SITE Texas Hosts "How to Hybrid" – Combining the In-person and Virtual Meetings Experience

In July 2020, Infinix Global Meetings & Events sponsored the cutting-edge industry event “How to Hybrid” which was produced by SITE Texas, a local chapter of Society of Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), in partnership with the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center. In light of the multifaceted threats to our industry presented by COVID-19, the event served as a showcase for how to move meetings forward in a post-pandemic environment. A key focus of the delivery was how to best serve and truly engage both in-person and virtual audiences at the same time to ensure the program objectives are met and the return on investment is maximized. Adhering to Marriott’s new Commitment to Cleanliness standards for meetings and events, the “How to Hybrid, Re-imagining Meetings and Events” session welcomed 35 in-person attendees and 700 on-line participants to learn best practices around this new approach. The event was supported by the virtual and audio-visual technical components of PSAV.The event provided a well-rounded view of what events will look like in the immediate future, including a full virtual platform which hosted a live stream, the full gamut of audience engagement and networking solutions. In addition, several industry thought leaders participated, sharing short- and long-term trends, as well as, information on hotel preparedness and creativity. Listen in to MICE Talk 360 Season 2, Episode 17 to hear Infinix Global Meetings & Events’ Vice President of Sales & Marketing and SITE Texas President, Lauren Dunnaway, discuss the critical success factors of the event and considerations for all planners endeavoring to create an engaging hybrid event.SITE Texas provided the top 5 key learnings regarding hybrid in-person and virtual meetings and events.1) Importance of having a Content & Engagement Strategy for both Virtual and In-person audiences.2) Engage an Audio Video technical partner who excels in the delivery and production of a multi-faceted speaker engagement experiences including, pre-recorded video, in-person stage and/or audience production, off location studio and/or home.3) Create a detailed Communication Strategy to promote, execute and perpetuate engagement during all event phases (Pre, Live, Post).4) Anticipate additional staffing requirements for the virtual portion including monitoring all elements of the online dashboard, approving image uploads, speaker questions, gamification leaderboard, Q&A, chat rooms, tech support and more. For the in-person portion, extra staffing will be needed for COVID required precautions.5) Follow up with any questions from the online platform not answered during the live event.For more information and to watch the “How to Hybrid, Re-imagining Meetings & Events” session on-demand, click here.