Hybrid Conference Content Weaver
Hybrid Conference Content Weaver serves both a physically collocated audience as well as a digital/streamed audience (either live or replay). With the rise of hybrid events, the Hybrid Conference Content Weaver is needed to balance both the live audience and the remote audience contemporaneously and equitably to intentionally connect the dots and weave the threads of the conference’s content, overarching issues and themes.
They facilitate learning and guide audience members to help connect unifying factors. They guide participants through transformational experiences such as connecting content, curating ideas and identifying context for the audience. Hybrid Conference Content Weavers help participants identify the big ideas and takeaways for relevant application and act as a bridge between the two audiences, the content and the speaker(s). They leverage the intellectual equity in the virtual and face-to-face rooms and facilitate networking to elevate the value proposition of the conference.
Similar to a traditional emcee, the Hybrid Conference Content Weaver opens and closes each general session, yet they also ask provocative questions and frame the context of the conference’s learning opportunities. They also challenge attendees to carve out intentional time to engage with peers and reflect on the important content and topics being shared at the meeting.
Key Deliverables Include:
- Work collaboratively with client on the content strategy of the hybrid meeting.
- Identifies pertinent and provocative questions and ideas that participants should listen for during presentations.
- Actively links and weaves the content daily through facilitated peer-to-peer discussions and by leading interactions between the presenters and participants for both audiences.
- Makes intentional opening and closing remarks for all general sessions to reinforce and thread the content, context and learning experience.
- Moderates panels and conducts interviews with executives or subject matter experts which often includes audience participation activities.
- Introduces concepts and presenters. Keeps sessions moving and improvises as needed or directed.
Unique Elements to Consider for Hybrid Events:
- Treat both audiences as if they are equal. It’s not “The live event is here, and then the discount ticket, sort of half-baked experience, is remote.” We have to say, “The live event and the remote event are of equal standing.”
- Pick no more than three specific channels for audience interaction, e.g., the official conference app, the chat function and one social media channel. With any more than that, the conversation gets diluted.
- Create an onsite “base camp” to operate for the entire event.
- Have a “spotter” who is looking at attendee commentary in the official and unofficial channels to feed the Hybrid Content Weaver ideas and discussion topics.
- Creatively cross-pollinate. Bring the remote audience into the live event, and the live event into the remote event. For example, share questions or comments from the remote audience onstage to demonstrate that the people who are not in the room are also participating. Or interview the speakers when they come off the live stage for the remote audience and create little micro-segments for social media.
- Show “behind-the-scenes” content. People are really fascinated, whether in the live room or the remote room, about what is happening behind the scenes in a big event. For instance, show things such as the tech table, the director, the green room, etcTop of Form
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Virtual Emcee/ Moderator
As more meetings and conferences shift to a digital platform, the role of the Virtual Emcee has become more in demand. In a virtual meeting, the audience is 100% virtual with each attendee participating as a singular person in front of a digital device.
While the absence of an audience being present may not seem like it has an impact on the role and duties of an Emcee, the Virtual Emcee has a goal of creating the illusion that they are all in the same room co-creating and enhancing the digital meeting experience. This requires a much more deliberate and intentional set of skills that are unique to the virtual environment.
Ideal type of event that lend itself to hiring a Virtual Emcee:
- Virtual conferences and conventions
- Virtual Summit that is live and does not include an on-site component
- Facebook Group live sessions
Virtual Emcee Deliverables:
- Manage technical dry run prior to the event and coach presenters who are not familiar with the digital platform.
- Guide and clarify the learning experience that the organizer is g to garner from the event and suggest technical support tools needed to achieve the end result.
- Depending on the size of the group and budget, the Virtual Emcee may also be responsible for running the technical side of the event while managing the group. In most instances, however, the Virtual Emcee will have a support team that runs the additional technical components of the meeting (which are off-monitor but can impact the experience). Or they work with the event and in-house technical team to share their needs and requests.
- The Virtual Emcee is the consistent voice for the virtual event that weaves the learning and networking experiences for the virtual audience.