Hybrid Events – Tips and Considerations for Choosing the Right Options for Your Event

For a multitude of reasons, conference travel is not always an option for those who would benefit from attending in person. Keep your technical community engaged and inclusive by incorporating hybrid conference elements that help attract and retain participants from around the world.

Review the resources below for guidance and recommendations on various Hybrid/Virtual Conference Models, Hybrid Conference Registration Rates, and Sponsorship and Exhibits for Hybrid Conferences.

Which Hybrid/Virtual Conference Model is Right for You?

The Computer Society has supported a variety of Hybrid Conference options that can be tailored to fit any conference program. Keep in mind that each event model has its own set of considerations that impact cost, volunteer time, and planning.

Work with your IEEE Computer Society event planner for guidance on how to apply your preferred model to your event. Contact a planner at conferences@computer.org.

This model strives to keep the in-person and virtual experience as close to identical as possible by offering dedicated events for virtual and in-person attendees, as well as live-streaming in-person content.

Virtual Offerings

• Social and networking events for virtual participants only

Virtual and In-Person Offerings

• Plenary and Keynotes – In-person and live-streamed
• Panels and Award Sessions – In-person and live-streamed
• Paper presentations and Q&A – In-person and live-streamed
• Post conference access to all videos and content
• In-person and Virtual Exhibit/Sponsor Guide w/scheduler for Interaction and virtual meeting rooms

In-Person Offerings

• Social and networking events for in-person participants only

Considerations

• Time-consuming for organizers
• Single track makes it easier to manage, but does not scale well — mainly due to staff support and cost
• Infrastructure required for live streaming can be very expensive
• Registration fees will likely be higher than in-person conferences, especially as activities are outsourced
• Last-minute changes between physical and virtual presentations can present challenges

Lessons Learned and Recommendations

• Consider venues such as universities that may have already made investments in rooms with live streaming to support hybrid teaching
• Plan conference program as early as possible
• Might not be necessary to make all videos available given that everyone attended the live conference

Using this model, virtual and in-person attendees have different, but comparable, conference experiences.

Virtual Offerings

• Access to all live virtual sessions

Virtual and In-Person Offerings

• Plenary and Keynotes – In-person and live-streamed
• Panels and Award Sessions – In-person and live-streamed
• Post-conference access to all videos and content
• In-person and Virtual Exhibit/Sponsor Guide w/scheduler for Interaction and virtual meeting rooms

In-Person Offerings

• Access to all live in-person sessions
• Social and networking events

Considerations

• Basically requires scheduling two conferences – virtual and in-person
• Extends the total length of the conference if virtual and in-person are not held simultaneously

Lessons Learned and Recommendations

• Schedule tracks on different dates to avoid extra volunteer overhead
• In-person registration should include access to both tracks
• All presenters present in the virtual track and optionally in the in-person track (shorter presentations, more discussion-oriented)
• For the in-person portion, schedule events/activities that work better in person: networking, poster sessions, birds-of-a-feather sessions, social events

While virtual and in-person attendees have very different experiences, this model provides an option for virtual attendees to access some live content.

Virtual and In-Person Offerings

• Plenary and Keynotes – In-person and live-streamed
• Panels and Award Sessions – In-person and live-streamed
• Post-conference access to content
• In-person and Virtual Exhibit/Sponsor Guide w/scheduler for Interaction and virtual meeting rooms
• Virtual presentations can be supported via pre-recorded video that can be posted for access by all registrants

In-Person Track

• Access to all live in-person sessions
• Social and networking events
• In-person Exhibit Hall

Considerations

• Virtual attendees get access to technical sessions only after the conference has ended (or as content becomes available)
• Organizers need to maintain content and streaming for a period of time after the conference has ended
• Consider streaming content from one designated room to minimize AV/streaming expenses

Lessons Learned and Recommendations

• Expect a large number of attendees for the live events, given that it is the only live experience for virtual attendees
• This format is challenging to accommodate across multiple time zones; consider where most virtual attendees are from when scheduling live events

While this isn’t technically a hybrid option, virtual “attendees” may access select conference recordings post-event. Recordings are captured live in-person, but not streamed live.

Virtual and In-Person Offerings

• Post conference access to content

In-Person Offerings

• Plenary and Keynotes – In-person and recorded
• Panels and Award Sessions – In-person and recorded
• Paper presentations and Q&A – In-person and recorded
• Social and networking events
• In-person Exhibit Hall

These models are a great option for new conferences, by striking a balance between in-person and virtual events within an IEEE Computer Society Technical Community (TC).

Several options

• Smaller conferences joining in a single event to take advantage of economies of scale
• Largest in-person or hybrid conference in a TC joining with smaller virtual conferences held as specialized sub-events with the TC
• Can include an in-person portion for additional discussion
• Virtual event format may be attractive for smaller highly specialized events
• Mega-events formed by co-locating many smaller events together or attaching them to their flagship conference
• “Co-location” with a large event

Considerations

• Ability to organize conferences, workshops, and events using virtual-only models
• Support a variety of event types, e.g., student-only events, local meetings, one-day workshops
• Attract a larger attendance by leveraging connections across the TC
• Authors may face potentially simultaneous submission deadlines (especially for co-location)
• Make content available as soon as possible to ensure that people who have purchased content receive value.

Regardless of the format in which a hybrid conference takes place, conference registration rates will still need to be charged for all attendees – both in-person and virtual.

• Full Conference Registration is recommended for in-person attendees regardless of virtual/hybrid components
• Livestream Conferences – The same pricing for in-person and virtual attendees (or marginally less for virtual attendees) is recommended based on costs for AV/live stream components
• Asynchronous Virtual and In-Person Conference
  • It’s recommended that organizers charge a fee that is at least 50-70% of the in-person conference registration fee in order to cover all costs associated with a hybrid conference
  • Both in-person and virtual attendees should receive access to content for a limited time (2-4 weeks) post-conference
• Virtual Track
  • Nominal Fee recommended for full virtual sessions
  • This fee covers any registration software or virtual platform pass through costs as well as ensure engaged participants
  • Virtual attendees would receive access for a limited time (2-4 weeks)

Deliver value that meets the needs of exhibitors and sponsors, by customizing packages that maximize the potential of on-site and virtual benefits.

On-site Presence

• Sponsorships/Supporters: Company logo on printed collateral at the conference venue
• Exhibitors: If the exhibitor package purchased allows for, provide 6’ table or exhibit space for onsite presence.

Virtual Presence

Sponsorships/Supporters

• Company logo on conference website and virtual platform
• Posting of company collateral on virtual platform via dedicated page

Virtual Exhibits

• Dedicated time slots for virtual attendees
• Online gamification for virtual attendee engagement (virtual platform needed for this activity)
• Provide virtual attendee and exhibitor interaction within the platform (ability to set up group meetings; one-on-one meetings; meetups, etc.)
• Incorporate exhibitors into the conference program; allow for special exhibitor presentations during designated timeslots
• Allow for 15 or 30 second commercials to be played prior to keynote or panel presentations
• Company logo on conference website and virtual platform via a dedicated page
• Posting of company collateral on virtual platform