Are You Ready for Hybrid?
Hybrid, an old term with new meanings. Occupations that have needed a strong beast of burden have had mules and other hybrids for centuries. Farmers and gardeners have crossbred plants to increase product and production.
Recently transportation has developed vehicles that use both petroleum-based fuel and electric batteries. We refer to these as hybrid vehicles; the term is part of our everyday life.
Since March 2020, there are other terms that have gained common use--Covid, social distancing, Google Meet, Zoom, "going virtual".
South King County Genealogical Society has blossomed in the "virtual" mode of meetings. Our membership has grown geographically and numerically. People from all corners of the country have "met" each other, traded information and helped each other research. Our special interest groups will always be virtual because of the attendees we enjoy.
Virtual Events
Virtual events have come a long way since March 2020. Breakthrough technology has made them more engaging, intuitive, and customizable than ever before. The key for planning a virtual event is that it offers clear value for your attendees, and offers plenty of ways to engage with the speakers and/or other attendees.
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In-Person Only Event
While they take more scoping and planning than pre-COVID events, in-person events are still occurring nationwide, and can provide an impactful, memorable experience for your attendees if planned with enough care and lead time.
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Hybrid Events
Hybrid meeting means a general meeting which is held at both a physical location and by electronic means, providing members with the option to attend the meeting either in person or virtually.[3]
Corporations have been having hybrid meetings for years; they were called teleconferencing or conference calls. They were a method of meeting with employees without the time and expense of travel.
Hybrid events give us the best of both worlds. Our onsite attendees enjoy the in-person experience, while our virtual attendees can engage from their own homes.
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There’s also more flexibility with hybrid events than we may think. Making an event hybrid can be as simple as adding a live stream to a session or two. Or, we can create a fully interactive experience where audience members in any location can ask questions, join the live chat, and even network with each other. There are also many options in-between these two extremes.[4]
SKCGS is working on presenting hybrid meetings in the near future, maybe even this fall. There are several issues that must be resolved--location for the in-person portion; people willing to attend in-person, visual and audio equipment and person to handle it, moderators to insure smooth participation in both virtual and in-person venues.
We're sure everyone has watched an in-person presentation, such as Rootstech where the audience asked questions, but you as the remote listener couldn't hear the question and it wasn't repeated; the answer given was almost without context. The same problem can come up if people in the in-person venue don't get close enough to the microphone to be heard. A moderator in the room can help to handle that.
Sound is SO important for the success of the meeting. We have to get it right.
Moderators are also important for the smooth progress of any meeting. Even in our virtual meetings, the moderator watches for people raising their hands so everyone has a chance to participate. The moderator also watches the Chat for questions, comments and links.
Would you consider volunteering to be a moderator of the Chat or hand raisers? It isn't difficult and it can make the meeting so enjoyable.
1, 2, 4, In-Person vs. Virtual vs. Hybrid: How to Choose Your Event Format (meetingtomorrow.com)
MaryLynn Strickland 
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