Connecting Businesses Globally: The Power of Hybrid Events

Face-to-face events, in particular, provide the opportunity to personalise and interact with event content. However, there are a number of obstacles that can prevent carrying out potentially useful events from the very beginning. One example is the high travel costs and travelling times that participants incur depending on the event location.

The challenge is to be able to offer events in a learning factory in which participants can use the existing infrastructure in an interactive way and thus gain knowledge without necessarily having to be physically present.

From various events that we have run, we have been able to identify a number of good practices on how to run events in a hybrid format, which we wanted to make available as part of the good practice survey. First, we identified and categorised different event formats. This gave us 3 different hybrid event types: hybrid-presence-events, hybrid-on-site-events and hybrid-off-site-events.  We were able to see that each of these event types had specific assets and drawbacks, which in turn led to specific approaches to the successful delivery of the events. 

This enabled us to identify a number of points that were common to all event types:

• Not all participants have the necessary technology or skills to successfully participate in hybrid events

• The skill level of the respective group of participants should be clarified in advance. This must be taken into account when planning the event and selecting the digital tools, otherwise the virtual participants will be left behind.

• Often participants attend an event with the aim of networking, among other things. We have found that this is particularly difficult at hybrid events, as the intuitive, analogue ‘person-to-person’ contact only takes place with participants who are present on site. There are communication barriers, particularly between on-site participants and virtual participants, but also among the different virtual participants.

• Instead of incorporating relatively moderation-free networking timeslots into the event agenda, as is the case at many presence events, hybrid event formats require different approaches in this respect. In our events, time slots with alternating small groups and subsequent break-out sessions for participants who were looking for a more intensive exchange proved to be suitable. We have also found that it makes sense for the event instructor to go through the small groups and do some facilitation work in the groups where communication is lacking. 

There are a number of advantages for SMEs/PSOs. They can participate in events with flexibility and from any location. This reduces travel costs and travelling time for the companies.  For the EDIH this leads to the benefit that it is easier to recruit external experts, as they can be added flexibly using an online medium. To quantify the possible impact, Figure 1 provides an overview of various travel scenarios and the associated approximate costs for a "normal" journey for participants. Due to the individual nature of the participants' labour costs, the table does not include the costs that arise from the participants travelling instead of working.

In addition, digital technologies make it possible to move certain event content into the virtual space. This is particularly useful when the acquisition or use of a real, physical infrastructure (e.g. machines, demonstrators) is associated with significant costs. This allows the desired content to be conveyed without incurring excessive costs.

Figure 1: Different travel scenarios and their approximate financial impact (The cost rates used are exemplary and may vary from use case to use case)

In order to be able to organise hybrid events flexibly and optimally, suitable technical equipment and the corresponding know-how are required. In addition to the financial aspect associated with the purchase of technical equipment, the aspect of expertise is also a major hurdle. It requires familiarisation and preparation time with the medium to be used. Depending on the medium used, this should also be granted to the participants. On the one hand, it is a good idea to provide participants with information or tutorials for the medium to be used some time before the event begins. On the other hand, participants should also be given time to familiarise themselves with the medium during the event.