Hybrid meetings: ideas for running them successfully

Like Rome, the digitalisation of meetings is not going to happen overnight. And as always - but even more so when it comes to technology - there are the 'early adopters' and those who are following suit, as best they can. " Some of our customers are well ahead of the game, and know exactly what they want - for example, a particular resolution for the cameras they use to capture their images - but they don't know exactly what they want. others are a little lost. They don't want to know which platform or technology will be used. They have a problem, their way of seeing their event, and they ask us how to organise it." said Benjamin Abittan, Managing Director of Châteauform', at the start of the year, at the presentation of the new offerings from this specialist in corporate meetings. To this end, Châteauform' has launched a consultancy service called Acte@Châteauform'. The aim: helping companies to plan their next seminars and their future training courses around days of very practical workshops. " Companies come with the plan they have in mind and leave at the end of the day with a solution for keeping in touch with their teams remotely." explained Benjamin Abittan.

The sudden switch from physical to digital events has plunged many companies and organisers into a sea of uncertainty. Faced with this perplexity, most need to be taken by the hand to make a success of this shift. " You can't learn how to run a digital event in the blink of an eye. We need to understand the issues involved, the various applicationss, stresses Manuel Henaut, Director of Operations at Studio Liveteam in Paris, an event management company which also provides training on the subject. Our customers come to us a few weeks before an event, because they want to get up to speed very quickly. We give them the basics, of course, but as it's impossible to learn all the tricks of the digital event trade in just two training sessions, we help them to implement what they've learned. "

For a wider audience, and always with an educational purpose in mind, several players in the MICE segment have published best practice guides based on feedback from past months, between in-house meetings and customer events. For example, Cvent, one of the leaders in meeting technologies, has published The virtual event for nuls (Virtual Event Strategy for Dummies), while Encore, the event production giant formerly known as PSAV, is publishing its Hybrid Event Handbook online.

In the same way, hoteliers are supporting the launch of their hybrid meeting programmes explanatory notes of some kind, for example the " Hybrid Meetings Insights "from Marriott or Hilton EventReady Playbook. " This is a very practical resource for event organisers, providing information and advice on how to run a hybrid meeting in the best possible conditions." said David Kelly, Hilton's Senior Vice President for Continental Europe.

These suggestion boxes The results of these studies provide a wealth of advice on how to make better use of hybrid mode. For example, based on a meeting of the group's global teams where participants all had their noses on their computers during the presentations, Hilton advises to " have two screens for a better experience, one showing the virtual participants and the other the presentation" . " A panning camera would have worked better for this event than a static, unmanned camera to follow the participants and presenters. "it also points out. Among the observations made by Marriott during a test event for its Connect with Confidence programme, " advance planning of camera angles has proved important in ensuring that home participants see activity rather than empty spaces" notes the group.

Learning and discovering, rethinking the way you approach events: these are all things that will prevent you from repeating the mistakes of the past. "Between May and June last year, we saw a wave of events prepared in a bit of a hurry who, because of a lack of time and thought, have reproduced their physical events in digital form without changing the programme or the content. The result was a succession of 20-minute powerpoint presentations. " recalls Alain Chanavaz, co-president of MPI France Suisse, and also a trainer for Studio Liveteam. The verdict of this seasoned professional is clear: " unbearable" . " The terrible thing, and I often see this in large companies, is that these people read their supporthe notes. But as soon as you read out a slide, the participants stop listening, because they're also reading it on the screen. So the message doesn't get through.  "

The battle for attention, which is already important in face-to-face meetings, becomes all the more essential with digital technology. Participants in remote meetings can be distracted by a thousand and one things: an email, a vibrating telephone, the delivery of a parcel...". During a physical event, attention does not go beyond the twelve minutesBut it is still much less for a digital format, seven minutes at mostsays Alain Chanavaz. So you need regular changes of paceThis can be done by sending a video, asking participants a question from a distance or changing the speaker. It's also a question of camera work and production. Events must be inspired by the codes of television, where everything is timed, paced and split into segments. "

If we have to draw further analogies between the new model of meetings and the world of television, another observation must be made: not everyone can become a presenter or host of the 20 hour news programmes. " A CEO who says "I'm used to hosting AGMs, so I can do it on camera" is wrong. It's not the same thing at all.says Alain Chanavaz. What's more, he loses stature. It's not his role to launch the speech of his financial director or his sales manager. He has to be the voice of the company, and not - I'm exaggerating a little - a 'microphone pass', which is the role of the presenter". This same pitfall can also be seen at medical conferences that have recently gone digital. "We often see the chairman of the congress in the driving seat. He's a surgeon and an oncologist, but not a moderator.says Alain Chanavaz. A hybrid or digital event requires a real piece of writing. "

Ideally, the moderation of a meeting should be inspired by the work that moderators and journalists do beforehand, i.e. prepare the questions, talk to the speakers and plan what they are going to say, so that the debates can be conducted smoothly on the big day. interact with the audience both in the room and remotely. But what is true for a major event for which a company can afford to call on the services of a professional - the announcement of a strategic plan, a product launch - is also true, to a lesser degree, for traditional team meetings. " Even if it only brings together 10 or 20 people, you need to think about how to stage it to keep the participants' attention by creating a new rhythm, by getting people talking from a distance..." says Manuel Henaut, from Studio Liveteam.

As with attention, the other battle of any hybrid event is also that of interaction.. " We need to get participants talking to each other and networking. This can be achieved, for example, through virtual working sessions in small groups at certain times of the day, or a competition for the best tweet summarising the event, which will be put to the vote of all the participants.explains Alain Chanavaz. In this context, I would also advise having one programme for people on site and another dedicated to those working remotely. "For Benjamin Abittan, this point is also essential: "The digital journey must be as interesting as face-to-face. Let's take an executive's speech. It might be a good idea to interview him as he leaves the stage, for a few minutes specially reserved for digital. "

Anything is possible to ensure that remote participants do not feel left out and are fully integrated into the events. This involves, for examples welcome gifts to their homes or, as is becoming increasingly popular, meal delivery for social gatherings. " We've planned special little things to make virtual participants feel present with us and a real part of the event, like providing vouchers for home delivery of lunch. "This is one of the examples highlighted by Marriott in its Hybrid Meetings Insights.

Special moments, shared emotions: everything that makes corporate events such a powerful force, and its impact on team dynamics, is going digital. At a time when the word "team building" will not be used in events for some time yetChâteauform' has duplicated a whole catalogue of virtual activities - escape game, pop-up yoga, quiz, remote mentalism - with its partners. Similarly, the events travel agency Funbreizh has created an online game to take employees around the world. The description of this game, called Escales: " On their way to an unknown destination, players in teams virtually walk through an airport departure lounge looking for clues to start the game and discover their destination. It is only by exchanging and collecting their clues that they can collectively discover their destination." . What follows is a road trip that is both cultural and virtual. "The aim is to offer company employees a moment of relaxation.explains Jean-Vincent Petit, founder of Funbreizh, an interlude during which they can travel via their screen."Waiting for better, but for later.