Avoid these hybrid event mistakes

Over the course of the last almost 22 months of virtual and hybrid events of all formats and sizes, we’ve collected a few common mistakes being made as it relates to virtual and hybrid fundraising events. In the blog post below, we have highlighted some of the top hybrid event mistakes that almost every organizer makes. Take note of these hybrid event mistakes to save yourself from them.

Avoid these common mistakes for a successful hybrid fundraising event

not asking the right questions, to begin with, is the event and the risk-taking necessary for hosting in-person
not considering the cost of hosting an in-person event with a virtual component and the additional production costs
not hiring a professional Host/Emcee and Auctioneer
not having compelling story-telling content to share during the event
not creating a timeline for both the in-person and the virtual event with enough touchpoints
not mapping out the audience’s experience from the moment they’ve registered to the moment they’ve checked out
not curating the content carefully so that it’s appealing for both audiences: not too long and too heavy
not coaching and training the speakers, virtual presenters, host, emcee’s to use the technology properly, might that be an event platform or the bidding platform itself,
not hiring a production team and a technical event producer the moment the decision to move forward was made

relying on the venue’s infrastructure (especially as it relates to poor bandwidth) and technology without checking and asking all the questions, assuming it will be ok to just show up and take for granted what the venue is able to provide

Pro's Note: Don't assume everyone has the same level of expertise and excellence when it comes to AV production. One wired microphone at the podium with an average installed ceiling house sound system might suffice for someone without any ability to mix and process the sound properly, while for others, especially in the context of a hybrid event where a mix-minus is necessary and the ability to route sound properly, that scenario would be totally unacceptable.

not providing a high broadcasting quality to the live-stream (think camera angles, b-roll footage, quality audio, and video) and/or video capture of the event
disregarding the online audience as “second class” and not providing much of an experience, aside from a stream
deciding to go the “do-it-ourselves” route because “how hard could it be” and missing on the opportunity to fundraise at the highest level because of too many roadblocks and frustrations that the audience faced during the event
not following up post-event to make the audience want to stay engaged, connected, and wishing for more.

A creative production professional is your number one ally when it comes to planning, hosting, and executing a high-quality hybrid event that fundraises at the highest level, brings broadcast quality to the table, trains the speakers for both in-person and virtual, keeps both audiences engaged, and much more.

If you have any questions about hybrid – not just production, strategy, technology, scripting, run of shows, etc – please reach out.

As always, we are here to lend event planners and organizations a helping hand and share our technical knowledge and expertise.

Our clients have asked and we answered: Can you still raise money through Virtual and Hybrid Fundraising?

Get our latest blog posts with tips, tools, strategy for in-person, virtual, and hybrid event production and technology straight to your inbox! We won’t spam you!