Hybrid events have become a popular trend in event managing and planning. After the COVID-19 pandemic, event planners had to quickly adapt to new worries and secure ways to keep music events and festivals going. One of those ways was implementing a virtual aspect to music events and festivals. As COVID-19 restrictions are slowly being lifted and many things are returning to a state of “normalcy,” hybrid events are still seeing a wave of interest amongst music lovers and event attendees. Hybrid events are unique in the way it allows you to plan a music event or festival that satisfies the audience that wants to experience a live, in-person atmosphere in addition to a completely new and virtual audience that prefers a remote location to enjoy their live music event for personal reasons.
This mix of in-person and live virtual experiences is transforming the way music events are run. The decision to turn your music events and festivals into a hybrid event creates a rich and futuristic environment where people from different backgrounds and parts of the world are able to attend and enjoy live music which used to be limited to certain audiences. People who cannot physically attend, who are anxious about very large crowds, and who can’t afford the traveling accommodations are now able to join in the special experience of live music events. Hybrid formats are making live music events and festivals more inclusive than ever while expanding the reach of event planners.
But before you being planning your hybrid event, you need to think about if your event will even do better as a hybrid event or a traditional in-person event. Here are a few things to put on your list and a few questions to ask to help you make your decision.
1. Always think about your audience
Before deciding if your music event or festival should adopt a hybrid format, think about how your audience will react to it. Ask yourself:
- Will the target audience be interested in a hybrid event?
- Will this affect the experience of your attendees?
- Will there be enough people interested in a virtual aspect of the music event?
- Will people from different parts of the world be interested in this event?
2. Will a hybrid format enhance or take away from your event?
You want to think about how a hybrid format will affect your music event or festival. There are times when a hybrid event creates a unique and exciting environment, bringing your attendees a special experience. However, choosing hybrid formats could end up taking away from your event. It might confuse the in-person attendees or the attendance for the virtual component could end up being less than what you anticipated. Think carefully about whether a hybrid format is well-suited for your music event because it could negatively affect the outcome of your music event or festival.
3. Think about your sponsors and partnerships
Many times you might choose to enter a partnership or sponsorship to help fund or enhance your music event or festival. Make sure you communicate with your event partners about hybrid formats. Sometimes there could be disagreement and you want to make sure everyone is happy with decisions going forward.
4. Is your venue able to accommodate the technology needed for a hybrid event and experience?
The venue is one of the most important components of a music event or festival. Consider the logistics of your venue.
- Is the venue big enough to house the technology to live stream the event?
- And are there optimal locations to record from?
- Is it well-lighted and well-suited visually for cameras to record?
The venue of the event or festival could physically impact your decision to choose to plan for a hybrid event. Additionally, consider whether your artists are fine with a hybrid event.
5. What is the financial impact of a hybrid event?
Look at your budget and see if it allows the financial room to support a hybrid format. For example, when planning a hybrid event, you will have to make sure you have an IT team ready on board to solve technical issues on the day of the music event. Think about additional costs of hybrid events that aren’t usually at the top of your minds like the costs of quality cameras and hiring cameramen, partnering with streaming services, and maybe even hiring a virtual host or emcee to cater to your virtual audience.
It’s without a doubt that hybrid events are the way of the future. More music events and festivals are offering a hybrid format to satisfy audiences and increase ticket sales. Hybrid events provide a unique experience and allow people from across the globe and different backgrounds to tune in live to enjoy music. To ensure that your attendees will enjoy a hybrid format and you will also benefit from it, think about these five tips to help you decide if your next music event should go hybrid or stay in-person.
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