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A Hybrid in Your Future
By Andrew Horsfield | September 3, 2009
By now, they’re a familiar sight: hybrid vehicles that combine two separate power sources to squeeze maximum energy out of every drop of gasoline they use. Once considered an environmentalist’s fantasy, hybrids have made it into the mainstream, and for good reason—they’re a great, practical way to make your gas dollar stretch further, at a time of economic uncertainty and shrinking oil reserves.
But here’s a question you might not have considered: If a hybrid car can combine internal combustion with electricity, why can’t a conference do the same?
At a hybrid conference, the “internal combustion” is provided by the participants on site. Just as the hybrid car’s engine combines fuel and oxygen with a spark to produce a controlled explosion that moves the car forward, conference participants combine the spark of their ideas and personalities in a controlled environment to move towards a goal.
But what is the hybrid conference’s second power source? In this analogy, a hybrid conference is one in which participants make use of the vast knowledge base and communication power of the Internet to contribute to the conference’s forward momentum.
Last weekend I attended MPI’s Canadian Chapter Leadership Forum in London, Ontario. As I met with meetings industry colleagues to discuss the challenges currently facing MPI’s Canadian chapters, I was able to bring forth the idea of a hybrid conference—an idea that has been circulating in our office for several months.
The idea seemed to be very well received by these senior members of the meetings industry. In fact, we agreed that hybrid meetings are already happening in a variety of informal ways. You see it prior to a conference, when people use Facebook, LinkedIn, or some other social media to set up a meeting or group when they get onsite. You see it when people use Twitter to comment on events that take place as the event unfolds. You see it when delegates download recorded sessions after the conference to continue their education.
Until now, though, what has been missing is a method that truly allows onsite participants, as well as those who participate online, to interact in a way that combines their knowledge, ideas, and personalities to move the conference towards a goal—while the conference is happening.
First it should be stated that being onsite—in the engine—is the most directly powerful way you can contribute to the event’s forward momentum. But if you can’t be physically present, then you need quick access to the content of the sessions. And since you can’t contribute to the momentum as a passive observer, you need to be able to assess and comment on the issues, just as you would if you’d been present in the first place.
Experienced meeting organizers know that some of the best ideas are developed in the hallways, as participants talk to one another, exchange thoughts, and debate the issues. Using the Internet’s social media formats, you can create virtual hallways as opportunities for participants—both online and onsite— to communicate with each other.
So how would this all work? And can it be done in a way that generates a new source of revenue? Taking a cue from the successful news media sites, our company captures the information a conference generates, and posts it online in news story format within hours of the end of the session. The key to leveraging this rapid turnaround into a hybrid conference is to add a blogging feature that allows readers to comment on the sessions.
News media sites have found this format to be a very successful method of starting an online discussion among interested parties. If a conference posts its information quickly enough, organizers can monitor online commentary, and incorporate the comments into the conference while it is happening. Some organizations may choose to combine verbatim capture methods of some sessions, such as video or audio synced to PowerPoint, with executive summaries in text format to truly allow participants to customize their experience.
Think of the sponsorship possibilities raised by the extra reach of this kind of website. Think of the extra registration dollars from all the potential virtual attendees. Think of all the extra people who will be able to contribute to your conference’s momentum, without requiring all the resources you’d normally provide to onsite participants. Then think about all the organizations that are planning some form of hybrid conference right now. The meetings industry is moving quickly to take advantage of all the possibilities this model presents.
Are you planning to be on board, or will you be left behind?
Topics: Meeting Design, Meetings Technology, Social Media, Virtual Meetings |
Comments Feed
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:16 pm
I came across this very interesting site showcasing an actual hybrid conference that took place earlier this year. It is worth taking a look at, for those organizations considering a hybrid meeting strategy. Benefits include cost effectiveness, increased productivity (less time away from the office) and a lower environmental footprint. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7TSKHdWOvY&feature=related