The Event of Tomorrow: Hybrid Events and Holographic Technology

Integrating digital elements, such as hybrid events, holograms, webcasts and AR in an event strategy has become crucial for a successful outcome: the events of tomorrow are already happening.

For associations and their annual conferences, adopting digital solutions is an effective way to stay relevant in an increasingly competitive business world. For corporate events, digital transformation means consolidating new business models with innovation at their core. 

So, what is the event of tomorrow all about?

We asked Augustin Perret, Production Manager at Dorier Geneva, to explain how to incorporate user experience and interactive digital features to your strategy and adapt them to your event needs. At Dorier, the creative and technical production branch of MCI, audio-visual event experiences are implemented to engage and unite audiences worldwide through cutting-edge technologies.

Hybrid events and webcast 

With the boundaries between the online and offline world getting more and more blurred, combining in-person events with virtual online elements will be unavoidable. These events are defined as hybrid. Because of their dual nature, hybrid events need careful planning to communicate effectively with live and remote participants.  

One of the most effective tools you can have to deliver a hybrid event is webcasting. A webcast is the live broadcast of a physical event through audio and video via the   internet. It allows amplifying the impact of your conference or event by making it viewable worldwide.  

 Let's see how this new feature can broadcast your event into the future. 

The events of tomorrow start online 

During the pre-event phase, it is crucial to create a buzz around the event to boost the number of registrations. An easy way to do this is developing an online marketing strategy through video teasers, social media campaigns and pay-per-click campaigns to make sure you reach your target audience.  

Once at the live event, interactivity is your mantra. Try to find entertaining solutions to engage attendees and involve them in the story you’re telling, for instance, through live polling, quizzes or moderated Q&As. For the latter, questions can be received on the Q&A moderation tool and, after being approved, they can be displayed on stage. As we are talking about hybrid events though, don’t forget about the audience who is live streaming the session! Their questions can also be shared on the webcast program and addressed by the speakers. 

After the event, maintain a connection with your audience through content on-demand, follow-ups and calls to action for clients. 

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The events of tomorrow erase geographical borders 

Multi-site events are the most efficient way to connect multiple cities and send a unified message across all locations simultaneously.  

When an event happens live in different locations, you want to maintain the same quality standards in all hubs and make sure they all benefit from the same features during the webcast. One way to do this is creating a studio where to take advantage of a controlled environment to deliver your message through a dynamic and engaging visual realisation. Thanks to this: 

• You can provide an interactive, television-like experience between all sites 
• Build-up your image as an expert in your field 
• Reduce costs and simplify planning 
• Have direct contact and interaction with your target group. 

Everyone is familiar with television broadcasting where the communication between two people is delayed for a few seconds. Through your control studio, you can ensure that audio, videos and presentations are shared across sites within a zero-delay environment. Dorier has developed an in-house hybrid platform that allows a seamless discussion between hubs and is resilient to IP packet loss. Thanks to this platform, there is under one-second delay between hubs, allowing communication between people to unfold as if they were in the same room. 

The events of tomorrow erase language barriers 

Let's say that your event is streamed in multiple locations around the world. The event is held in English, but clients want the possibility to have simultaneous translations in local languages.  

Traditionally, what event organisers would do is hiring local interpreters on site. In the event of tomorrow, having interpreters on site is no longer necessary: the translated audio can be transmitted to the system and be made available everywhere digitally. This remote option can help you with your conference or event’s translating needs while saving on space, costs and CO2 emissions. 

The events of tomorrow transcend time and geography: holographic technology 

Now it’s the time for another exciting innovation that will make you feel like the future is just a touch away: holograms. 

This ultra-realistic telepresence experience opens up the scope of possibilities for events: humagrams can appear in many locations simultaneously and represent an incredible wow moment for the attendees who interact with them. They also carry and advantage in terms of logistics, as they reduce travelling costs and avoid scheduling conflicts for the speaker who is ‘humagrammed’.  

The events of tomorrow enhance the learning experience: augmented reality 

Augmented reality provides a great chance to enhance storytelling and communication during an event. Used as a tool during sessions and speakers’ presentations, in fact, it can add value to the audience’s learning process and create a rich and immersive experience.  

Within a multi-site event, images can be sent to the central hub, where they are processed and then integrated into an AR environment. This way, augmented reality becomes a more entertaining and engaging alternative to traditional slides presentations.  

Summary

Hybrid events and new technologies have to be part of your conversation if you want to bring your company to the next phase of the digital transformation. They represent an incredible opportunity to broaden the reach of your message, facilitate planning and capture valuable insights - all in an online environment free of time or geographic constraints.