Conduct hybrid events with Zoho Backstage

Hello everyone,

The current approach for hosting events is to go hybrid, combining the physical and virtual, since online events are here to stay and physical events will never go out of style. Hosting a hybrid event is a good option when you want to seamlessly connect your online and offline audiences.

To help with this, we're introducing hybrid events in Zoho Backstage, which will have the features needed to conduct your event at the location while also providing options for online attendees to participate.

Create your hybrid event

Provide a shared experience for attendees from wherever they are by setting the event type as Hybrid when you create it. Pick a location for where your event will happen physically and choose a webcasting service through which you'll stream to your online attendees. You can then continue setting up your event as you normally would. Also, add hosts to your tracks or halls so that sessions can be started by them on the event day. When you are done with creating your event, publish it to take your microsite live.

Event check-in

On event day, checking in attendees can be done at the event location or online. At the event location, you can check in attendees through Zoho Backstage's web app or the mobile app for event organizers (Android or iOS). For attendees who are online, they can check in to the event by themselves from the Home page in the microsite or from their attendee app (Android or iOS).

Stream your event to attendees everywhere

Speakers can deliver their sessions from the event location. For physical attendees, these sessions can be projected onto a screen. Hosts can use the Theatre mode option in the session window to hide other controls for physical attendees and put the focus on the speaker's camera feed. When necessary, materials from the host or speaker's local system can also be presented using the Share screen option.

For remote audiences, the entire session can be streamed online.

Speakers can also deliver sessions remotely instead of at the event location, which can then be viewed by attendees from wherever they are.

Session participation for onsite and online audiences

If attendees at the event location want to interact with the speaker during the session, they can use an audio device such as a microphone, which is connected to the session host's system so that online audiences can also listen to what is being said at the event's location. Online audiences can use the Request to speak option in their session window to share their thoughts with the speaker. Once the request is approved both the onsite and online audiences can see and hear the person. A host or a co-host can approve these requests to speak from Backstage by accessing the Attendees tab in the session window.

All tasks relating to the session can be handled by the host or co-host from this session window, including managing polls from the Polls tab and answering and projecting questions from the Questions tab.

Present sessions with flexibility

Speakers who are talking from a remote location can also use options to customize their camera feed with tools like OBS software. Such tools provide them with more scope to better their session delivery. Features like this will help engage audiences further by showing related content such as a PPT or a video inside the speaker's camera feed itself, making the session experience feel more authentic and less distracting.

Soon, we'll also provide options for you to set up exclusive or open ticket types. You'll be able to create open tickets that will enable attendees to choose between attending the event at the location or remotely. On the other hand, you could create tickets that will restrict attendees to joining the event only at the location or only through the event microsite online.

Combine in-person and virtual experiences with hybrid events in Zoho Backstage. Let us know what you think in the comments below. You can also write to us at support@zohobackstage.com for any product-related questions.

Happy organizing!

• Topic Participants

• Tina Samuel

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