hybrid

After many discussions with your team and stakeholders, you have decided to hold a hybrid event in order to extend the reach of the meeting content to remote attendees. Whether you are faced with the reality that some people have  stopped coming to your annual event due to economic or scheduling difficulties or you are trying to reach potential attendees that might be enticed to attend your live meeting in the future, hybrid events can be an attractive offering to associations and companies alike.  

But how does live streaming your meeting  work…really? Here is the basic breakdown: 

  1. You need to hire an event audio visual rental company to film the speaker and send, in real time, the film to an online live-streaming provider
  2. The online provider will compress the video
  3. This provider transmits video to the cloud and
  4. The video rebroadcasts to virtual attendees. 

And all of this happens with a "blink of the eye"  to the virtual audience. We're talking nanoseconds. 

Now that you know how it works, what does your event meeting services organization need to make a hybrid event happen? Here is a checklist developed by Dave Lutz from Velvet Chainsaw Consulting:

  • When on the site visit, check out the room setting. Is it conducive to a hybrid event — with cameras, computers, and controllers? If not, move to a room that is large enough to handle both the people and the equipment. 
  • Is the lighting right? Virtual events require special lighting so testing the equipment in the room  will be key to your success. Consider light equipment rental options if the venue lighting isn't enough. 
  • Will the camera be manned or unmanned? 
  • Is the venue's Internet secure enough? If you are broadcasting sensitive or confidential data, you want to provide access points and bandwidth that is not available to anyone other than your attendees. 
  • How fast is the Internet? Remember, in addition to your virtual attendees, you will have your F2F audience pulling on the bandwidth. If you rent iPads instead of producing binders and your attendees have smartphones, each device requires an IP address which can bring a standard Internet system to its knees. Consider Wi-Fi network array rental units to boost your bandwidth and increase access points. 
  • What live-streaming online provider will you be using and what support will they provide you? 
  • Does the online provider allow for integration of social, especially Twitter? 
  • Are you charging virtual attendees to participate? If so, how much? 

AV Event Solutions is a California meeting equipment provider that can work with you on all your hybrid needs! Contact them today to learn more about their wireless network array rental options!