Event Success

CHAPTER 9Engagement in a Hybrid Era

We were already living in a hybrid world before the pandemic moved most business online, even if we didn't notice it at the time. When you ordered a ride or a snack using an app, when you watched the first few minutes of a soccer match at a sports bar before taking your seat in the stadium, when you checked out a movie preview on your phone on the way to the theater, when everyone in the conference room worked off of the same Google doc from their own devices, you were engaging in a hybrid experience. When executed effectively, this blending of in-person and virtual experiences is so seamless we don't even notice the transitions between them.

In recent years, the most popular products and the most innovative companies have found harmony at the intersection of physical and digital, enabling them to deliver more personalized, more connected, more impactful, and more human experiences.

Even in the events space, live experiences have long been augmented by virtual tools that enable further engagement. Attendees often purchase their tickets online, conduct research into speakers and events, and build their schedules before the event begins. On the ground they use their devices to check into venues, scan their tickets, respond to polls, enter contests, ask questions, post pictures and videos online, and message fellow attendees. After the event they are encouraged to continue those conversations online, connect with new contacts on social networks, ...