Hybrid Events: 3 Reasons Why Roadshows could be Essential in your Next Campaign
As the return of face-to-face experiences starts to feel more ‘likely reality’ than ‘distant dream’, safety and travel restrictions remain a concern for many. Perhaps that’s why demand for information about hybrid events rose by 800% in just seven months during the pandemic.
Covid-19 accelerated the rise of digital across all aspects of our lives. But without genuine connections and real-world human contact, many organisations – and their audiences – still feel like something is missing. Pivoting entirely to digital isn’t the ongoing nirvana its advocates suggest, with 85% of respondents in a recent Freeman study describing in-person events as “irreplaceable” for driving commerce and networking.
For those planning their next marketing campaign, a well-planned and well-executed hybrid event solution brings together the best of both worlds. It reaches audiences in new ways and restores the trust and relationships that go hand-in-hand with face-to-face activity.
After years of helping to deliver hybrid events with our roadshow trucks, we know they are central to the future of experiential marketing. Here are three reasons why hybrid events staged in roadshow trucks could well be your best bet:
1. Deeper, longer-lasting impacts
We know from experience that smaller, in-person events often have more impact. You can spend more time with each of your guests, getting to know them and their challenges on a deeper level.
Hybrid events staged on roadshow trucks allow you to invite a limited number of guests into your space at a time and place that’s convenient for them. The mobile nature of roadshow trucks unlocks hard-to-reach audiences, while the digital element means you can simultaneously include those that would have otherwise been excluded by travel restrictions or diary commitments. Plus, with 5G capable technology on-board, you can invite people to take part in the same conversations, virtually and seamlessly.
2. Environmentally and family friendly
With a hybrid roadshow event, you eliminate the need for people to travel almost completely. For in-person guests, the truck arrives at their location – saving on the collective energy consumption of getting tens or hundreds of people to a single conference venue. The truck is also guaranteed to be Covid-secure, with a collaborative approach between the EMS Group's EMS Healthcare. They are providing mobile COVID-19 testing and vaccine units to UK’s Department for Health and Social Care, shaping our practices and providing us with real-world knowledge of providing a COVID-safe environment.
And for those who cannot get to the roadshow site, digital gives them the full option to dial in remotely, enjoy a five-star experience and still be available to tuck their children into bed at night.
3. More flexibility and versatility
Instead of trying to find a suitable space to host your hybrid event (with on-site teams racking up significant costs for a short-term solution), a truck roadshow affords you the space for multiple divisions to reach their audiences with compelling environments. In fact, multi-use strategies are the best way to drive even better ROIs from roadshow truck tours. They allow more people to be reached, both in person and digitally, while still using the same content for each event on the tour.
With 94% of attendees and 95% of exhibitors expecting to return to in-person events by the end of 2021, hybrid events built on the flexibility and ROI of roadshow trucks are a compelling proposition. In fact, global brands like Duracell and GE Healthcare have already worked with us to launch their own hybrid roadshows. Could you be next?
To find out more about how EMS could help you kickstart your return to in-person activity with all the extra benefits of our bespoke hybrid events, talk to Andy Morris today: andy.morris@eventms.com