The Event Optimiser

3 Tips - Planning Your Online Programme

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 07:42:00 +0000

You have decided to hold your hybrid event and are now busy working on your programme designs. Yes no longer can you develop a programme for your face to face delegates and promote the same for your online delegates.

Now you have a second programme (unless your hybrid event is on a tiny timescale) to develop which is for your online delegates.

A face to face audience at a conference has made a decision to be there and be totally immersed in the event experience. Apart from checking in with their work and family on occasion they have no other distractions.

Your online delegates have also made a decision to be immersed in your event but they have many more distractions whether they are taking part from their office or their home.

In my experience, the online delegates require their own programme which of course can be worked around the face to face programme but the planning needs to be carefully considered.

3 Key Considerations

Scheduling
When will your online audience be able to devote the biggest part of their time to your programme?

This question will ensure that you understand where the majority of your online delegates will be joining from.

You could argue that as your event is global it’s difficult to know but as with all events you will have a target audience that you are catering for so be sure to look after them as your primary consideration.

Time
Are you giving your online delegates enough time for eating, drinking, comfort breaks and time to reflect on sessions?

Some online programmes can become even busier than the face to face programme as there can be a desire by some event planners to add in studio interviews following presentations from speakers.

There is nothing wrong with this of course but please ensure that you have allowed your online delegates enough time for them to be comfortable throughout the programme in the same way that you will have considered the needs of your face to face delegates.

Interaction
How does the online delegate interact with the programme?

How do they send in their comments or questions? Have you ‘walked them through’ all the things they need to know to be able to make the most of the event?

The easier you make it for your online delegates to become involved the better results you will have.

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Choose Your Words with Care it’s a Hybrid Event

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Thu, 30 May 2013 12:43:00 +0000

What’s in a name? Really why do some words strike fear in the heart of many before anything else is said?

Let’s take insurance as an example. Mention the word insurance and in my experience many people will run for the hills. It either sounds complicated, boring or too much trouble. Again this is my experience but believe me I have spoken to a number of people over the years and I am yet to have an ‘insurance – brilliant’ reaction.

Mention the word creative or inspiring and I believe we have a different set of emotions being triggered. Again in my experience, I have known people become excited by these words.

So if the power of words has such an impact are we in the events industry in danger of putting the wrong words in front of our clients/audience members etc when we describe our hybrid events? Does the expression ‘hybrid event’ mean pain or pleasure for people hearing the term?

For people inside the ‘events industry’ the term ‘hybrid event’ may be completely common and known to all. But outside of the ‘events industry’ does it have a meaning which really demonstrates what a hybrid event can help achieve for a business? Could the term actually be preventing event planners from obtaining more work from clients?

Even in the ‘events industry’ there are differences between event professionals as to what a ‘hybrid event’ is and we could spend a huge amount of time debating the definition (for someone to come along later and change it all again anyway).

But I think as long as you (the event planner) are clear on what your ‘hybrid’ event will deliver to your particular client and the subsequent business benefits that will result then that is effort better spent than spending lots of time and energy arguing about the actual definition.

At the moment, my experience is that many people are still cautious when it comes to hybrid events so we all have some work to do to ensure that the term ‘hybrid events’ sets the excitement racing in the heart of our clients, as they immediately are able to see the business benefits that will follow.

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Scheduling Your Hybrid Event Success

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Wed, 15 May 2013 05:47:00 +0000

The timing and scheduling of your event is always an important consideration when planning any event but producing a hybrid event makes those considerations even more crucial to your success.

If one of your objectives of your hybrid event is to connect people in different locations in the same country then the timing and scheduling choices may not be too much of an issue. Having said that, with countries that are vast in size e.g. the USA/Russia then there are still factors you will need to address.

Let’s take as our example, the USA where there are different time zones and where people on the East Coast (New York) will be awake and working, hours before the folks in Los Angeles (West Coast) are even thinking of having breakfast. Deciding where to schedule your speakers to provide the best experience for your audiences provides your first set of decisions in your programme planning.

And if your hybrid event is going to cover different countries across various parts of the globe then the issue of programme planning has just become that much more complex.

Yes, it is more complex but ultimately you will make your decision(s) according to the objectives of the event. In the end, every decision you make as an event planner always returns the basic question of the event objectives.

Understanding who your audiences (onsite and online) are and where they will be in the world to listen and participate will start to lead you to making those decisions on the scheduling of your programme.

If your hybrid event is being driven from the UK to a largely European audience then the time challenge is really not that big an issue as contrasted to perhaps having an event from Australia involving remote speakers and audience from the UK (as usually there is a 12 hour difference between these two areas). You can of course with some careful planning produce a very successful hybrid event between the UK and Australia if that is your goal.

Scheduling will always remain a crucial factor in the success of your hybrid event and keeping to time is more important than ever especially as you have two audiences to consider.

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Priority Choices and Attendee Connectivity

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Sat, 04 May 2013 13:39:00 +0000

In a previous post – (Lack of Connectivity means fail) I put forward the argument that event planners have to consider whether their delegates will be able to be connected to their various devices whilst at the event? Many event planners will confirm that they have arranged sufficient bandwidth to allow their delegates to be connected but I wonder if that goes far enough?

Mike Clanton of My Meeting Professional is a man on a mission regarding what he terms ‘network design’ at events. Having worked with Mike on a number of occasions I know that he has a great message. Simply put, having enough bandwidth at your event for your ‘attendee’s connectivity’ is not enough. Event planners should now be considering how their network is designed to make the most of the bandwidth at their disposal.

Let’s start by exploring the idea of the network design with a simple thought of who is to be served first? Yes, you (the event planner) have arranged the bandwidth that will take account of all your attendees and their devices and that is a great start but how will you determine who is more important to be connected?

You could say that everyone is important and of course they are but I think you have to make priority choices.

For example, if you have the press at your event, and VIPs, a set of key speakers and major contributing sponsors, do you put them in the same category as everyone else when it comes to accessing the bandwidth? Well you could but it could lead to issues for you. For example, if a press reporter wasn’t able to make a connection (because other attendees were using the bandwidth) to send their report out on line swiftly and easily that could be a problem. This is where the issue of ‘network design’ comes in as it enables you to arrange your attendee connectivity in whatever priority order of attendees you like to suit your event.

As the event planner, it’s important that you have sufficient bandwidth for your ‘attendee/delegate connectivity’ and then your next consideration is who will you serve first? Begin making your priority choices to create your network design.

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Lack of Connectivity means Fail

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:46:00 +0000

For many delegates at events there is one issue above all that is now (and has been growing steadily for a while) of prime consideration and that is simply for a delegate to be connected to their device(s). It is expected, a ‘norm’ for many (regardless of how young or old they may be).

Look around an average conference room and you will doubtless see delegates bring at least a device if not more with them. For example, they could easily have a lap top and a smart phone. They arrive at the venue and will seek connection to the internet to take care of their emails and other business.

The office has become very portable and there are no signs of it stopping and the power that the portable devices need is on the increase so if anything you (the event planner) will require more bandwidth for delegate connectivity than before.

Discovering the wi fi is free at a venue can be a good thing but it’s not the whole answer. Some free wi fi is so slow that I have attended a two day conference and still my device hasn’t connected. Or maybe that was how it felt! I think that the cry for free wif-fi misses the point at various levels.

Having free wi fi only goes so far. It doesn’t guarantee any of the things that I seek with my connection (and I don’t believe I am alone in my requirements). Namely; I want a reasonable speed to connect to the internet, I want the connection to be secure and I also want to know that the connection is stable. If the connection keeps falling in and out on a regular basis that becomes tiresome and there is only so much that I have in terms of patience before giving up on it completely.

I believe that lack of connectivity is a big issue and encourage you (the event planner) to make sure you include this key item in your event planning checklist.

Also, do not forget to factor in the need for additional charging points in the venue. You might have your delegates connected to the internet but if their device(s) runs out of power that could be a problem.

As the event planner, it’s important that you have sufficient bandwidth for your ‘delegate connectivity’ and that is your first consideration. In the next post we will have a look at making priority choices when it comes to your network design to establish how to make the most of your connectivity.

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Talking Hybrid Events with EIBTM

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 07:31:00 +0000

Hybrid events have been steadily gaining in importance in the events landscape over recent years and this is set to continue.

In talking to event planners, supplier and academics I have discovered one key message that comes time and again which is the confusion that arises when it comes to hybrid events. What are hybrid events? What can they do for us? Why should I care?

Love Them or Loathe Them
Some people love hybrid events whilst other people are more critical and of course everyone has their own view. In this one hour tweet chat hosted by EIBTM as part of their Online Education Week we will look at your questions on hybrid events.

In this tweet chat we will discuss hybrid events and see what they mean to you in terms of both the challenges and opportunities that they present.

International Conference in your Home Office
For the purpose of this tweet chat let’s imagine that our hybrid event is one where we connect people across different geographical locations for an experience in real time.One way I have of describing a hybrid event is “a conference bought to you (the online delegate) in the comfort of your own home/office” and I’ll use this as a means of starting our discussion and we can move on from there.

There are differences in how active or passive hybrid events can be and this is something that we will no doubt explore as we race through our hour. A tweet chat hour goes really quickly.

Join In
Come and join in the chat with me, Paul Cook on 23 April 2013 at 14.00 GMT +1. Just make sure you use the hashtag #EIBTM13 and let us have your questions. Your experiences will add to the discussion so please feel free to share with us.

I anticipate that the conversation will continue long after our hour so just keep using the hashtag #EIBTM13 and share our collective experiences and wisdom so that we can all benefit from understanding more on the exciting subject of hybrid events.

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Hybrid Event Tweet Chat with EIBTM

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 13:32:00 +0000

I am absolutely delighted to be taking part in the Hybrid Event tweet chat as part of the EIBTM Online Education Week.

Here is the information that you need from EIBTM:

This education week is back by popular demand and is set to take place from 22 – 26 April 2013. It is your opportunity to access over 40 thought provoking discussions, blogs, webinars and presentations based around the key themes of Technology, Hybrid Events, Sustainability and Global Industry Research as well as other key professional education sessions from EIBTM 2012, all of which can be accessed at any time via http://www.eibtm.com/eduweek

Key Sessions include:

• Making Digital Events Happen – your how to guide for virtual events with speakers

• Stories of Great Leadership in Times of Challenge and Change

• The Implications of Mobile on the Meetings Industry, Ewan MacLeod, Founder and Editor, Mobile Industry Review

• The IBTM Global Research Findings:

• Introduction to Sustainability and ISO 20121

We also look forward to welcoming Hybrid Event expert Paul Cook who will be leading a live Tweet Chat on Hybrid Events via the EIBTM Twitter profile (@eibtmevent). Make sure that you tune in at 14:00 (GMT+1) on 23 April to ask questions and join discussions around this hot industry topic using #EIBTM13.

Plus, on 25 April at 14:00 (GMT+1), Charlie Banks, from Sustainable Events Ltd will be leading a live Tweet Chat on Sustainability in the Meetings Industry via Twitter (@eibtmevent). This is your opportunity to find out more about Sustainability and the new ISO 20121 which is taking sustainability in the industry to new heights!

Make sure you join the EIBTM community and comment or share your views on LinkedIn, Twitter (www.twitter.com/eibtmevent) using #EIBTM13 and Facebook (www.facebook.com/eibtmevent).

We look forward to welcoming you to EIBTM Online Education Week!
_________________________________________________________________________________

Off now to prepare for the Guest spot tomorrow. Please come and say hello on 23 April 2013 and let me have your questions. I am looking forward to a great chat.

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Producing Your Brilliant Hybrid Event

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:03:00 +0000

When it comes to hybrid events and their production a whole new set of opportunities and challenges come into play. The event planner becomes a producer looking after the needs of two audiences; the people in the room and those people that cannot be seen but are taking part online.

In reality, a hybrid event involves very careful preparation with everyone including the catering staff knowing what is happening. After all you wouldn’t want someone clattering the coffee cups whilst your production is web streamed across the globe.

Briefing your speakers is very important. The activities and engagement of the online audience are just as important as those for the face to face audience and your speaker(s) has to be able to deliver successfully for both audiences. Does the speaker know that their content is going around the globe? Will they be at your event on time? What alternative plans do you have in place in case a speaker is unable to make it?

The integration of speakers and event planners is just one key to producing a successful hybrid event. You also have to be working closely with the venue, the audio visual team, the web streaming team, the catering staff, and the on-site audience.

In fact everyone has a role to play even if only to understand where the cameras are pointing and to wait for a microphone before asking a question.

There are many considerations when producing a hybrid event and not least is keeping strictly to time as you cannot lose your online audience by being late. Imagine if the news at 6.00pm began at 6.10pm because a speaker/team member wasn’t in place! It wouldn’t happen as the news has to go on and it’s that mentality that is needed to produce your brilliant hybrid event.

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Don’t Ignore Your Production Crew

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 07:24:00 +0000

At any event, but especially a hybrid event you will be dependent in large part on the expertise of your production crew. By production crew I am talking about those fabulous people who sit usually at the back of the room or to the side of the stage fiddling with all sorts of buttons and lights to bring the audio visual and web streaming to your event.

These people are absolutely essential because without them no speaker will be seen or heard with any degree of professionalism. And without the web streaming guys no content will ever leave the room.

With all this dependency you might think that production crews would be well looked after when on site. For those of you event planners that take great care of your production crew then I take my hat off to you. But, if you are a planner that doesn’t give your production crew a second glance then shame on you. It’s time to put that right and here are three simple tips to help you.

Brief Your Production Crew

In advance of your event make sure that the production crew understand clearly what you want to happen as there can be a number of variations so be clear. If the content is being streamed how long is the streaming to be? How many cameras do you need? If you have a remote speaker, do you need to see them on a screen or just hear their voice? Once you have clearly worked out what you require then the production crew will be able to make it happen.

Show Your Running Order

Provide the running order of the event to your production crew. It’s very simple and keeping everyone in the loop will benefit you. I know from experience that the production crew really add some great ideas when bringing all these logistical elements together. You cannot ignore your production crew and hope it will all work. A hybrid event requires more consideration than a traditional event as the hybrid element means you have on-line delegates to look after.

Feed and Water Your Production Crew

This in my book is a basic. Ensuring your production crew are fed and watered is crucial. They are working long hours and need to keep their energy levels high. Ensure that they can find the food and keep them topped up with regular non alcoholic drinks.

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Bringing Your Remote Speaker In to Your Event

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 08:50:00 +0000

Having decided on the content for your event you may discover that some of the speakers you would like to take part are actually based some physical distance away from your event which could mean you have to incur some travel and accommodation expenses for your speaker(s).

This is fine as long as you have sufficient budget but sometimes it doesn’t work that way. You still want the speaker but have limited budget and this could naturally lead you to asking your speaker to join your event as a remote speaker. This would mean that you bring your remote speaker(s) into your event from their location(s) by using the wonders of modern technology.

You might also have made a conscious decision that you are not bringing in speakers that are based outside the immediate location of your event. This could be particularly the case if you are demonstrating strong environmental credentials.

Bringing speakers into an event can be both exhilarating and challenging and usually both at the same time. You definitely need to make sure that the remote speaker is aware of how everything will happen and what they need to do at their end.

After all there is a limit to how many times someone asking ‘can you hear me’ becomes just annoying and I have yet to hear an outside news reporter shouting at the camera asking the same (can you hear me) question. It doesn’t happen.

You can be sure that the news reporter is aware of how he or she is looking and sounding. All the pre-production work has been done.

If a speaker isn’t able to understand how to run the presentation/technology at their end, if they don’t have the correct technology and as importantly if they are unable to for whatever reason join you for a rehearsal then my advice would be to evaluate whether they really are the speaker for you. There is just too much at stake for you including your reputation.

You can imagine the scene; you as the event planner have a room full of delegates, press, other VIPS etc and the event has been running really well. All is good until the hook up with the remote speaker melts into chaos as the remote speaker isn’t able to deliver. Now how is your reputation looking?

But don’t panic just make sure the pre-production work is executed well.

The important thing is that there is lots of communication between you (the event planner) and your remote speaker(s). Make sure all expectations are met; test the equipment until you are happy that the sound and vision are working in the most effective way for your audience(s).

And above all, trust your instinct. If you have a feeling that a remote speaker isn’t going to deliver for you, well that could well be right so make your decisions and do not compromise on speaker delivery.

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Designing Your Passive or Active Hybrid Event

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Sat, 16 Mar 2013 11:50:00 +0000

When it comes to hybrid events, there is no one size that fits all. Your hybrid event which brings together on site and on line delegates will be just as unique as any other event you have planned.

The question that needs answering is “What are you seeking to achieve”? Having answered that, you can then begin to construct your hybrid event.

In my opinion, there are hybrid events that vary on an activity scale that ranges from very passive to very active. A passive hybrid event is one in which the on line attendees don’t do much more than send in a few questions via twitter or via a Question facility. In effect these on line attendees are really doing little more than viewing.

At the other end of the scale we have the very active hybrid event where this is a multitude of activity going on with the on line attendees. Maybe they can be seen and heard by everyone. Possibly, they will lead the whole hybrid event at some point(s) in the programme.

Having decided to what degree your hybrid event is on the passive to active scale, now comes the business of what you want your delegates to do both on site and on line. What do you want them to go away with at the end of your event? This will then naturally lead you to being able to create the programme.

There is little point in creating a very active hybrid event unless the objectives will be met. Yes, you can create a lot of activity and noise but if it doesn’t lead to further benefits for everyone well maybe then you could have settled for a more passive approach. There is after all, no one size that fits all.

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Respect the Microphone

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 18:52:00 +0000

You are in a conference session and have a question to ask the speaker. Your opportunity comes along when the speaker chooses you to speak. Being excited you quickly ask your question but without the aid of a microphone. The result is that only the speaker (possibly) and those closest to you have any idea of what you asked.

But just by waiting a few seconds will ensure that everyone will be able to hear your question. Just hold on until the person with the microphone (the runner) can reach you.

Now everyone can benefit by being able to hear clearly. And this is really important at a hybrid event (event that brings on site and on line delegates together) where on line delegates will be participating in the event.

You could be nervous about speaking into the microphone and having the ‘spotlight’ turned on you but take a couple of deep breaths and then just ask your question.

When I am in conference sessions, I often ask what I think are obvious questions and then realise that a number of people in the room were thinking along similar lines. There really is no such thing as a daft question. Everyone has different levels of understanding and experience so go on and take the opportunity.

Even if there is no on line audience in attendance it is just good practice to wait for the microphone. At many events ‘content’ is now recorded and having quality audio throughout the session and not just when the speaker is speaking is imperative.

If you are the speaker, please allow time for the microphone to reach the audience member and let everyone hear the question.

If you are the conference/event/session planner please ensure that you have enough hand held microphones and runners relevant to the size of the event. Critically; keep an eye on your microphone runners so that the microphone delivery is as smooth as possible.

Questions are very important in sessions and they have a right all of their own to be there and treated with respect. Go on, wait for the microphone as everyone will benefit by being able to hear.

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Dealing with the Unexpected

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 06:41:00 +0000

Having a back-up plan is always useful at any event but it’s especially critical at a hybrid event when you have both on site and on line audiences to look after.

The simple fact is that you cannot afford to lose the attention of either audience but it’s a lot easier to explain what is happening (what has gone wrong) to the onsite audience as usually you be with them on the spot.

The more challenging part can come when you need to let the online audience know what has happened or is going on.

Imagine that the online audience are at their PCs, on their tablets or their mobile devices and they are enjoying your hybrid event and then the streaming stops. No longer do they have any image or sound coming out of their device. What happens next?

If nothing happens fairly quickly then you can guarantee that the online audience will probably move on and leave your event. It’s vital therefore that you have a means of communicating with them, maybe via a help number or maybe by using social media channels but the important thing is to let them know what has happened.

You must not wait either, what may seem like a few moments to you on site will seem so much longer to that on line attendee that is literally in the dark. Don’t delay put your Plan B quickly into place and manage the expectations of your audience.

Usually people are sympathetic when problems occur but they can rapidly lose patience through lack of information.

The key for your successful hybrid event is to keep everything moving which means understanding your Plan B and executing it if needed.

Powerpoint Presentation Considerations at Hybrid Events

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:06:00 +0000

Over the years I have heard speakers actually apologizing for their PowerPoint (PPT) presentations! This came as something of a shock to me initially, after all why would anyone present their content in a way that they were not happy or proud of? But, there are some speakers/coaches/facilitators that do just that. To be fair they probably don’t mean to present in such a way but it does happen.

At a recent event I was listening and looking at a presentation and all was going well until the dreaded graphs appeared as part of the PowerPoint. It was at this point that the speaker made an apology for the slide(s) and I rapidly lost interest in the presentation.

There was something of significance on the slide but I couldn’t see it and the graphs were not explained so I found myself unable to follow the point of that slide. Was it essential to the presentation? I will never know. Did it affect my ability to follow the key point of the presentation? Unfortunately, my concentration was disturbed and I was no longer in the flow of the presentation.

I have been to live events, where to have seen the PowerPoint I would have needed a telescope!

If graphs are going to be used that is fine but I think the key point of the slide needs to be developed in such a way that it becomes obvious without the need for the audience member trying to figure out what all the miniature figures/statistics actually mean.

I think there is little point in saying that if you cannot see the figures don’t worry as they will be e mailed after the presentation. What’s the point? The speaker has the audience there and then and that is the time to make the presentation really work.

A bad PowerPoint has no place at any event and even more so when a hybrid event is being produced. Just think how quickly your online audience will turn off if they cannot understand the slides or even see them.

Be proud of your presentation and never apologise. If you think you have to apologise then that is a sign to re-think the point of the slide in your presentation.

Remember also that you have an online audience to consider and you certainly will not see them leave the room but they will go if your presentation isn’t keeping their interest.

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No Time to Waste for Your Hybrid Event Success

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Mon, 31 Dec 2012 16:17:00 +0000

Keeping to time is essential when it comes to the making or breaking of hybrid events. After all you have on-site and on-line participants to look after.

With an event that isn’t hybrid it could be argued that as you have just one audience in the same room it doesn’t matter as much if the timings slip. But I think that is just a way out of not making some brave decisions e.g. moving the CEO or speakers on if they start to over-run.

I have been at events where planners have waited and waited until more people finally turned up. How does that help anyone? If some people are not there, just start the event with the people that have arrived. No excuses please. It’s basically unfair to those people that made the effort and were on time. Plus you can guarantee that once you start late the rest of the programme will carry on late as well.

If you don’t start on time it sends a very clear message to the participants that you don’t care and I would suspect that would be the furthest thought from your mind.

If you are late for a train it goes without you. The timetable doesn’t change because a number of people haven’t made it to the platform.

Speakers would never want to be seen as ‘time thieves’ and so if they start to exceed their agreed time slot then you will need to have a way of politely moving them on. A good emcee or host will be able to facilitate this for you.

The whole issue of time and punctuality becomes even more pronounced at hybrid events. The on-line participants may just be interested in one aspect of the programme and if your event is not on time then that wouldn’t be good.

Run your event according to schedule and you can be sure that everyone (on-site and on-line participants) will be happy. After all time is the one item that can never be replaced.

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Sounding Brilliant

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 17:08:00 +0000

When it comes to speaking at any type of event (but especially hybrid events), one of the key factors for the benefit of the audience is sound. How does the speaker(s) sound? Can they be heard? Are the microphones working perfectly? How is the sound in general?

If the sound isn’t good then the audience will suffer, they will lose the essence of the message and either they will start working on their mobile device or they will probably just leave. And none of that is good for the event planner that has gone to the effort of producing a dazzling line up of speakers in the first place.

Testing the sound with speakers (humans not the kit) before they make their entrance is to my mind a non-negotiable activity. Concerts and productions will be going through numerous sound checks prior to the opening performance because sound is so crucial to their success. You may think that maybe it’s not as crucial for a conference but I would argue that, (especially over a long pint of beer) it is just as crucial to the success of an event.

Over the last few years I have spoken at a number of conferences and what has surprised me is the variety in care when it comes to sound.

There are some brilliant audio visual people that will help to ensure that the speaker is very comfortable and they answer all sorts of questions to make sure the speaker feels at ease before taking the stage. Then there are other audio visual people who actually leave the room at the very moment when they are needed. It happens. Thankfully not often but it does.

Before speaking I want to know, what kind of microphone will I be using? Is it a hand held or will it be attached to my clothing? Can I move around the stage or do I need to stand still because of the proximity of other microphones that may be on the stage? When I am involved in a panel discussion on stage should I be using the hand held mic or can I continue to use my attached mic? My list is my own personal checklist so that I know the sound will be good.

I never want my sound to be choppy, I certainly don’t want to pierce the ear drums of my audience and that is why I ask (always) many questions of the audio visual people to make sure that I know how the sound is before I then get on with the task in hand of delivering some thought provoking content to the audience that have come to hear me.

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Cut Cut Cut the Clattering Coffee Cups

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 21:47:00 +0000

One of my pet hates is being at an event and really wanting to focus and learn from the speaker who is presenting but then being caught up in the medley of noise that comes from coffee cups or food being cleared away.

The noise is a distraction and puts pressure on the speaker and affects the participants in the room. Somehow the moving of coffee cups, saucers and spoons creates a life all of its own.

Usually I wouldn’t notice as much but at an event to me the distracting sound becomes even more pronounced. I have no idea really why it is allowed to happen? The event planner can clearly state as many do that certain things can or cannot happen and most venues or caterers work accordingly so all should be well. But, sometimes it just doesn’t happen.

Only recently I was at a charity fundraising dinner; the coffee had been served, the key speaker was talking about her experiences of people and their moments of personal anguish, the audience were captivated as they were on the emotional journey and just as the speaker was reaching the pinnacle of her speech along came the people to clear away the coffee cups. The noise affected both the speaker and some of the audience and I was left wondering why it had been allowed to happen?

Imagine that you are reaching the breath-taking finale of your favourite film and in the background you hear some noise that distracts you. Well it would be annoying (to put it mildly) and on a film production you can be sure that the Director would have called CUT!! so why don’t event planners do the same? Yes the events are not films but they are still productions and should be treated with the same professionalism as any great film producer will bring to bear.

A clattering coffee cup certainly has no place at any event and even more so when a hybrid event is being produced. Just think how quickly your remote audience will turn off if all they can hear is the clinking together of cups and cutlery?

It is essential that the catering staff understand that there are only certain times when they can deliver the food and drinks to ensure that they don’t appear as extras in your event.

Attention to detail is key to producing professional events and if you believe that your event is about to be affected by the clatter of coffee cups you should shout "CUT" very loudly.

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Five Quick Tips For Your Hybrid Event Planning

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 13:43:00 +0000

I really enjoy the challenges and opportunities that hybrid events bring. To me, a hybrid event is “bringing together a face to face and remote audience for a shared participatory experience in real time.” Here are a few quick tips that I hope will help you with your hybrid event planning.

Tip 1 – Event Objectives

Is the hybrid event really the right format that is going to deliver according to your event objectives? Do not have a hybrid event just because you think it is the latest thing you have to do. It always has to be appropriate and not every event needs to be or should be a hybrid.

Tip 2 – Two Audiences

Never forget that you have more than one audience. There is absolutely nothing more annoying than to be the remote participant that has been forgotten.

Tip 3 – Planning The Programme

Programme planning is very important as you need to be able to visualize how the remote attendees will be able to participate and how you will let them know to return to the programme. With a face to face audience it’s simple, at the end of the coffee break people return to the main room. But with remote attendees how will you ensure that they have come back and are ready to join you again?

Tip 4 – Exercises Do Not Always Translate

An exercise that can be easily carried out in a live environment may make for some challenges when trying it with remote participants. Networking is a good example. It is easy for people to get to know each other in a two minute ice breaker style session in person but how will you do that with remote participants?

Tip 5 - Focus Your Speakers

Many professional speakers will not have a problem in speaking at a hybrid event but they can still forget (albeit inadvertently) that there is an audience outside of the room. So it’s always worth prompting them to be on the safe side and do let them know which camera to address. With those speakers that may not be used to being filmed you may need to help them so that they become comfortable before speaking.

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The Skill of Balancing Remote Audience Engagement

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 12:42:00 +0000

There is definitely a skill involved when it comes to planning the programme for remote participants at a hybrid event. A hybrid event for me is “bringing together a face to face and remote audience for a shared participatory experience in real time.” Clearly there is also another skill involved in planning the programme for face to face participants. Creating a programme that combines both audiences to have that unique seamless participatory experience has to be the goal for any effective hybrid event.

In my experience what is happening at the moment for remote participants is a little like the idea of ‘feast and famine’ and there isn’t enough balance. For some of the events, the remote participant has quite clearly been forgotten (and that of course is tough for any remote attendee). The result really is that the attendee will simply switch off from the event and leave (virtually of course).

Here are some common (famine) issues that I have come across. There is the planner/speaker who hasn’t considered how an exercise will translate from physical attendees to remote attendees. For example, it’s quite easy to have a networking exercise amongst face to face attendees, but it needs more thought when planning the networking for the remote participants.

Then there is the panel debate that forgets there is an on line audience and so only takes questions from the face to face attendees. A third issue is when questions taken from the physical audience are not spoken into a microphone or repeated back into a microphone by the speaker.

On the counter to the famine we have some other (feast) issues. Whilst, remote participants do not want to feel excluded they do also need a break during the event as well. Some programmes have invited remote participants to be involved over a number of hours but is that realistic? Can you really ask someone to sit at their desk for hours? If your programme is long then just plug in some breaks for the remote participants.

Sometimes there seems to be an idea that you have to keep pushing content at remote attendees to make sure they are fully engaged (whatever that means). This could translate to separate interviews with speakers, polls, chats and all sorts of other activities whilst the face to face attendee is enjoying his/her break. All participants need time to reflect so allow time for that with your remote attendees.

Ensuring the programme is effective for both face to face and remote attendees is truly a balancing act which has challenges. The good news is that in our events industry there is a lot of fast learning going on right now and seamless hybrid events will become the norm in the near future.

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The Hybrid Event Question

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Sat, 22 Sep 2012 14:34:00 +0000

The debate around whether a hybrid event (I define a hybrid event as “bringing together a face to face and remote audience for a shared participatory experience in real time”, will destroy the traditional face to face event still continues. And it’s set to continue for some time I am sure.

Whilst this argument is valid to some degree I believe that it is getting in the way of expanding the event horizons from which everyone can benefit.

For a number of event planners the fear is that once their delegates know that they can attend either in person or remotely; then a number of their audience that used to attend the face to face event will decide to attend remotely. Any true event planner will assess their situation and decide from there whether a hybrid event will be the best way forward to achieve the ultimate objectives of the organisation.

Let’s look at an example of a two or three day event that requires people from across the globe to travel to one location. If we factor in a day either side of the event for people to travel and get ready for the event then we are effectively looking at a week away from their office. Due to all sorts of reasons the number of people able to travel to this annual event has been decreasing over recent years and now the attendance is at 50% of what it was four years ago.

Depending on the objectives of the organisation there could be a call for a different way of making sure attendees are still involved and one of those ways would be to include elements of the event for remote participants.

Now we are starting to look at using a hybrid event model. Whilst this will have some challenges in terms of extra costs there are also extra benefits that can occur so the hybrid event shouldn’t be dismissed out of hand. The question of whether to hybrid or not should be on the table at the outset of the planning process.

Hybrid events are not going to be relevant in all event cases; there will always be the traditional face to face behind closed doors event and there will continue to be remote meetings on line but the blend that can come from a hybrid event is one that is here to stay.

Have a look at it and if it’s not going to work for you that is ok as well but at least get involved in considering the question of developing a hybrid event experience and enjoy the blend that comes from mixing your audiences together.

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Speaking in the Rhythm of Hybrid Events

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 14:20:00 +0000

Earlier this year I was invited to speak at ‘Event Camp Down Under’ which was an experimental Hybrid event from Sydney, Australia.

The event had a mix of international speakers who were being beamed in remotely. This was deliberate as the planners wanted to keep their costs under control and also one of their other key objectives was to make the event as sustainable as possible.

I discovered that my speaking slot was going to be towards the end of the final (second) day of the conference which in Australian time was mid afternoon on the Monday but for me it was at the rather early start time of 04.30 am (GMT) in London. I thought this could be a little challenging but put on my ‘visualisation hat” to see how it would work.

I knew (as always for any speaking opportunity) that I would need to be at my very best despite the early start so my first task was to get my head in the right frame at the outset. I needed to be in the “rhythm” of the event and to understand that for physical attendees at the event they could be tired coming to the end of the day. They could also be distracted by the drinks and nibbles that would be served at the end of the conference.

In the end my experience as a remote speaker can be summarised as: it was dark outside, I had no one in the office, I had no feedback and a static camera was watching my every move. But, I loved it. To join the event, become involved in the rhythm and deliver to a live audience 12,000 miles away and to remote attendees worldwide was just brilliant.

The key was to become immediately immersed in the event and deliver great content even though the face to face location was half a world away.

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Fully Brief Your Speakers for a Hybrid Event

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 16:39:00 +0000

You have been planning your hybrid event for some time now and all is looking good. You have been on a number of social media channels, you have been interviewed by traditional media and the buzz of your event is literally set to explode. All you have to do now is to execute your hybrid event.

If your event is hybrid, which for me is “bringing together a face to face and remote audience for a shared participatory experience in real time” – (Paul Cook 2012) then you will have been planning the finer details for some time. I know that your event will be a success because of all the attention to briefing and testing that you have taken.

Briefing your speakers is a very important element in the success of your event. Whilst this is nothing new as all speakers need to be briefed for any event they happen to be working at, there are some extra considerations when it comes to your hybrid event.

The most obvious point is to let the speaker know that your event is a hybrid event and what that means to them. If the speaker is used to moving around the stage or within the audience, is that something that can still work? Or not? If the speaker is to remain static will that hinder their actual performance? Some speakers like to move and some don’t, but the key for them will be to understand what you need them to be doing for your hybrid event.

Have you advised the speaker of where they are in the speaking schedule? Earlier this year I was a remote speaker from the UK finishing the second day of a tour day conference in Australia. That had some challenges as it involved me waking up at 3.00am and being bright and ready to go. I knew that the live attendees could be thinking of the finish of the event and relaxing at the BBQ and drinks reception. My job as a speaker was to be able to automatically get into the ‘rhythm’ of the event with ease.

Have you worked through what will be involved in the presentation from the speaker? This is an absolute must. With a live face to face audience it is easy to make exercises work. The ice breaker or the ‘getting to know you’ networking exercise are just two that spring to mind. But, will these translate with the remote attendees? They can work with the remote attendees but it does require some extra thinking. Believe me, there is nothing worse than watching the face to face attendees participate in exercise and realise that somehow along the way, the remote attendee has been left out. It’s a sure way to lose your remote attendee participants.

Keeping to time is a must. It should be this way for all events but in my experience, many events do not always keep to the schedule. But, this is where you as the event planner have to be decisive and cut off any speaker that looks as though they are in for longer than their allocated time slot. It is worth remembering that some remote attendees may only participate when their ‘speaker of interest’ comes on and that means the remote attendee is expecting them to be on time. If not, then it’s likely they will leave your event.

Briefing your speakers comprehensively and keeping everyone to time will pay dividends and will be bound to have benefits for the success of your event.

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Sit in the Seat of Your Remote Attendee

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 11:41:00 +0000

Having attended a number of hybrid events as a remote attendee I have experienced some great events and then also some that were really just not that good.

If the event is truly hybrid, which for me is “bringing together a face to face and remote audience for a shared participatory experience in real time” – (Paul Cook 2012) then let me know just that. But, if the event is basically, a face to face event with some live streaming then tell me. But, please don’t call it a hybrid event.

One of my biggest frustrations attending as a remote participant on a hybrid event was to discover that the event wasn’t a hybrid. It was a live stream. I had no means of asking questions and basically all I could do was to watch the stream.

But, whether your event is a hybrid or is basically a live stream please don’t forget that all-important audience of remote attendees. For me, too often the remote audience can be easily overlooked (probably not on purpose) and this is a shame and also a failure for the event so please don’t let it happen to you as you plan your remote attendee experience.

Have a look at how the image will appear for the remote attendee. Exactly, how will the image look to someone working from their office/home?

Can the remote attendee look at their screen and see the speaker with their presentation or will they just see parts of the speaker or parts of the presentation? Anything that looks to be chopped off leads to a poor experience for the remote attendee.

The timetable or schedule/programme is another key factor that remote attendees need to be aware of right from the start. When are remote attendees able to join the event? Is it for the whole event or just a part? If just part then what times do they need to know to be able to join? Times of course should be across different time zones. Make it easy for people to be able to become involved.

Don’t just block out part of the programme either with some vague description for remote attendees. They will want to know how long the session(s) will be and what will be happening (basically the same as any face to face attendee would want) so don’t make it a mystery. They also need to know when they can leave for comfort and food/drink breaks. Having this information will really help plan their time.

If the event is a hybrid event, does the remote attendee understand how to interact? How do they send in their questions/comments? Is it via the platform being used or is it by some other means, maybe a twitter hashtag? But whatever it is please let people know well in advance so that they can become familiar with how it all works.

So the next time your are planning the programme for the remote attendee take the test, go and sit in their seat and imagine what the experience will be like from the start. Getting inside the head of the remote attendee will be bound to have benefits for the success of your event.

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Tweeting Live - Continuing EIBTM Education

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:29:00 +0000

Last year I was delighted to deliver a presentation for EIBTM which was called the Pain & Pleasure of Hybrid Events and in that I used the experimental hybrid, Event Camp Europe which had taken place in September, as a case study.

I thought that my presentation had finished but this was not to be the case as earlier this year I was informed that the video was to be used in the Education week of EIBTM in April.

So now I have been asked to become involved in a live Twitter chat on 19^th April 2012 and discuss further some of the points that I made back in Barcelona in December 2011.

Personally I think the whole idea of the EIBTM EducationWeek is a great one. With so many educational sessions on offer at the show in December many event professionals probably missed out on a few due to timetable/show appointment clashes so having an Education week enables people to have the opportunity to catch up on those sessions that they couldn’t attend.

Involving the speakers and putting the live chat on twitter is a great way of keeping the conversations and learning going.

Last year there were around 60 educational sessions that took place in the Conference Centre area, plus there were the Future Events Experience and Sustainability sessions on the show floor, so it’s quite an educational offering that works with around 100 speakers and draws in approximately 4,000 people.

Join us on the live twitter chat between 14.00 – 15.00 GMT and participate using #EIBTM and then ask your question. It’s simple. See you there on the chat.

110% Effort is Not Enough

noreply@blogger.com (Paul Cook) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 06:30:00 +0000

This post is largely aimed at students and new entrants but equally can apply to anyone wishing to move forward in their career.

I have heard 110% effort become one of those very common clichés that to me really means nothing.

This sounds harsh I know, after you saying that you will put in 110% effort. That has to seal the deal surely? Surely, you have convinced me to give you that job interview or that job? Well, no, not really, because just making the statement on your CV or covering letter is not enough.

You see I am anticipating that if you want to work with me in my organisation then you will be bringing me huge amounts of effort anyway as you step on to your career path.

The expression for me is a little tired now anyway. After all, you are unlikely to say that you will bring me 30% effort so why the 110%? It is meaningless.

But, demonstrate through your CV or covering letter that you are providing all this effort anyway in a different form and I will be much happier.

You could show me by demonstrating; your understanding of the industry language, your understanding of key business terms, showing me that you have been connecting to event professionals, that you have some voluntary experience, that you have taken a position of some responsibility and that you understand the issues facing my organisation and its environment.

Now you have my attention, so kick the old cliché into touch and just show me how your work through details of your activities and then I will know you are really putting the effort in. Now I am ready to talk.

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