What is a Hybrid Conference?

Is there only one kind of Hybrid Conference? We explain the options

The premise starts off quite simply: "Any meeting with both a physical presence and some sort of online component can be deemed a Hybrid conference. "

It is important to realize that you are running two conferences in parallel; both an in-person physical event and a virtual Event.

The question is – how do these two interact? What is the experience for the remote attendees?

While there are many possibilities, we have streamlined them into these three basic options; the two extremes and the large middle.

a) Completely Equal and Democratic: In this choice, there is little difference whether you participate in person or remotely.

• Anyone can participate, either remotely or in-person
• Anyone can present, either remotely or in-person
• Anyone can ask questions, remotely or in-person.
• The remote questioners have the benefit of everyone being in the ‘front row’ as it were, whereas those who are ‘in the room’ might actually be sitting in the back.

So, outside of time zone, weather and maybe food, you are participating in real time.

b) On-Demand Conference: on the other side, there is the “On Demand” conference. In this option, there is NOTHING available remotely during the days of the conference.

This has the added benefit of motivating anyone who can possibly attend in person to make the effort to be there physically.

Then, a week or so after the event ends, the online component opens up. This allows your in-person attendees to view the videos, interact with the presenters, ask questions… and also allows all the virtual people to attend the sessions and see all the talks.

c) The Expansive Center : In the middle there is the big ‘gray area’ encompassing all the possible options, such as, just streaming the keynotes, making certain sessions available in real time, and many other such combinations. We have seen many such variations and they all depend on your community, the way the conference is programmed and the production you envision.

Conclusion: There are many ways to do a Hybrid Conference – and many reasons you want to make the online option available in some form (including recording all your talks. If you wish to know more, feel free to contact us for a no-obligation consultation

About Underline Science

Underline Science specializes in Scientific conferences, having produced more than 200 events. We help to produce a smooth and successful, profitable conference. Our aim is to grow your conference and reach. We aim to increase your membership engagement and value to your constituents. We are experts in Audio Video (which we do in-house) and technology, usually one of the largest conference costs. Societies we serve include IEEE, AAAI, ACL, ACM, SEB and many others. Don’t take our word for it, contact our very satisfied repeat clients. Let us introduce you to happy associations we serve who keep coming back for more. Feel free to contact us for a no-obligation consultation