Making events that work in different settings for different types of attendees reflects the reality that people need different things from continuing education and collaboration.

Some attendees are busy parents, or may run their own business, which can make it difficult to step aside for a few days to attend an in-person conference. The costs of flying, staying in hotels, and even of the event itself could be a deterrent. And some attendees may simply be early in their careers–perhaps even students—and can’t afford to travel to an in-person meeting at this time.

The demand for such flexibility is growing. A recent op-ed in the academic journal Nature pointed at how hybrid events, while difficult to pull off, greatly improve accessibility for parents, along with people who can’t travel internationally for visa reasons.

“Organizing committees should prioritize making their events available online, not only for parents with childcare commitments, but also for people who lack the funds or visas, or are otherwise unable to attend in person,” the staff editorial stated.

Professional organizations face a similar quandary—how do you balance the added complexity while making it more accessible for more people? At least one organization has found an approach that meets its members’ needs.

Making Room For New Types Of Attendees

It’s no surprise what led the American Academy of Orthopedic Manual Physical Therapists (AAOMPT) to become a stalwart of hybrid events, but what is fascinating is how dramatic the shift has been for the organization.

With the association traditionally holding its annual meeting in the fall, it had more time to prepare for the big shift that COVID-19 required. When AAOMPT pivoted to a virtual event for its 2020 annual meeting, the organization realized there were lots of people interested in its education offerings that were never able to attend before, says Emily Saibara, AAOMPT’s Senior Association Coordinator.

“We saw a lot of attendees that wouldn’t normally attend, especially students,” Saibara says. “It’s an expensive conference to fly across the country, perhaps—and then, hotel rooms, things like that. So it just became more accessible.”

But it wasn’t just students. As AAOMPT represents numerous busy professionals, not everyone can make it to every in-person event—and that meant more traditional professionals were also left out.

“We’ve noticed it’s really hard for them to get away from the clinic to fly across the country to spend a weekend in person. A lot do—but a lot can’t,” she says.

And that meant there was value in continuing to offer virtual events even after in-person events re-emerged. These days, AAOMPT charges most attendees a little less to attend virtually than in-person, while offering strategically important types of members, like students, an even deeper discount. Since then, the organization has taken advantage of EventMobi’s hybrid event platform to support this new audience.

“After COVID, we knew we couldn’t really go back to just in-person,” she added.

Sessions So Nice, They Did Them Twice

Of course, setting up virtual elements is only one part of the equation. It can sound like a stressful amount of work.

And one look at the AAOMPT annual meeting schedule seems to suggest a lot of busywork on the part of event planners—including lots of uploading content for immediate consumption for virtual attendees. But Saibara says there’s a secret behind making the organization’s event strategy work.

“We have two kinds of breakouts: one for our hands-on learning, where we bring in therapy tables and stuff that doesn’t translate well to a virtual conference,” Saibara says. “But we do have a whole other side of breakouts where it’s more research-based stuff, lecture-based.”

That latter type of breakout, which tends to be offered for virtual sessions, isn’t recorded live—rather, it’s completed twice, first in a pre-recorded virtual session, and then in the in-person setting.

“They pre-record well in advance that session, send it to us, we review it, and then we get it all ready to go into EventMobi,” she says. “And then when they get on site, they have that session again.”

Saibara says this approach, while asking more of presenters, saves money and streamlines logistics, while ensuring that virtual attendees get the best possible experience.

“I feel like the quality’s gonna be a lot better if it’s like someone talking to a Zoom, rather than in the back of a room, and they’re interacting with the in-person attendees,” she says. The format, she adds, turns out “a little bit more interactive, even if it’s pre-recorded.”

Sometimes, the simplest approach is best.

Ensuring The Logistics Work For Everyone

Ultimately, what might scare off organizations from embracing hybrid meetings is the added complexity of having to manage two things simultaneously. Saibara says she understands the hesitation, but says it’s definitely doable, especially if event apps are part of your strategy.

“I know a lot of people say, ‘Well, it’s two separate conferences,’” she says. “Pretty much—and you can look at it that way. But a lot of the work you were already going to do—especially, if people have an app, you are already going to put that in an app.”

That said, logistics are undoubtedly still important when it comes to developing a hybrid event strategy that works for in-person and virtual attendees alike.

AAOMPT is working with a small team of just five people, which means there’s a lot to juggle, but Saibara says EventMobi’s ease-of-use makes it a breeze from a pre-event standpoint.

“Before the conference, I set up the whole platform—and it’s, again, not that scary,” she says. “I’m doing a lot of the in-person prep as well, but it goes hand-in-hand.”

There are things to manage, of course: Some sessions have live Q&A elements that rely on interactive moderation that accounts for both digital and onsite attendees. Additionally, someone needs to keep an eye on the virtual element to ensure, for example, that the virtual breakout events started on time.

Onsite, AAOMPT collaborates with an outside AV vendor to manage keynotes and other live streamed events outside the convention hall.

“Especially during general sessions, they’re sitting there making sure that everything is streaming into the platform,” Saibara added. “So onsite, we do have a dedicated person for that.”

Simply put, keeping everything organized takes time and coordination, but with the right tools, it’s more than possible.

Going Hybrid For The Long Haul?

Many organizations gave hybrid events a break after the pandemic calmed down, but from Saibara’s perspective, AAOMPT likely won’t be one of those organizations—because the added benefits of reach make it more valuable to its target audience.

“We always say this isn’t going away anytime soon,” she says. “It’s just so accessible to so many—like I mentioned previously, how so many people who we didn’t get at our conferences before still are able to participate.”

Saibara admits there are plenty of potential areas of growth—among them, adding more sponsorships through the EventMobi platform, which she says has room to evolve as the hybrid strategy matures. And for those simply curious about making hybrid events permanent, there may be concerns about navigating the technical side of things. That’s especially if you’re running a smaller association with less technical expertise. But Saibara says a willingness to switch gears will help you find your balance.

“What I’ve learned is that those two or three elements, to get something from your onstage into your platform, is not hard at all. It’s literally copy and paste,” she says. “So it may have a weird name, and you may not be used to it or know exactly what it does, but if you can provide that to your AV company, and it’s good on their end, it’s going to be good on your end.”

It doesn’t have to be scary, or a solution of a last resort. Instead, it could be an opportunity: A service targeting the very types of attendees that your in-person events may not be hitting.

To learn more about how EventMobi can help you host a successful hybrid event, sign up for a free demo