Hybrid meetings are here to stay.

Instead of getting flustered by planning them – it’s time to embrace, learn and execute them flawlessly.

Here are 5 ways you can elevate your hybrid meetings.

1. Not everyone will be able to make it in person, and that’s OK. You need to value your “virtual attendees” just as much as your in-person ones – to get the most out of your hybrid meeting, you need to account for that. Have your presenters speak into the camera just as much as they do to your in-person attendees, and maybe plan breakout rooms to include one of virtual attendees – mixing and matching virtual and in-person attendees in breakouts is guaranteed to be less effective.
2. Upgrade your audio and video game – don’t leave your virtual attendees out in the cold with video from a bad webcam and laptop microphone. There’s nothing less appealing than having to sit and listen to 2 hours of audio when you can only hear every third word – don’t do that to your coworkers or clients. Similarly, grainy, low resolution video is a killer – you want your guests to be able to tell who your guest speaker is, right?
3. Bigger is better. If you want to include your remote participants in the meeting as active participants, your in person guests need to actually be able to see them. When given an option for screen size, you can’t go wrong with the biggest you can find – otherwise your remote participants are going to be easily (and unconsciously!) ignored little boxes.
4. Leave the laptops at home. Nothing kills the in-person vibe of your meeting more than having every attendee use their laptop to join in the room. All that does is make your attendees think “I could have stayed in my PJ’s for this”. It will destroy any value you get out of hosting the meeting in person.
5. Choose the right venue. This is the most critical factor for the success of your hybrid meeting. The right venue will come equipped with a great tech package, experienced staff who know how to run hybrid meetings, and who know how to ensure that your meeting is a success, both in-person and virtually.

Choose Toronto Meetings for your next hybrid meeting, and learn the difference our experienced team makes.

We have the equipment, the staff, and the expertise that will make your next hybrid event a total success – with our 30+ years of hosting meetings, and 15+ years of making them hybrid, your event is in good hands at Toronto Meetings.