Attention event organizers — you need to hear this. The success of any hybrid event hinges on attendees experiencing a ‘sense of being with another.’ 

When it comes to assembling in a hybrid environment, nothing hits the spot quite like a hybrid meeting. In our experience, hybrid setups with meetings have a stronger chance of transforming even the most dull event into an immersive experience. 

At Eventbrite, we’re fascinated by the transformative power of hybrid events. Having supported more remote events than we can count, we know that modern technology is redefining the ‘future of eventing,’ and we’re here for it. 

This article will explain what a hybrid meeting entails and demonstrate the best practices to keep attendees coming back for more. 

Table of contents 

What is a hybrid meeting?

Best practices for hybrid and virtual meetings (with examples)

How to host an effective hybrid meeting (from start to finish) 

Expert tips on creating a successful hybrid meeting

Remote meeting technology you’ll need for your event 

The benefits and challenges of hybrid meetings

people in nightclub drinking
Find Your People / San Diego, CA

What is a hybrid meeting?

A hybrid meeting is an event available to both in-person and virtual attendees. 

Say goodbye to those days when you need all attendees in the same room to conduct a class, seminar, or conference. Hosting a hybrid meeting allows you to connect with attendees worldwide. 

In 2024, you could host a virtual meeting in the US and market it to remote participants in France, Japan, or Australia. That’s right — the door to infinite possibilities is wide open. 

Hybrid events aren’t just about adding a live stream to the main event where remote participants are a second thought to the event. Hybrid events create two concurrent experiences that are enriching for both in-person and online audiences. 

When done correctly, hybrid meetings can expand your audience base and help you learn more about the content your attendees engage with. 

For example, event organizers, like Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo or Jenny Normand of Shaka Power Yoga, have built global audiences using hybrid and virtual events since there’s no limitation to who they can reach.

With Eventbrite, these event organizers can use real-time data to analyze the type of hybrid meeting event most appealing to their target audience. For instance, they can use customized graphs and charts within the Eventbrite app to examine which event led to the highest event ticket registrations and attendee rates in the past six months. 

man walking in crowd
Pop Pop / All In This Together Now / Seattle, WA 

Best practices for a hybrid and virtual meeting (with examples) 

Unlike an in-person venue, where the capacity of physical space restricts you, a virtual event uses technology to have no limitations for audience reach. To offer attendees the best experience possible, make sure you follow these essential practices. 

specific instructions about hybrid meetings

Send attendees specific instructions

Always, always, always make sure your remote viewers receive a link to your live stream event in advance with instructions so they know exactly what to do with it. If you’re using effective hybrid meeting technology like Eventbrite, it should automatically email all meeting attendees hours before the event to reduce any hiccups. 

However, if you don’t use software, use the email template above, which outlines details both in-person and virtual attendees need to know, such as: 

  • When to arrive at the virtual and in-person event
  • Technology considerations for virtual attendees 
  • Tips to make the event run smoother and people feel more comfortable 

You can also take this opportunity to send attendees any accompanying resource materials, like the meeting agenda or helpful meeting notes. 

Get the timing right 

If you have participants attending from different countries, choose a time that suits all as best as possible. Double-check that the virtual platform you’re using shows the time zone and the event’s start time, and consider including relevant local times on your event invitation.

To ensure everyone is on the same page, send an email a week before the event specifying to international attendees that the time on their ticket is based on your local time zone, not theirs. 

Failing to do so can confuse attendees and cause them to prepare for the wrong time.

For example, Mangates Tech Solutions regularly hosts virtual and hybrid meetings, seminars, and ‘boot camps’ for people in the education industry worldwide. 

On their Eventbrite discovery ad, they provide an email address where potential virtual attendees can reach out and learn more about the event’s timing. This helps to eliminate time zone conflicts and minimize refunds due to scheduling conflicts. 

girl operating sound equipment
Greenwood Cemetry / Nightfall / Brooklyn, NY 

Only use high-quality video equipment 

Excellent video quality and a high resolution are a must for a hybrid event. 

Even if you think you can ‘get away’ with using ‘cheaper’ or ‘more convenient’ video equipment, such as an iPhone, it’s important to conduct thorough research on what type of equipment will serve your event before making a final decision. 

The reality is there’s absolutely no excuse for poor image or sound quality at a hybrid event in 2024. If your iPhone suddenly freezes or spends 10 minutes buffering, don’t expect attendees’ forgiveness — expect low re-attendance rates. 

We suggest paying a little extra and taking the equipment you’re considering out for a ‘trial run.’ Bring the camera and lights to your venue, take videos using different settings, and connect the camera to your live stream software. 

Make sure things like the pixel quality and resolution are up to scratch first, then make a final decision on if the equipment is up to scratch. 

For large virtual meetings or hybrid meetings, we recommend using a hybrid meeting camera. For example, you can remotely control the Pan-Tilt-Zoom camera to capture different angles.

Ensure you have stable internet and streaming connectivity

Relying on an internet provider with unreliable or slow internet speeds for your hybrid event is like throwing a party for the Madhatter and forgetting to serve tea — it just won’t do. 

Before your event begins, check your internet connection is reliable enough to stream high-quality video from any location; otherwise, you risk leaving virtual attendees in the dark. 

Another way to avoid technical issues is to choose a stable virtual events platform that allows all online participants to participate without any system crashes.

man performing soundbath experience
Mystic Journey / Dynasty Electric Sound Bath / New Bedford, MA 

Invest in your sound quality 

Hanging microphones from every square inch of ceiling space to surround your in-person audience is one way to capture the speaker’s and audience’s voices. Another more effective way is to choose a venue with high-quality sound equipment and hire a sound engineer who can help take your sound quality to the next level. 

Remember that sound isn’t just a practical element of your event — it’s an essential component of building atmosphere. Being playful with sound can add another layer of interest to your virtual meeting and draw remote participants into the action. 

Dramatize aspects of your meeting by adding sound effects or playing ‘theme music’ to introduce key speakers — this will help ‘bring the fun’ and add a human element to your event, and that’ll make it stand out in a world filled with ‘boring meetings.’ 

For example, Dynasty Electrik hosts sound bath meetings and experiences for in-person and online yogis. Throughout the event, the sound of the bowls is designed to move from your ‘left to right ear’ while you’re wearing earphones to give attendees(both in-person and virtual participants) a taste of what a great sound bath experience feels like. 

Video thumbnail woman holding mic

Don’t underestimate the power of lighting

If your venue doesn’t have adequate production lighting, such as spotlights for your guest speaker, it will impact your presentation quality. 

If you have the budget, consider renting professional lighting equipment that’ll help enhance the event for your virtual attendees. If you simply can’t swing it, then choose a video camera with advanced ‘gain settings’ so the picture appears brighter for your online audience.

Consider your image display quality 

You don’t necessarily need appealing graphics for online meetings, but you do need to make sure your viewers have a clear focus on all your subjects — not just presenters, but screens and other points of interest too. 

For example, if you held a dance event you’d want to ensure all attendees could see what’s from different angles. You could use a wide camera angle that follows the dancer around the stage. 

Or if a speaker at your event is using a presentation that’s visible to all of the in-person meeting participants, offer a screen share of the same presentation for virtual attendees so that they can read and see everything.

How to host an effective hybrid meeting (from start to finish) 

Hosting a hybrid meeting is a bit like taking care of a baby — take your eye off it for one second, and disaster could strike. 

Despite what some event organizers believe, planning for a remote meeting is not the ‘easy alternative to a live event,’ and it requires a hell of a lot more than just ‘plugging in and pressing go.’ To ensure everything goes smoothly, you need to keep your eye on the ball at all times. 

Here’s what we recommend. 

Setting up for the remote meeting 

Preparation is important for any event. But for hybrid events? It’s absolutely critical. 

One tiny oversight can cause your entire event to come crashing down (in flames). So, we recommend starting your setup process at least 5 days before your event.

Even if you don’t have access to your venue until the day before, you can use the extra four days to run tests for things like audio quality and connectivity on your streaming software. 

You’ll need to focus on the following: 

  • Setting up your physical conference space
  • Running technology tests
  • Checking in on your digital spaces
  • Checking audio quality and equipment for any signs of poor audio 
  • Ensuring all video call software is ready to go 
  • Displaying any interactive tools and check they’re activated 

Oh, and did we mention you’ll have to do all of this at the same time?

Obviously, the specific logistics you’ll need to ‘check, set, and not forget’ will change depending on which type of virtual meeting you’re hosting. For instance, Professionals in the City host virtual and live social and networking meetings. 

So, they might spend extra time ensuring their ‘visual aids’ are clearly visible to all attendees, whether they’re looking at them from the back of a conference hall or a laptop screen. 

Be mindful that during setup, it’s common to feel overwhelmed with the amount of ‘checks required’ and quickly lose track of time. To avoid this, organize a quick 10-minute meeting with your entire team to remind everyone of their meeting roles and the event’s agenda and to share any feedback that might improve the quality of the event.  

We also recommend downloading our hybrid meetup set-up guide that details every step you need to take before, during, and after your hybrid meeting event to guarantee success. 

hybrid meeting checklist

During the virtual meeting 

Once you’ve planned and prepared your virtual meeting, you should only have one focus: making your attendees’ hybrid experience outstanding. 

Even with the best sound and lighting quality, if your event lacks a structure, useful content, and engagement, remote participants will feel isolated and flat — period. 

To avoid this: 

  • Encourage social interaction from hybrid and in-person attendees 
  • Create a personalized experience
  • Use virtual whiteboards and sticky notes to create a more dynamic event 

One of the best ways to encourage active participation from your remote attendees is to incorporate interactive elements into your meeting. For example, if you host your event on Facebook Live, you can set up a voting poll or ask questions and encourage remote attendees to leave comments in the real-time chat. 

For instance, InDependent hosts virtual wellness retreats that support military spouses. During these meetings, they encourage attendees to comment and share their experiences and opinions on any action items that are covered. 

After the hybrid meeting 

Once the remote meeting event finishes, don’t forget about your attendees. It’s time to prove that you’re not the kind of event brand that’s only there until the money runs out — you genuinely care. Shift your focus to maintaining a relationship with them through these tips: 

  • Send a post-event thank-you email
  • Create a ‘meeting recap’ email and send this to attendees along with a link to the video recording 
  • Make a ‘We had a great time’ post on your social media channels 

Twenty-four hours following an event is the best time to send a personalized thank you email while the afterglow from your event is still in full effect. 

For example, an event organizer like Freelancers Hub that hosts educational virtual meetings might lean on the power of exclusivity and send their attendees a ‘you’re one of us now’ thank you email to help turn first-time attendees into recurring customers.   

people sitting near stage
Eventbrite / Re.Mixer LA / Hide Tide, LA 

Expert tips to create a successful hybrid meeting

A well-conceived hybrid event takes a lot of planning, but remember that both aspects of your event should be well thought out and provide value to your attendees. You work hard to create a perfect in-person event, so give the virtual aspect of a hybrid meeting the same level of care. 

Focus on boosting engagement by providing a unique experience 

Going the extra mile with your event’s design is a fantastic way to elevate the experience from an ‘ordinary Zoom meeting’ to a once-in-a-lifetime event. 

For instance, instead of hosting an event on Earth, why not take your attendees on a trip to the moon? You can set up your venue to look like a moon landing by using white table cloths, stick-on stars, and giving each attendee a ‘space helmet.’ For virtual attendees, you even use a green screen to change the background to outer space.

Attendees will be over the moon — literally. 

Offer VIP packages and inclusions 

Creating a hybrid event doesn’t mean sacrificing the excitement and intimacy of the in-person event — it means extending the opportunity for involvement to an even larger audience. 

Consider what you’re offering during your planning process to provide attendees with as much value and entertainment as possible. For instance, if your event is centered around food and drink, give virtual attendees a chance to pick up some for themselves at a designated location or ship it to them. 

To give your event a VIP feel to both in-person and virtual attendees, consider offering inclusions like: 

  • An exclusive Q+A with guest speakers 
  • A dedicated virtual ‘VIP lounge’ or chat room 
  • A digital swag filled with special offers and discounts 

Offering add-ons during the ticket-buying process is a great way for you to increase revenue and offer attendees a unique experience. 

Increase profitability and brand loyalty by selling merch and add-ons 

Are you selling merch during your event? 

Allow virtual attendees to pre-order merch that can be shipped to their door in time for the event, and consider offering an online purchasing option during the event for anyone who regrets not grabbing one of your add-ons.

However, this option doesn’t have to just be for virtual attendees; consider allowing in-person attendees to pre-purchase their merchandise and pick it up on the day of the event so they can skip the long lines at the merch table.

For example, Healthy Family Media Inc is hosting an exclusive ‘snacks in the city’ Instagram party and is giving all virtual attendees a free swag bag with ticket purchases. 

Create pricing tiers and set smart prices 

If you’re putting a price on your meeting, consider using an event management software like Eventbrite to make it easy for both in-person and online attendees to buy tickets. 

Eventbrite’s ticketing platform allows you to create multiple ticket types. You can then set different prices for online, in-person, and VIP tickets. For example, if you’ll provide food and drink for in-person attendees but not for online participants, a lower price point may be appropriate for the online tickets.

Sell more hybrid meeting tickets

Event attendee holds phone with digital Eventbrite ticket on screen

Remote meeting technology you’ll need for your event 

Using the right technology is important for in-person events, but it’s absolutely essential for virtual events to deliver an engagement experience. 

Here’s a free checklist complete with every piece of equipment you’ll need.

download button hybrid meeting equipment

If you’re thinking of regularly hosting a virtual meeting, consider investing in your own hybrid meeting equipment. Sure, it may have a higher cost upfront, but think about the return on investment you’ll receive if you’re regularly hosting hybrid conferences and attracting large numbers of in-person and virtual attendees.

Plus, you can use all of the high-quality photos, videos, and audio you record during your hybrid meeting to market future events on social media or other marketing outlets to attract even more attendees to future events. 

Benefits And Challenges Of Hybrid Meetings

The benefits and challenges of hybrid meetings 

There are so many benefits to virtual events. However, just like everything in this life, there are also challenges. 

But hey, what is it they say — nothing good comes easy?

We won’t lie; hybrid events can be stressful. You’re effectively juggling two events at once, and then, on top of all that, making sure nothing goes wrong with your tech. It’s a lot to handle, and it can become very overwhelming very quickly. 

However, the rewards of hosting a truly exceptional hybrid meeting are very much worth the pain. Hybrid events are the pathway to opportunity and can transform your event brand. Imagine this: attendees from all over the globe stay up to buy the last ticket to your event. 

Take event organizer Tak Games, for example. They regularly host online gaming events where attendees can hop onto an online webcam and connect with fellow game enthusiasts from around the world. Through hybrid meeting events, they’ve built such a loyal community that now 45% of attendees are repeat customers. 

Start hosting a hybrid meeting today 

Hybrid meetings have come to the forefront of the live event realm, and while they require a fair amount of careful planning, they are also an excellent marketing tool for your event brand.

So no more contemplating. It’s time to run straight through the door of endless possibilities and never look back. 

But before you go, consider partnering with event management software to help you on your journey. At Eventbrite, we like to think of ourselves as the powerful sidekick to the event protagonist (you). You’re the Anna, and we’re the Olaf — your helpful friend who unlocks new levels of event success.