The article contains tips, and tricks and expands on the concept of hybrid meetings. We have gathered a summary and notes from the article The Art of Hybrid Gathering by Priya Parker

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Hybrid Meeting Concept 🤔

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TLDR: Hybrid meetings are where some people attend a meeting in person while others meet from their place of choice. This has had an increase in popularity at workplaces, events, personal gatherings, and more. While it is hard to manage, this can bring a new method of connection. Bridging the gap between virtual and traditional is the biggest challenge. But when done correctly it can lead to a fun overall experience

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• Hybrid events can allow people from different locations to take part of a special moment. An example of this is when a couple hosted a wedding, invited their close proximity friends to see the wedding occur IRL while all the other guests would Zoom in on their special day 

• They asked both IRL and virtual guests to take part in the same dress code so there could be a sense of connection across different platforms
• Virtual guests took part in different activities to keep them engaged, and used the chatbox to communicate with each other
• People directly communicating with virtual individuals allows everyone to feel included rather than a bystander
• When the bride was walking down the aisle, she wanted her parents to feel part of the moment. So they had a neighbour be a virtual usher as they walked down the aisle. 
• Once the event was over the virtual folks logged off Zoom while the rest danced into the night

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What Started as a Necessity in a Pandemic is Now Here to Stay 😤

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The pandemic accelerated remote work. The hybrid gathering is a new skill to learn going forward as the next generation of skilled workers finds it an important perk. Putting importance on learning virtual attending software is crucial going forward. Groups or teams need to accommodate virtual employees at events and gatherings so a sense of home is created. 

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A Hybrid Gathering is not One Gathering, It's Three 📣

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TLDR: If there is a hybrid event occurring there are three components. First is the people in the room, second is the virtual space, and lastly the interaction between the virtual and IRL space. Understanding when to connect both spaces together is a key skill required going forward. During the wedding, the bridge that connected the two spaces was the dress code and roles everyone had even when virtual. When hosting events or meetings don't try to make the virtual attendees do in-person activities but rather make two different concepts bridged together.

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• Knowing how to bridge the gap between virtual and in-person interactions is extremely important.
• Having key roles for both attendees allows everyone to feel connected while not feeling left out.
• Dont try doing the same things in both spaces. Pretending IRL is the same as virtual is the wrong way to address the issue. But each group having key roles and activities that they can be part of allows a more cohesive interaction.

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You Can Do This Too 🌟

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TLDR: Ask questions on how you want the interaction to feel between virtual and in-person attendees. Hybrid gatherings are far more complex as it is tough to design a proper foundation for interaction between in-person and virtual. 

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Questions to ask yourself:

• What do you want the interaction to feel like between IRL and virtual? What are the roles?
• How should the experience be for both parties
• Do both groups need to be connected or can they be different experiences
• Why does a hybrid gathering need to occur?

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Hybrid events can be complicated and hard to manage. Setting up a proper foundation and working on gathering individuals are crucial for a successful event. With hybrid meetings and events increasing in popularity, Epoch can help streamline hybrid events at your organization to make them more engaging and boost company morale. Book a demo today.