After the pandemic hit us everything related to event planning changed. From corporate transportation to choosing the right venue for your conference. Hybrid events are the most common form of organizing events today. In this article, we are going to give you some important tips and tricks related to the successful planning and preparation for such a conference in Chicago.
Choose a hotel with a good internet connection
Hybrid events mean live streaming, people that will be watching and expecting a steady and flawless connection. On the other hand, you have people present in the venue that will use the Wi-Fi as well. This means that you need a steady and reliable internet connection. There are several ways to handle this:
- separate Wi-Fi network for the visitors;
- cable internet that is connected to the computer that handles the live streaming;
- prior tests of the connection before the event with as many connected devices as possible.
Having this is the core thing for the hybrid event. You can’t rely on Wi-Fi alone. If you do so and don’t prepare accordingly, it will be a disaster.
Organize the transport for your guests
In a hybrid event, you are still likely to have a lot of people and speakers present on the spot. Some of them will be coming to Chicago, so there is a need to prepare for all of them. Corporate travel is still a common thing and people prefer to do business face to face. If you can’t handle reservations and arrange charter transport for them, you can at least prepare a welcome guide for the city that should include:
- Agenda of the event;
- Potential hotels you recommend;
- Information on the latest Covid-19 updates and measures;
- Guidelines on how to get to the venue;
- Some information about the tourist sites;
- Information on good restaurants and bars.
This is a nice touch that will make your event stand out and people will appreciate such a gesture.
Help the ones planning corporate travel
A nice thing you can do is help the people that visit to plan accordingly their free time in Chicago and help them with any questions they might have. For example, if they want to go shopping, give them a list of the best stores. If they want to explore local sights, you can even plan a short guided tour for them. If you know the time of the arrival of the different guests, you can even suggest for them to travel together. All of this may seem like an extra effort but it will pay out in the end.
Make sure to have all the presentations and test the whole event
Before the event ask all of the people that are going to present to give you a copy of their presentations. The day before the event you should get them together online for a test of their connection, camera, microphone and check out if they can hear and see everything. Insists that everyone stick with the time that is provided for them. If they have a 20-minute slot for presenting, there is no way to have a presentation with 50 slides and time for Q&A.
Get feedback and send the materials after the event
It is very important to have feedback forms sent to all participants after the event is over. In this way, you will know what you did good and what went wrong. This will give you important insights into your conference and how you can do better next time. You should also send to all participants a link with the presentations, a summary of the event, a video, and if it is possible – a list of contacts with the participants.
Remember, something will likely go wrong. That is okay. Just handle it in the best way possible and continue your conference with a smile.