2020 and Beyond

As we start to find the balance between what was, what is, and what will be, #eventprofs are being forced to change. While these changes will eventually lead to a brand new event landscape in the future, it comes with additional work, learning, and education from everyone involved.

The companies that support the event industry are all scrambling to create the next best idea or platform. While this is appreciated and exciting, the future promises and constant updates create a difficult and confusing picture for the present. As the options do begin to come into focus, take the time to reimagine the attendee experience. While it may be intimidating, don't feel obligated to follow the path of one specific technology company, especially if you feel there should be a better option. You may need to combine the ideas of several to create the full experience you are looking for.

As a reminder, we love the extreme virtual events that have been publicized the past few weeks, but feel that they don't connect with most planners and their actual needs. Over the next few weeks, we are going to share with you examples of "real world" virtual events. Hopefully, they motivate you, help give you ideas, or even provide a bit of hope if needed.

Cheers and see you soon!

Jeannie and Josh
 

Fully Virtual Conference
- with Hybrid Experiences - 

This example of how virtual platforms can be used came from an event we were excited to produce and work on. It was sponsored by the National Association of Residential Property Managers and managed by Organization Management Group.

In the past, we've heard the term "hybrid" used to describe a conference with both live and virtual attendees. This multi-day, national conference was a fully virtual conference, but within it, we created hybrid experiences. To create the best attendee experience, and meet the needs of everyone, we used a combination of multiple virtual platforms, as well as a mix of live and pre-recorded sessions and Q&A options.

Event Info:

• Years Virtual: None (First Time!)
• Live Event: 3 days
• Platform: While the majority of the conference was held in one virtual environment, we did go "offsite" to other platforms for some of the sessions where additional features were needed.

Event Features

• live sessions

• pre-recorded sessions

• hybrid pre-recorded and live sessions

• live Q&A

• small group workshops

• awards ceremony

• board member and president induction

• happy hours

• session surveys

• session polls

• event emcee