Red sky in the morning, event planners take warning…

Planning virtual, hybrid or live events in 2021? Read on to hear our forecast for conditions in the events world over the coming year. We’ll be sharing our expertise and insight in the form of practical advice on virtual and hybrid events throughout the next couple of months, so keep an eye out for our features.

There’s no way to sugar coat it – 2020 was rough. After watching the horrors of the Australian bush fires unfold the winter before, who’d have imagined an even bigger storm was brewing?

When COVID hit, many of us planning events had to make quick and sometimes difficult decisions about whether they could – or should – go ahead. If that was you, maybe you decided to take your event online or chose to hold off and re-schedule.

Looking at the long-range forecast, expect to see mixed conditions heading our way.

Either way, now we’ve all learned what we could from 2020’s challenges, you’re probably raring to get going with plans for 2021. So what’s the best way to move forward? Play it safe and stick with virtual? Hope for the best and schedule something live? Or hedge your bets and go for a hybrid event?

The way ahead still doesn’t look that straightforward although there is a hopeful horizon – so let’s walk through how the event world’s ‘next normal’ might look. During 20+ years of experience in every kind of event we’ve developed close links with UK and global destinations from London to Rome to Washington DC and as far afield as Sydney. And regular contact with clients and colleagues has helped us build a fair idea of what could lie ahead.

Good news – we can expect some sunshine after the rain!

General outlook: unsettled with sunny spells

2020 has been The Year of Virtual, for everything from quick calls to work drinks to team meetings, not forgetting endless quizzes. Time is marching on, many who held off from planning virtual last year may be thinking of planning it this year.

The arrival of vaccines offers a glimmer of sunshine on the horizon – and since events can take months to plan, there’s bags more optimism around organising ‘normal’ live events, particularly towards the end of the year/beginning of 2022. In fact, in a recent poll we ran, two-thirds of respondents indicated a desire to return to live events. The question is – when? Looking at the long-range forecast, expect to see mixed conditions heading our way.

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Looking at the long-range forecast, expect to see mixed conditions heading our way.
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cloudy thunder sun virtual hybrid
Cloudy Thunder Virtual Hybrid

Spring/Summer 2021
Virtual events rule…

Cloudy Sunny Virtual Hybrid

Late Summer/Autumn 2021
Hello Hybrid: Virtual + live
(Social-distancing,
Limited attendees)

Sun virtual hybrid

Winter 2021/2022
Best of Both: Virtual + live
(Less/no social distancing,
More attendees)

Spring/Summer 2021: cloudy with a risk of outbreaks

During the first half of the year, we’re not seeing any changes. Venues are still closed and meet-up restrictions are in place. So if you’re planning an event during this period, virtual is the least risky option.

Virtual event set-ups came a long way last year, thanks to COVID pushing the fast-forward button. Now you can choose from multiple platforms on the market offering different solutions.

And there are some major benefits to going virtual. A 3-day virtual conference we delivered for our client ESCP saw 50% growth from 2000 to 3000 virtual attendees. They also reached a much wider geographical spread than their live events had in previous years. Result!

The past year has certainly helped us fine-tune our expertise in virtual event planning and appreciate the ins-and-outs of selecting the right platform, shaping a killer programme to entice your audiences and delivering a flawless experience.

Late Summer/Autumn 2021: clouds clearing, increasing sunshine

Now let’s head further into the year, when a vaccine should be more widely distributed. We expect to see an increasing desire to return to live events. But, coming back to the results of our recent poll (mentioned above), how do you reach the one-third of respondents who might want to stick with virtual?

Enter the hybrid event. And what might be different in 2021 is the number of attendees who either choose or need to access your event online.

The benefits of hybrid events

In usual times, people welcome opportunities to meet up face-to-face – and that’s what they’re still telling us – so we’re confident live events will bounce back.

However, as the world readjusts, hybrid events offer flexibility. With varying degrees of social distancing measures likely during the first half of the year, there will be limits to live attendee numbers. Even when those limits ease, not everyone will attend in person even when they want to. Their decisions will be affected by factors such as venue capacity, travel restrictions and company travel policies.

Our new COVID-learned habits may have a lasting impact on our willingness to travel far and wide. Delegates might stay local to lower their carbon footprint, or simply prefer to avoid long periods away from home and family. That’s where virtual is more appealing. And a hybrid format lets you cover both bases in a way that suits everyone’s needs and comfort levels.

The good news is that rapidly-improving virtual event platforms are making it easier to merge both audience types and keep them engaged, enable networking and give every delegate a positive experience. Venues are starting to up their game too, equipping meeting spaces with increasing bandwidth and, in some cases, offering their own virtual platforms.

Long-term outlook: prepare for all weathers

Getting the format right for both live and virtual delegates – and of course, sponsors – is the key to a happy hybrid event.

Don’t miss our upcoming series! We’ll be looking at all aspects of planning a hybrid event – from allocating budget and building your programme to selecting the right platform and venue. And if you need urgent guidance, we’re here to help.

Look out for the next article in our series!

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rain virtual hybrid

open-quote
Now let’s head further into the year, when a vaccine should be more widely distributed. We expect to see an increasing desire to return to live events.
quote-close

sunny cloud virtual hybrid

open-quote
The good news is that rapidly-improving virtual event platforms are making it easier to merge both audience types and keep them engaged.
quote-close

sun virtual hybrid