HYBRID MEETINGSPLAYBOOK
By Brandt Krueger
Developed in partnership with
Radisson Hotel GroupCONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION: HISTORY INFORMS THE FUTURE .........................................................................4
2. PREPARING FOR YOUR HYBRID EVENT ............................................................................................5
What Is (and Isn’t) a Hybrid Event?
Types of Hybrid Audiences
Starting with the Why
Know Your Stakeholders
3. DESIGNING YOUR HYBRID EXPERIENCE ........................................................................................ 10
Think Like a TV Producer
The Hybrid Host
Other Engagement Opportunities
Presenters and Rehearsal
4. THE TECHNOLOGY OF HYBRID EVENTS ......................................................................................... 13
In-Room Audiovisual
The Encoder, Venue ISP and Platform
The Last Mile
Vendor Support
Technology Troubleshooting
5. VENUES AND BUDGETING ................................................................................................................. 16
Choosing an Online Platform
Budget Considerations
Choosing Your In-Person Venues
6. CONCLUSIONS AND DEFINITIONS ................................................................................................... 19

1

INTRODUCTION:HISTORY INFORMS
THE FUTURE
In the early 2010s, hybrid meetings were hailed
as the “breakout star” of the meeting and event
industry, offering incredible opportunities forplanners, sponsors and venues. With successful
execution of hybrid events, planners could
expand their audiences globally, introduce newand engaging formats, easily generate content formarketing and attendee on-demand experiencesand give voice to those who might be reluctant,or unable, to attend in person.
Early evangelists in the format successfully
pushed the envelope of what was possible withthe tools and suppliers available at the time.
They learned hard-fought lessons about things
like online streaming providers, bandwidth,
latency, video and audio quality and delivering
engaging experiences to audiences that were
not only not in the same ballroom, but wereconnecting from offices, homes and mobile
devices around the world. Even in these earlydays, research conducted by MPI about hybrid
events showed increased audience engagement,
value for sponsors and exhibitors and in-person
attendance to future events, despite planners’
fears that online audiences would somehow“cannibalize” the in-person experience.
Even so, an industry that prided itself onconnecting in-person was skeptical ofincorporating a digital audience. They worried
about cost, complexity, technical failures and,despite research to the contrary, losing theirin-person audiences. As a result, online andhybrid events saw little innovation over the
decade, and frequently amounted to little
more than placing a camera in the back of theroom, broadcasting it to the Internet and callingit “hybrid.”“Nowhere in the history of meetings have weseen such an explosion of so many different
formats and applications of new technology,”
wrote the authors of the original MPI Hybrid
Meetings How-To Guide almost a decade earlier.
If only they knew what was to come! As the
pandemic forced the meeting industry online,
hundreds of companies created streaming
platforms or pivoted from other event technology
solutions. Planners were left to figure out how totranslate and adapt their agendas, find uniquesponsorship and exhibitor opportunities andexplore ways of engaging and keeping their
online audiences engaged. They were thrown into
a technological hurricane and given the choice tosink or swim.
Those who succeeded discovered what thoseearly pioneers had already learned—adding online
components to events expanded their audiences
globally, introduced new and engaging formats,easily generated content for marketing andattendee on-demand experiences and gave voice
to those who might be reluctant, or unable, toattend in person. Sound familiar?
As the world opened up again, they naturally
looked for ways to re-incorporate the in-person
experience, and what was old became new again
as the hybrid event experience was reborn.

THAT ALL CHANGED IN 2020.

HYBRID MEETINGS PLAYBOOK

4

2

PREPARINGFOR YOURHYBRID EVENT
WHAT IS (AND ISN’T) A HYBRID EVENT?
A hybrid meeting or event is about more thanjust having two or more audiences. Watching
an awards ceremony such as the Oscars or asporting event like the World Cup from homealongside in-person fans does not make these
two experiences hybrid. Just broadcasting an
event to an online or television audience doesn’t
make it a hybrid event.
The dictionary definitions of “broadcast” allsurround the idea of one-way communication:
a “transmission” or “spreading of information.”
For hybrid events, the following has been MPI’s
definition for a decade.

broadcasts, allowing remote audiences to weighin on gameshows, reality television and otherprimarily broadcast events. The lines are blurring,so rather than rigid definitions, it’s more helpful
to think of the event types on a spectrum(See Figure 1.1).
On the far left sit fully in-person events. There is
no remote audience, so the amount of interaction
with one is zero. Just next to that are broadcast
events. Traditionally, these were one-way
interactions (unless you mailed the television
network a sternly worded letter), but more andmore broadcast events are offering opportunities
for remote audiences to participate throughsocial media, texting and dedicated apps.
The more interaction, and the more connections
you make between in-person and remoteaudiences, the closer you come to hybrid andoffering experiences of similar value. Most
industry experts agree that this is the sweet spot
for hybrid, despite most “hybrid” events lying
somewhere between broadcast and hybrid.

A hybrid event is a meeting or
event with at least one group of
in-person participants connectingwith remote participants in one ormore other locations.
There are a couple of key points in that definition.
The first is the word “connecting.” The maindifference between a traditional broadcast event
and a hybrid event is that a successful hybrid
event creates connections between in-room andremote experiences, no matter their locations in
the world, making sure everyone is part of theconversation and has a seat at the table.
And yet, technology and the Internet (especiallysince the advent of social media) have helped tocreate near-real-time feedback capability for live

Continuing down the spectrum are digitalfirst events. These exist as a counterbalance tobroadcast events in that the primary audience isthe online audience, with limited interaction witha smaller, in-person audience. And finally, on the
far right of the spectrum, we have fully digital
events in which there is no in-person audience, so
all participant interaction is exclusively online.
Determining which model is right for yourorganization is an essential part of the design
process and stems directly from the concepts
outlined in the sections following.

Figure 1.1

In-Person Events

Broadcast Events

Hybrid Events

Digital-First Events

Online Events

None

Some

50/50

Most

Exclusively

Amount of Interaction with Online Audience
HYBRID MEETINGS PLAYBOOK

5

2

PREPARINGFOR YOURHYBRID EVENT
TYPES OF HYBRID AUDIENCES
The second key phrase in the definition of hybrid
events is “one or more other locations.” Themost common type of hybrid event combines anin-person gathering with a group of individuals
viewing in remote locations such as theiroffices or homes—but that’s by no means the
only configuration. Successful hybrid event
experiences are not limited to just in-person
and online audiences. They can be delivered tomultiple different audience types, in multiple
different types of locations, around the world.
We’ve already covered the first two types ofaudiences: the in-person, face-to-face audienceand remote individual participants. But there’s
just something compelling about getting together
in groups. Even in this most basic configuration(or during broadcast events), people will arrange“watch parties” or just agree to meet in the officeconference room to remotely attend the event
together. So why not embrace and encourage
it? Or even make it official by organizing remote
event gatherings, most often referred to as“pods.”

A pod is a remote group of people
attending the event via livestream
but still gathering in person.
A pod is a remote group of people attending theevent via livestream but still gathering in person.
Pods are usually smaller than the main in-person
event, but offer opportunities for in-person
networking, socializing, teambuilding and offsite
activities. Pods are great ways to include smaller
audiences in different geographic locations,for those who might be willing to drive into
the closest major metropolitan city for the day
but might not be able to fly halfway across thecountry or the world for a multi-day event.

Of course, not just audiences can be remote.
You can bring in presenters from anywherein the world, as well. This creates even more
possible configurations. Much like offering theability to attend an event online can increase theglobal reach of your event, allowing presenters
the opportunity to present online can increase
the potential caliber and quality of an event. A
world-renowned heart surgeon or philanthropist
might not be able to take time from their busy
schedules to present at your event, or yourbudget might not be large enough to include
their travel arrangements, but they might be able
to present from their office or a local studio.
Here are a few examples of potential hybrid event
configurations. (See page 7.)

HYBRID MEETINGS PLAYBOOK

6

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Hybrid Meetings: How-To Guide | Page 4

7

Se

2

PREPARINGFOR YOURHYBRID EVENTSTARTING WITH THE WHY
The No. 1 mistake that planners make when
adding an online component is not clearly
understanding the “why” of their events. Every
event has a purpose, such as education to
improve client satisfaction, networking to break
down silos or inspiring employees to increase
sales. Each event has a unique reason for existing,along with a unique set of goals and objectives.
Every major design decision stems from thosegoals, and how those goals previously served
in-person may not have a direct analog in thedigital world. Just replicating the in-person
agenda isn’t necessarily going to work for yourremote audience. You will have to find new andcreative ways to achieve the same desired results.
In addition to knowing your goals and objectives,it’s also important to know how you’re going
to determine whether or not those goals wereachieved. How do you know if your event was a
success if you don’t have a way to measure it?
How will you measure that success? While many
events rely exclusively on attendee survey data or
feedback from executives to determine worth, thereal magic lies in finding objective, measurable
results that prove goals are being met. Afterall (to paraphrase Lord Kelvin), to improvesomething, you must first be able to measure it.

Hybrid and online events offer
the ability to gather and analyze
data in an unprecedented way,
allowing you to measure almost
every possible aspect of the remoteattendee experience.

Hybrid and online events offer the ability togather and analyze data in an unprecedented
way, allowing you to measure almost every
possible aspect of the remote attendee
experience. Not only can you determine exactly
how many people attended online, but you canalso tell exactly what sessions they attended, howlong they watched and if they engaged. While
badge scanners can tell you how many people
attend an in-person breakout, rarely do they tell
you how many people left halfway through.
If one of the goals of the event is education
on a particular topic, you might want to offer
polling on that subject at the beginning and endof the event, comparing the results to see what
attendees learned and if they will apply it. If a
goal is to facilitate networking, offer attendees away to meet and engage, then gather statistics on
the number of people who request connections.
You’ll be able to directly measure which activities
facilitated networking and which ones flopped.
Of course, event organizers aren’t the only ones
who are going to have goals and objectives forthe event. Participants have their own goals, too.
While the main purpose of an event may be afundraiser for a local charity, attendees may wantto network with likeminded philanthropists,or to elevate their social standing. While theevent might be a product launch, the real

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2

PREPARINGFOR YOURHYBRID EVENT
reason people might attend is because it’s anopportunity to see friends or colleagues who they
only see once or twice a year. The product might
be the most important thing in your world, but
not necessarily theirs.
Sponsors have different goals and objectives,too, as do exhibitors. When designing a
successful hybrid event, you’ll need to keep allof these various stakeholders’ goals andobjectives in mind alongside your own and thoseof your organization.
KNOW YOUR STAKEHOLDERS
If not knowing goals and objectives is theNo. 1 mistake planners make, not knowing
their stakeholders is number two This can bechallenging enough for a single in-person event,but for hybrid events, you may have as many asfour types of attendee experiences: in-person,
online at a home or office, pod or even juston-demand after the event. Each one of theseaudiences deserves a quality experience thatmeets their expectations, so it’s more important
than ever to fully understand what each group islooking for.
Likewise, not all sponsors or exhibitors have thesame approach to making the most of the event.
Some exhibitors are content to sit in their booths
and offer people a chance to win a prize if theydrop their card in a fishbowl, while others offer
engaging activities designed to qualify leads andencourage networking between salespeople andattendees. While the former might be perfectly
happy being handed a list of online attendees
after the event, the second is going to want moretargeted leads. How can you help facilitate that—in a GDPR world?
Some sponsors seek name recognition andare happy to have their logos splashed allover banners, printed or digital. Online event
components offer ample opportunities to do
this kind of branding. Others want moredata to show ROI. If you haven’t determined
what constitutes success for these essential
stakeholders, how can you determine whether
or not your event succeeded?

Focus groups, surveys, advisory
teams—all of these can be valuableways to get inside the minds ofyour stakeholders.

Focus groups, surveys, advisory teams—all ofthese can be valuable ways to get inside theminds of your stakeholders. While not every
attendee or exhibitor is going to have the same
goals, analyzing the data from these groups canhelp you begin to put them into smaller, moremanageable groups. Marketing techniques suchas “personas” (fictional characters based on realdemographic data) can be helpful ways to view
your attendees’ experiences from start to finish,
looking for pain points, making sure their needs
are met and providing exclusive value to each andevery stakeholder.

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3

DESIGNING
YOUR HYBRIDEXPERIENCETHINK LIKE A TV PRODUCER
Just as there are unique opportunities that comewith offering a hybrid component to your event,there are design challenges as well. Broadcast
and hybrid events both have two audiences:in-room participants and remote ones. Event
planners are masters of designing the in-room
experience. Now we must add an equallyengaging remote experience. The key word is“engaging.” The more your event engages yourremote participants, the more likely they will feelpart of the community.

The more your event engages
your remote participants, themore likely they will feel part ofthe community.

Television producers know how to keep audiences
engaged and coming back week after week, so
it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that audiences
overwhelmingly cite talk shows, newscasts,
interviews and even awards shows as formats
they like to see. Yet, the most common format
continues to be standard “lecture and slides,”followed by a brief Q&A.
Planners need to think more like television
producers, or as Bob Bejan (vice presidentof global events for Microsoft) once put it,“cinematically instead of theatrically.” What’s
going to keep your audience’s attention? What
new formats can you try? There’s a reason talkshows have dominated the daytime and late-night
ratings for half a century—the format works. Start
with a monologue, do a bit (or joke), conduct aninterview, do another bit, offer a musical number,stage another interview. While the overall format
remains the same, there’s infinite variety within,and the show moves quickly from segment tosegment. Even the big awards shows likethe GRAMMYs and Academy Awards offer
musical numbers and video clips strewn
throughout the show to keep the program
moving and compelling.
Television shows also tend to be less than anhour in length. Broadcast television still allows
for plenty of breaks during commercials as well.
But even in the online streaming universe, shows
tend to be relatively short in length and allow theviewer to decide when to take a break in-between
bingeing episodes. Experimenting with lengths
and variety of session types can go a long way
toward keeping your remote audience engaged.
You never know, you might wind up improving thein-person experience as well.
THE HYBRID HOST

Talk shows, newscasts and interviews (again,
formats audiences say they want) all havesomething in common. They all have hosts.

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3

DESIGNING
YOUR HYBRIDEXPERIENCE
You might already have an emcee, but much ofwhat helps keep a remote audience engaged isproviding experiences that are exclusive to them.
This can go a long way toward making the remoteaudiences feel like they’re co-equals to the inperson experience. The hybrid audience host can
act as a tether between the remote and the live
audiences. Additionally, they can serve as thevoice of the remote audience for in-room Q&A.
Rather than try and feed a speaker questions
from the remote audience via a downstage
monitor or note cards, a facilitator or in-room
emcee can throw it to a separate “anchor desk”
to see if there are any questions coming in fromthe remote audience.

Much of what helps keep a
remote audience engaged isproviding experiences that are
exclusive to them.

OTHER ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIESThe hybrid host is just one of many possible ways
to keep your remote audience engaged. One of
the most common is simply the use of polls and
Q&A to help keep the remote audience mentally
active and connected to the main event, but thisshould be thought of as the bare minimum foraudience interaction and engagement.
Here are a few others to consider:

After the session is over, the presenter can sit
down with the host for a “private” Q&A with justthe online participants. This can fill some of theempty spaces in the schedule while the in-person
audience is having a coffee break or transitioning
to breakout sessions. It’s important to think
about what each audience is doing during thesetransition times and avoid “dead air.” Your remoteattendees may be attending from all over theworld, so the in-person audiences’ lunch might
be in the middle of their evening. Record theseinterviews and use them as on-demand educationor marketing content.

• Using the same event mobile app for bothin-person and remote audiences, ensuring
the schedule is up-to-date and consistentfor everyone• Having a single Q&A/polling experiencethat all attendees can participate in nomatter their location• Monitoring social media for feedback andquestions, and rewarding those with themost posts• Offering a “digital concierge” to assist
attendees with navigating the technology• Allowing attendees to have private
conversations and exchanging
contact information• Sending exclusive swag or gifts to yourremote attendees

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3

DESIGNING
YOUR HYBRIDEXPERIENCE
We want to create “surprise and delight” forour in-person audiences, and remote audiences
deserve nothing less. Since not all in-person
activities translate to the remote audience, lookcreatively for opportunities to add exclusive
moments to their event experience.
PRESENTERS AND REHEARSAL
How your in-person (or remote) presentersaddress the remote audiences can go a long
way toward supporting their connection to thein-person event. It’s important to notify yourpresenters that there will be a remote audience,and ideally, provide them with training or
coaching. Additional rehearsal time might benecessary if it’s the first time they’ve spoken
to a dual audience. This also gives them theopportunity to meet the host and discuss Q&A
with digital attendees.

Extra rehearsal also provides an opportunity forpresenters to get used to the delay (“latency”)
that comes with all Internet audio and video
platforms. Depending on the technology, that
could be anywhere between less than a second
to up to 40. Test the livestream during rehearsals
with someone offsite to verify how much of adelay there is, and bear in mind that this could
vary depending on where the person is in theworld and the quality of their connection.

How your in-person (or remote)presenters address the remoteaudiences can go a long way
toward supporting their connection
to the in-person event.
Presenters need to be careful how much theywalk or pace on stage, as this will require morecamera movement, which can be distracting or
cause motion sickness for remote viewers. Thinkof talk shows: Most of the time the hosts staywithin a small area for their monologues and areseated for interviews, allowing for fixed camera
angles and very little movement.

If a presenter intends on polling the audience
about a topic, they need to be aware of this
delay, not only understanding that it might bea full 30 seconds before the remote audiencehears the request for their opinion, but also thatthey need to give them time to formulate andtype a response. That could be a full minute,and a minute on stage can feel like an eternity.
They should be prepared to ask the question,then fill some time with a story or anecdote, andafterward come back to check for responses.

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4TECHNOLOGYOF HYBRID
EVENTS
If you flipped through the previous sections to
get straight to this part, you shouldn’t. There’s areason this section comes later in the guide. The
vast majority of hybrid events don’t fail becauseof their technology, but rather by skipping theimportant steps laid out previously. You should
know your stakeholders—all of your stakeholders.
You should know your goals and objectives
and how you’re planning on measuring success.
Finally, you should begin the planning and design
process. All of that should be done before trying
to figure out what technology is going to makethe most sense for your event.

audience, you may need to add stage lighting sothat the presenters look their best for the remoteaudience.

IN-ROOM AUDIOVISUAL

There is, of course, another upside to all of this:upgrading your sound, lighting and stage décor
to look good on camera is going to increase theproduction value for your in-person experiences
as well. If even your breakout sessions havestaging, lights and cameras in them, they’re goingto look and feel more professional to audiences
and presenters alike. That could be significant
if those stakeholders include potential clients,
internal executives or sponsors.

Adding a remote audience of any type isgoing to add an additional layer of technicalcomplexity to your event, but advancements incomputer hardware and software have made it
more affordable and reliable than in the past.
Fortunately, the first stage consists of elements
already in your budget. Most medium-to-large
meetings or events have all the microphones,
lighting and cameras required to accommodatea remote audience. If the in-person event is large
enough, chances are you’re already providing
IMAG (camera shots of presenters displayed onlarge projection screens). For smaller events thatmight not have required IMAG or weren’t alreadybeing recorded, a camera and camera operator
will need to be added. Cameras love light, soeven in a small room with a small in-person

Even if your production company or audiovisualpartner is already providing all the cameras,
microphones and lighting you need, it’s importantthey know from the beginning that you’re goingto have a remote audience connected online.
While it’s relatively trivial to route feeds to theequipment necessary to broadcast to the world,
some specific audio and video equipment makeit easier.

THE ENCODER, VENUE ISP AND PLATFORM
The audio and video signals are now sent to thenext equipment in the chain—the encoder. The
encoder is usually a powerful laptop, desktop
computer or stand-alone piece of hardwarethat takes these signals, compresses them andsends them out to the Internet. The vendor
responsible for this stage is usually referred to as
the “streaming provider.” The streaming provider
sends those compressed signals out of the venue,
most often using the venue’s Internet service
provider but occasionally through an externalInternet service brought in by event organizers.

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TECHNOLOGYOF HYBRID
EVENTS
THE LAST MILE
At this point, the signal leaves your control. Now,
the remote attendees’ Internet service providers
allow them to connect to the platform to view
your event. It’s at this point in the chain that we
encounter the most problems. People often referto this final step as “The Last Mile” because all
the high-tech gadgetry in the world can’t help
if the last link in the chain—the attendee’s local
home or office Internet—is slow or congested.

From there, the audio and video streams go to
the platform. The platform is your “digital venue,”
where the stream is hosted for your remoteattendees. It is usually the website they’re logging
into in order to watch and interact with the event.
The platform is usually running on large web
servers, capable of handling the number ofremote attendees streaming simultaneously,
whether you have 100 or 10,000 attendees.
If this number of remote users attempted toconnect directly to your event through yourvenue’s Internet provider, it would fail almost
immediately. The platform provides stability andscalability, but is also the cause of the majorityof latency, creating those 30-second delays.

Figure 3.1

Unfortunately, while this is technically outside of
the realm of your responsibility, attendees quite
naturally blame the event itself for any difficulties
logging in, stuttering or buffering video or
garbled audio. It’s important to communicate
to attendees what the minimum requirements
are for logging into the platform, and if they still
have issues to patiently work with them to fix
those. Having dedicated support staff or a digitalconcierge can go a long way toward looking likeyou’re part of the solution instead of the problem.

IN ROOM

REMOTE ATTENDEE

1. Technical Production

3. Venue ISP

5. User’s ISP

2. Streaming Provider

4. Platform

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TECHNOLOGYOF HYBRID
EVENTSVENDOR SUPPORTTECHNOLOGY TROUBLESHOOTINGAll five of these steps must be planned andaccounted for in the technical design of yourevent. To make things more complicated,different vendors provide different portions ofthese steps. For example, a production company
may provide your audiovisual, the encoder andInternet. Most streaming providers provide aplatform, but not all of them. Some just provide
you with the streaming encoder hardware
or software, and you are responsible for the
distribution platform.

In addition to having a little extra rehearsal time,
make sure to include troubleshooting time in
the process, just in case one of the five stages
isn’t cooperating. The livestream should be onstand-by two to four hours before the start ofthe event, just in case there are issues to track
down. Given the near infinite combinations ofvenues, equipment, Internet service providers
and attendee home computer configurations,it’s pretty much a certainty that somebody isn’t
going to be able
to connect.

This can make comparing vendor quotes difficult.
If you make sure that the vendor combination
you choose accounts for all five steps, including
attendee support of “last mile” issues, you’regoing to be covered.

This is one of the hardest truths
for most planners to accept:
Not every participant is goingto have a perfect experience.
This is one of the hardest truths for most planners
to accept: Not every participant is going to have aperfect experience. Even with the largest budgets
in the world, with every piece of equipment
checked and rechecked, streaming technology
can fail, and you need to be prepared for at leasta few disappointed customers.

Some hotel chains—such as Radisson Hotels—offer services for hybrid events as part of the
package, which means extra value for the planner.

While technology gets more robust every day,you can never guarantee 100 percent success, so
make sure all stakeholders understand that andhave plans in place to deal with those difficulties.
Much like having a “rain plan” in place for an
outdoor event, you need to have backup plans inplace should any part of the technology fail.

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5

VENUESANDBUDGETING
CHOOSING AN ONLINE PLATFORM
The analogy of an online platform
being your digital “venue” works
on a surprising number of levels.
When we think about venues forin-person events, there are nearinfinite possibilities. Even narrowing
it down to a specific brand—like
Radisson Hotels—there are hundredsof locations, features and amenities tochoose from.
The right venue for one groupof attendees may not be rightfor another, and the value of theexperience will depend on the target
audience and what you’re trying toaccomplish. In other words, whichin-person venue you choose depends
on the goals and objectives of theevent and the value of the location to
your stakeholders. So, it should be no
surprise that when choosing an online
platform, once again these are thekeys to your success.
Most online event platforms havethe same basic functionality—audio
and video of presenters, panels
and keynotes, along with theirpresentations. Most include feedback
features, such as Q&A and chat, withmany others adding live polling, online
agendas with links to the various
sessions, their descriptions andspeaker bios. With so many common
features, most platforms would be
perfectly capable and functional for
most meetings and events.
But just like finding an amazing
venue can make an already great
event even better, finding the right

COMMON EVENTPLATFORM FEATURES
Video/Audio

platform can dramatically improve
the attendee experience. Work withyour stakeholders to find out what
additional functionality and features
may be important to them. Medical
and scientific meetings often require“poster sessions” where researchers
can present their works. Other
industries might have their own
requirements. Exhibitors may wantan easy way to get attendee data into
their marketing and sales softwaretools. Is networking a priority? If so,
you may look for a platform that offers
the ability for attendees to connect
with each other afterward, or to set
up appointments with vendors,
exhibitors or sponsors.
Generate a “wish list” of potential
features, all stemming from the goals
and objectives of your stakeholders, andthen find a platform that has as manyof them as possible within your budget.
Evaluate feedback from stakeholder pain
points and keep an eye out for platforms
that might have features or functionalitythat will help alleviate those challenges.
Just keep in mind that the more features
your platform has, the more confusing
or overwhelming it may be for yourattendees.

Attendee Chat
Question Submission
Attendee Polling
Event Landing Page
Event Agenda
Basic Registration
Branding and Sponsors
On-Demand Viewing
ADVANCED FEATURES
Advanced Registration
Breakout Sessions
Trade Show / Expo
Mobile Viewing
Day-Of Tech Support
Subtitles/Interpreters
Gamification
Virtual Lobby
Scheduling
Silent Auction
Mobile App
Single Sign-On (SSO)
AI Chat Bot
Appointment
Scheduling
One-to-One Video Chat
Two-Way Audio Chat
Production AssistancePresenter Coaching

Just like you might need additional
welcome staff for a large or complex
venue, you may need a group of
volunteers or a digital concierge
to ensure your digital participants
get the help and technical support
they need. If it helps, think of online
attendee onboarding as the minibusthat’s taking your group to theiramazing event destination.

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VENUESANDBUDGETING
BUDGET CONSIDERATIONSThere are a lot of budget variables that comewith choosing an online venue for your event.
Just as an event can take place in a field or ina hotel ballroom, the cost for an online event
platform can range from literally zero to hundredsof thousands of dollars, depending on the size ofyour audience and the features and functionality
you require.
There really is no magic formula, but here are a
few things to consider.

• Make sure your online venues are just as well
staffed as your in-person venues. Sometimes
people need directions on how to get to theirdigital breakouts. Have at least one person
dedicated to monitoring the remote user
experience, preferably offsite.

• Expensive doesn’t mean good. There are
quality platforms available for almost any
budget. Look for satisfied clients and a trackrecord of good customer service.
• Be wary of “free.” Platforms need to makemoney somehow. A free service may havecrippled functionality, so that only the paid tiers
have a good experience. Worse, free services
may sell your attendees’ data to marketers.
If you’re not sure how they’re making money,
chances are the product is you.
• Good production value doesn’t have to cost a
ton of money. Again, much of the equipment
you need may already be a part of youraudiovisual bid.
• Every session that needs to be streamed to theremote audience will require wired high-speed
Internet access, so factor these costs into yourin-person venue budgets.

• Remember that time is an importantcommodity. Platforms that save people time
may have benefits that outweigh the expense.
This could be time saved for the planningteam (inputting/exporting data), for internal
stakeholders (easy exports of recorded
content to marketing teams), for sponsors andexhibitors (easy import of contact data into
systems) or for attendees (easy to navigate,easy to import networking connections).
• Ensure your budgetary decisions flow from—you guessed it—your goals and objectives.
When deciding between similar platforms,
which one serves these better?

• For remote presenters, quality microphone,light and camera kits can be built for less thanthe price of some table centerpieces at events.
• Even if there’s no budget for remote
audiovisual, spend time with your remotepresenters to clean up their backgrounds,
try out different microphone and headphone
combinations and recommend better room andlighting options.

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VENUESANDBUDGETING
CHOOSING YOUR IN-PERSON VENUES
With all the technology involved in producing
hybrid events, it’s easy to focus there, and lose
sight of some key points in selecting in-person
venues. Ideally, you go into the site-selection
process knowing that you’re going to be
producing a hybrid event, so you keep it
top-of-mind when conducting site visits andnegotiating contracts.
As mentioned above, every streamed session
needs to have a high-speed, wired Internet
connection. Frequently, these can be included aspart of your venue contract but adding them atthe last minute can make them quite expensive.
Never stream to a remote audience using Wi-Fi or
cellular connections unless the system is purposebuilt for it. Sometimes temporary high-speed
wireless connections are brought in for unusual
venues or other specific purposes, but hard-wired
is always the best option if it’s available.
Choose rooms in the venue that will allow forclear, unrestricted camera angles and plenty ofroom for staging, lights and cameras. Having
the heads of in-person audience members in the
shot only serves to remind the online audiencethat they’re viewing the event from the back row,rather than a VIP experience. Even a small riser
can help raise presenters up to get a clear angle,
so keep an eye out for low ceilings that might
prevent this.
Cameras love light, so even if it might be a bit
strange for a small in-person audience, havingstage lights can dramatically improve the qualityof the video. This is important not only for the
remote audience, but also any possible re-useof the video as on-demand content, marketingor promotion. Far too often, video recorded
during breakout sessions, receptions or othergatherings is rendered completely unusable
due to insufficient light.

Remember, our definition of hybrid includes
connecting audiences in two or more locations.
When planning in-person experiences, it’s
possible you may have multiple venue podsat the same time. Each of these remote groups
deserve a quality event experience, especially
if they’re paying to attend. This could include
having similar audiovisual and room setups,
snacks and beverages, catering, entertainmentand bar selections.
As part of their reaction to the global
COVID-19 pandemic, many venues—including
Radisson Hotels—started upgrading technology
in anticipation of an increase in online and hybrid
events. They have upgraded their offerings withnew technology, such as modern video-switching
and audio equipment specifically designed tofacilitate livestreaming. Others converted smaller
meeting rooms, boardrooms and guest suites into
studios that can be booked by remote presenters
not wishing to invest in their own equipment.
Many took advantage of the lack of in-person
events to upgrade their Internet infrastructure,
increasing bandwidth and upload speeds.
While it was a good idea to do so before, it’s
now even more important to see if any of theseamenities are available in-house during thesite-selection process.

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CONCLUSIONSAND
DEFINITIONSCONCLUSIONSThe success or failure of a hybrid meeting or
event frequently depends on the same design
strategies that can make or break an exclusively
in-person event. Failing to fully understandthe needs and wants of attendees, sponsors,
exhibitors and internal stakeholders can bedisastrous. On the other hand, a successfully
implemented hybrid strategy can deliver in
unprecedented ways, grow communities, facilitate
networking around the globe, create lasting
partnerships for years to come—and even drive
traffic to your in-person events.
Setting clear goals and objectives for the eventand knowing how you will measure success isjust as, if not more, important than deciding
which streaming provider or platform technology
you’re going to use. The old methods oflecture and slides may not work for a new,technologically savvy audience, but the rightcombination of creativity, engagement anddesigning for the “small screen,” can create
hybrid experiencesthat surprise and delight participants for years
to come.
DEFINITIONS
Most of the terminology used in this paper has
been defined along the way, but here is list ofcommon hybrid event words and their definitions.
Asynchronous: An information exchange that
does not occur in real time. Attendees may wantto ask questions or give feedback at a later time,
like when watching a session on-demand.
Audience Response System (ARS): A tool thatallows for interactivity between a presenter andan audience. Systems for face-to-face audiences
combine wireless hardware with presentation
software, and systems for remote participants
may use phones or web polls for people watching

through players or the Internet.
Bandwidth: The volume of information per unitof time that a transmission medium (such as an
Internet connection) can handle. Bandwidth isexpressed in upload and download speeds inmegabits per second (Mbps). Note that it is notmegabytes per second, which is frequently
said incorrectly.
Broadcast Event: An in-person event transmitted
to remote viewers in offsite locations, with limited
interactivity.
Connectivity: This is the state or extent of being
connected or interconnected with others during
an event through technology devices,
social networks or face-to-face.
Content Capture: The act of recording content froma meeting or event for use or distribution later.
Content Repurposing: The process of taking
intellectual property (videos, audio, images,
whitepapers, etc.) created and distributed one
way and using it again in a different or new way.
Encoding: The “encoder” is a computer orstandalone piece of hardware that takes standard
audio and video signals and converts them into
a format suitable for transmission across theInternet. Some kind of encoder is always required
when transmitting live audio and/or video acrossthe Internet, though it may not always be obvious.
For example, video chat clients have encoders
built into their software.

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CONCLUSIONSAND
DEFINITIONS
On-Demand: Content that is available whenevera user wants to consume it, as opposed to live
content in real time.

Event Production: The making and/or stagingof an event, which entails all the processes
and equipment needed for sound, video,
projection and creating a feed for recording
or online streaming.
Hybrid Event: A meeting or event with atleast one group of in-person participantsconnecting with remote participants in one
or more other locations.
In-person Attendees: People physically attendinga meeting or event.
Internet Service Provider (ISP): A company
that provides its customers direct access to
the Internet, either through wired or wirelessconnections. Both the in-person venue and theremote attendee need to connect to the Internet
via an ISP. A venue is not generally considered to
be an ISP, because they themselves require an ISP
to connect their properties to the Internet.
Last Mile: The final leg of communications
infrastructure between an ISP and its customers.
For remote users, this is their local physicalconnections to their ISPs, as well as the fiberand copper networking infrastructure in theirlocal areas.

Platform: The digital “venue” where a virtual or a
hybrid event takes place. The most common typeof virtual event platform includes a web page
where video, audio and slides stream, but it may
be a self-contained application. Interactivity tools
such as a chat and a Q&A functions are common.
In many cases, platforms can be customized
and branded.
Pod: A group of attendees who gather
and participate as a remote componentof a hybrid meeting.
Streaming: The transmission of data (video,
audio, slides) over a computer network as acontinuous stream in a format easily viewable bya user.
Streaming Provider: The company responsible fortaking the video and audio feeds from the eventand encoding them into a format that can beeasily sent over the Internet.
Synchronous: A term describing content thatis heard, seen and responded to as it is being

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ABOUT BRANDT KRUEGER
Brandt is a technical producer, consultant and educatorwith more than 20 years of experience in the meeting
industry. He has spoken at events and conferences
all over the world (in-person and remotely),
been published in numerous magazines and web
publications and is consistently ranked among the mostinfluential people in the event industry. Find out more
at Brandtkrueger.com.

ABOUT MEETING PROFESSIONALSINTERNATIONAL
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is thelargest meeting and event industry associationworldwide. The organization provides innovativeand relevant education, networking opportunities
and business exchanges, and acts as a prominent
voice for the promotion and growth of the industry.
MPI has a global community of 60,000 meeting andevent professionals including nearly 14,000 engaged
members. It has It has nearly 70 chapters, clubs andmembers in more than 75 countries worldwide.
“When we meet, we change the world.”

ABOUT RADISSON HOTEL GROUP
Radisson Hotel Group is one of the world’s largest hotel
groups with nine distinctive hotel brands and morethan 1,500 hotels in operation and under development
in 120 countries. The Group’s overarching brandpromise is Every Moment Matters with a signature Yes,
I Can! service ethos.
The Radisson Hotel Group portfolio includes Radisson
Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED,
Radisson Individuals, Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson,
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson and prizeotel brought
together under one commercial umbrella brand,
Radisson Hotels.
Radisson Meetings provides tailored solutions forany event or meeting, including hybrid solutions,placing guests and their needs at the heart of its offer.
Radisson Meetings is built around three strong service
commitments: Personal, Professional and Memorable,
while delivering on the brilliant basics and being
uniquely 100% Carbon Neutral.
For more information, visit radissonhotels.com.

For more information, visit MPI.org.

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