than adequate. We did rigorous testing before the event and had multiple backup plans in case something unexpected happened.
When it comes to health and safety, lean on your venue as much as possible, and let their knowledge and expertise save you time and effort. We were able to build off our venue’s baseline safety standards. With that as a starting point, we could work to accommodate the varying comfort levels of our attendees. Diagramming software like Cvent Seating and Diagramming was invaluable in this process.
We had to make sure our conference floor plan reflected an intuitive and safe experience onsite. We also wanted to provide something super inspirational for our attendees to take back and incorporate into their future strategies.
Cvent Seating and Diagramming gave us a live, visual representation of our event and a shared space for collaboration. We communicated with all our vendors—venue, expo, and AV—within the tool. We could visualize how things were going to work and get feedback in real-time, and we were able to exchange notes and stay agile as guidelines evolved and changed.
Apply these strategies to your event by asking the following questions:
- Is there adequate bandwidth to handle both streaming and a room full of attendees using their devices?
- Is there room for a multiple-camera setup?
- Can the space provide a clear line of sight for virtual attendees?
- What health and safety protocols does the venue already have in place?
- Will the floor plan meet varying attendee comfort levels?
Need help finding a great venue? Check out the Cvent Supplier Network for a comprehensive and searchable list.
Working With the AV Company
You won’t know all the things you need to know to produce a great hybrid event; that’s where a great AV partner comes in. Our process of finding and working with our AV partner had three stages: exploration, RFP, and production.
Before starting our RFP process, we took time to explore what was possible. We learned that an exploration phase is essential because it inspires you to create a better event. You’re likely to discover AV options you weren’t aware of and find something to help take your content to the next level. Let yourself dream in this phase.
We invested time learning about different camera types: their capabilities, types of shots they produce, and price points. We discovered 4K cameras, single cameras that can follow a speaker, and unique rigs that allow exciting shots. Once we knew what was out there, we were inspired to use a three-camera setup for our stream stages. Each stage had two stationary 4K cameras and one rigged moving camera. We chose two different kinds of moving cameras to provide a change in viewing experience between stages. One was a Steadicam like you see on the NFL sidelines. The other was a slow-moving camera on a slider track, often used for concerts.
Have a tight budget? Not to worry. There are camera setups available for every budget, so don’t rule out getting high production value for your event. Search online for “low-cost multi-camera live streaming” and explore the options!
“I say explore anything and everything. Let yourself be inspired by what is out there; then you can decide what’s feasible within your budget.” — Kayla Sommers, Senior Meetings and Events Planner
Want more on working with a great vendor? Check out the full guide: “Keeping Up With the Connectors: The strategies, tactics, and tools from the minds behind Cvent CONNECT.”
Working With Sponsors and Exhibitors
Hybrid events can provide tremendous value to your sponsors and exhibitors. The key to success is to provide ample training so they can maximize that value.
Sponsors and exhibitors want to understand how they’re going to showcase themselves to get attention. They also want to know how their branding is going to look. Be sure you show them the virtual interface and provide clear creative guidelines and best practices for their teams to follow. We saw that many creative teams needed to rework their materials to show them off in the best way possible for the virtual experience.
Use tools or mockups to show sponsors and exhibitors your vision. You might have a clear image in your head, but it doesn’t always translate in conversations. Mocking up a website or Cvent Attendee Hub page goes a long way to show that sponsor or exhibitor you’re there to help them have the best experience.
“We think everyone is comfortable with video chats and using technology, but many people are still getting used to it. Prepare for extra training and onboarding.” — Lauren Allison, Lead, Meetings & Events
We got really inventive with sponsorship when we were planning Cvent CONNECT virtual in 2020. For example, VisitDallas typically sponsors our Innovation Pavilion Happy Hour. They created a virtual experience that took the audience on a tour of Dallas, had a local chef teach attendees how to make a margarita, and showcased local bands—attendees loved it! That experience showed us that the hybrid world is a place for new ideas. We encourage you to brainstorm and involve your colleagues; you may be surprised by what they contribute.
For a full deep dive, including a Virtual Exhibitor Booth best practices diagram, check out the full guide: “Keeping Up With the Connectors: The strategies, tactics, and tools from the minds behind Cvent CONNECT.”
