How to Engage Both Live & Virtual Attendees at Hybrid Events

Hybrid events are the best of both worlds in many ways. They combine the intimacy of in-person events with the accessibility of virtual ones.

But combining a live and virtual audience can be a challenge for event speakers. Why? It’s not easy to simultaneously connect with people in the room AND those watching online.

• At times, one or the other can easily feel left out.
• Additionally, trying to engage both audiences can distract the speaker and keep them from giving a quality presentation.

What can hybrid event speakers do to handle this unique challenge?

In this article, we take a look at 5 things you can do to engage your hybrid event audience. If you plan to include guest speakers at your event, share these tips with them to make sure they’re ready to engage both audiences on event day.

It’s easy to unintentionally favor the live audience. After all, they’re interacting with you face-to-face.

To keep anyone from feeling left out, plan ahead to acknowledge both the live and virtual audience during your presentation.

How To Do It:

• Verbally Address Both Audiences

Your introductory remarks should mention the people in front of you and those online.

Rather than saying: “It’s so great to see all of you here today” and moving on, mention those attending virtually.

Try something like: “It’s a pleasure to be with all of you here today. And we’re excited to have those tying in remotely as well. I’m looking forward to hearing from all of you as we go through the program today.”

A quick acknowledgment at the beginning sets the tone for the virtual audience to feel included.

• Make “Eye Contact” With Both Audiences

Eye contact is a cornerstone of effective public speaking. How can you implement it at hybrid events?

Whether sitting, standing, or walking around while presenting, make an effort to look at both audiences.

Live Attendees:

• • • Scanning the live audience while speaking is probably what you’re most comfortable with and likely comes more naturally. Keep that up.
    • You will also gain visual feedback from your live audience (since they’re the ones you can see). Read their body language and adjust your style according to them.

Virtual Attendees:

• • • Frequently look at the camera while presenting.
    • It might feel a little awkward, but your virtual audience needs to see your face, not just a distant video shot of you walking around on stage.

The key word with this one is balance. ALL ATTENDEES (including those online) are part of your audience. Make sure they feel like it.

There are several things you can do to encourage participation and engagement at your event. Keep both your live and virtual audiences in mind when planning your engagement strategy.

How To Do It:

Incorporate these into your presentation:

• Polls– People LOVE sharing their opinions. Polls are a sure way to keep their focus and get them actively participating.
• Gamification– Gamification encourages audience participation by offering rewards.
  • As an example, one idea is having teams compete in trivia on the topics discussed. The team with the most points at the end wins exclusive discounts from sponsors.
• Q&As– Always provide a way for your audience to ask questions and get clarification on points discussed.

Additionally, consider using an event app to include these engagement features. Why?

An event app allows ALL in attendance (both virtual and live) to share their answers, feedback, and questions.

To make sure both audiences feel included, you could say something like,

“I’d love to hear your thoughts on this subject. We’ve opened up the live chat feature on the event app. I’d like to invite both those here in person and those joining us online to join the chat now and share your questions” (or participate in a poll, game, or survey, whatever feature you’re using at the time).

An event app unites both the live and virtual audiences. By specifically mentioning both groups when encouraging participation, you ensure all attendees feel that their feedback is valuable.

Engaging two audiences instead of one calls for a balance between stage presence and camera awareness. Finding that balance requires practice.

How To Do It:

Run through your presentation several times from beginning to end.

Record it and watch it back to see areas you need to improve. Ask yourself:

• How often did I address just one audience type in my presentation? What could I say instead that includes both live and virtual attendees?
• How often did I look at the camera?
• Are my presentation or workshop sections tailored to one audience type? How could I tweak them to make everyone feel more involved?

Have a practice session with any guest speakers on the agenda. Ask yourself the same questions about their performance and give feedback as needed.

Unlike fully live events, a hybrid event requires you to look good both in person AND on camera.

How To Do It:

• Optimize Your Setup

• • Lighting: Use lighting that flatters your face and is evenly distributed.
  • Camera Placement: Position the camera at eye level to create natural eye contact with virtual participants.
  • Background: Use a clean and professional background. Consider using branded or neutral backgrounds.
  • Microphones: Wear a quality headset to ensure clear sound for both audiences.

• Dress For the Occasion

• • Camera-Friendly Attire: Avoid overly bright colors, busy patterns, or shiny fabrics, as they can look distorted on camera.
  • Professional Appearance: Dress in a way that aligns with your event’s tone, whether formal or more casual.

A proper setup and the right outfit can help you feel more confident and ensure that both in-person and online attendees see you as a polished professional.

Speaker, tech support, emcee, platform host, and sound guy are too many hats for one person to wear. Delegate various tasks to team members so that you can focus on your presentation.

How To Do It:

• Live Chat Monitor

Assign someone to moderate the virtual chat. It’s nearly impossible to keep up with it and deliver a presentation at the same time.

• Engagement Monitor

When you say “I’d love to hear your thoughts. Hop on the event app now to answer a short survey” you want the survey to be up and running.

An engagement monitor can do that for you. They make sure all audience participation elements are ready and running smoothly.

Of course, these are just a few of the support positions you need to put on a quality hybrid event. A trustworthy support team can take a lot off your shoulders and handle many more roles to make your event a success.

Don’t be intimidated by hybrid events. By planning ahead and making a few minor adjustments, you can deliver a presentation that both those in person and those joining online will love.

Here at Virtual Velocity, we understand the importance of having a good support team. We’ve been helping businesses put on quality events for many years and we know what it takes to pull off a hybrid event. And our technical team is completely confident juggling both an in-person and remote audience.

Are you ready to take your virtual event to the next level? Book an appointment with us today to see the many ways we could be of support at your next hybrid event.