By John D’Adamo, VenuIQ US Head of Sales
When considering the thought leadership we wanted to bring to the Event Tech Live US/Canada conference, we quickly determined that we wanted a full panel discussion to bring in unique perspectives. In our Event Tech Live session “Hybrid Event Essentials,” I spoke with Oliver Rowe, Co-Founder of VenuIQ, Trish Simitakos, Owner of Trish Star Events, and Lilian Shen, Marketing Director of CORT, to discuss all things hybrid. First off, a quick hybrid definition: a hybrid event includes a component for attendees participating from home and a face-to-face component for attendees participating at the event venue.
Here are five takeaways from the panel along with video clips of the discussions for each:
- US Cities are starting to open up. Las Vegas is one example of a city in resurgence. Between the Caesar’s Entertainment opening in December, BizBash Vegas in May, and MPI WEC this month, Las Vegas is well on the way to a resurgence. Orlando is another great example of a city with multiple events since the pandemic start: the Together Again Expo, BizBash/Connect, and the Luxury Meetings Summit.
- Artificial intelligence will lead to greater efficiency. “AI isn’t going to take over, but it’s going to free us.” Trish spoke to the rise of artificial intelligence at events. As AI gets smarter, we will start seeing greater integrations, and a refinement of these technologies. Scheduling and dictation. Lilian built on this by speaking to the importance of operational efficiency – Lilian. Focus on the CONTENT vs minutia.
- Have ONE ecosystem vs many different to avoid repetitive workload. Oliver spoke about the need to build things in that allow for a more efficient experience for attendees and I built on that to emphasize the need for preferred vendor lists for the other event elements beyond event tech. The event tech company needs to become a true partner in offering event planning recommendations.
- Think about what is the structure of the event and how do you design around that. Lilian spoke about her design of BizBash/Connect Vegas in collaboration with Akire Productions at the Red Rock Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. “Make sure you bring in speakers and attendees who are virtual in addition to the live.”
- Navigating budget. Priya Parker in her book The Art of Gathering, discussed always keeping in mind your event’s purpose. As Trish mentioned, “Not all of the events need all of the things.” Ask a side question. Are you following any great podcasts? I added to this by discussing that you can create interactivity and a dynamic event starting at just a few dollars. (Check out our recent 7 Pillars of Interactivity article for examples of this!)
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