Future proof your marketing event strategy

Improve event ROI and attendee experiences with Hybrid Events

Event parallels with hybrid work

A few months ago many people were preparing to go back to the office again and we all had to revert to remote work for the foreseeable future. Although people will eventually return to the workplace, the uncertainty we have today continues to thwart even the most carefully laid plans. Just as a cloud of uncertainty hangs over a return to in-person work, Marketing and Event leaders are faced with the same uncertainty as they contemplate a return to in-person events.

Businesses rely on conferences, seminars, and tradeshows to generate revenue, sales and sponsorships, as well as create brand awareness in the market. But most importantly, events remain critical to building stronger, sustainable relationships with customers. These needs didn’t go away and so companies have been forced to reimagine how they deliver these large events to audiences, both remote and in-person.

Shifts in expectations

Much like video conferencing and collaboration software, event software has fast-tracked innovation with a laser focus on usability, participant experience, and breadth to capabilities to help customers meet changing expectations.

For example, streaming a live keynote to a webpage or social channel as part of an in-person event would pass as a hybrid experience just a few years ago. Today, event attendees expect more interactive, engaging, and relevant experiences. It’s the event attendees that dictate how, when and where they want to participate. It’s up to businesses to build strategies that put attendee experiences first, and to provide an optimal experience whether it’s online, in-person or a combination of the two.

How Webex can support marketing and events leaders

Over the past year, Webex has made significant investments in existing technology platforms, as well bringing in new tools to help address customers’ growing needs. In fact, if you are joining WebexOne this year, you will see that the entire event is hosted on Socio – the newest event solution in the Webex family.

Webex is the only company that can bring you the power of meetings, webinars, and hybrid events in a single suite of products. Today, we are proud to announce the Webex Events portfolio – bringing together Webex Webinars* and Socio as a powerful set of event solutions.

Now, customers can deliver events across any format, type, size, and experience – from webinars to multi-session events, from conferences to trade shows, from continuously engaged communities to magical event moments. Whether you’re hosting a virtual, in-person, or hybrid event, the Webex Events portfolio has you covered.

We are also excited to announce the new Slido integration for Webex Webinars and Socio. With it, you will have more ways to interact with your audience using customized polls, quizzes, and surveys.

Socio – end-to-end event management for virtual, in-person and hybrid events

Socio bridges virtual and in-person events with hybrid event technology to create connected events with shared and unified experiences – no matter where your attendees are joining from. Click here to learn more.

Rich features and familiar user experiences include a simple drag and drop event hub setup, customizable capabilities for branding, ticketing, attendee networking, and even sponsorship and gamification options.

In addition to Socio’s existing onsite functionality, some of which includes mobile event apps, lead retrieval, live display and more, Socio will be adding even more capabilities to help customers as they start to return to in-person events. The upcoming in-person digitized registration, check-in, and badge printing options will help you keep your event attendees safe and provide a more streamlined event experience.

Webex Webinars (formerly Webex Events) – simple, intuitive virtual events built for scalable and interactive experiences

When a solution for less complex event types is needed, like webinars, all-hands meetings, and training sessions, Webex Webinars provides businesses a reliable, secure way to reach audiences. With moderation and control, and interactive features you have everything needed to host successful events. And now, with the introduction of the Events portfolio, the application Webex Events will be renamed to Webex Webinars.

Webex Webinars provides capabilities to reach up to 100,000 attendees. Host events with highly interactive sessions that include polling, Q&A, simple content and speaker management, and coming soon – breakout rooms.**

Moving to hybrid events

Like the workplace, event strategies must be reimagined for hybrid experiences. Webex is dedicated to delivering secure, scalable, and robust event solutions that help customers adapt to the changing needs of their business. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners and customers as together, we change the way events are delivered for the better.