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Online Eurovision Village & Hybrid Events Productions

Event Agency Cologne / Eventagentur Köln / Event / Events

Next week is a special one that I’ve been waiting for for over a year– it’s the return of the Eurovision Song Contest! Last year’s live event in Rotterdam was cancelled due to the pandemic, but it’s returning with a splash this year– in a hybrid format. As an event organizer, Eurovision is something I always look forward to. Each year it’s an explosion of creativity (sometimes questionable), but always a lot of fun to see how the show is produced. It is my favorite event of the year (after Kölner Karneval of course)!
This year, the Eurovision team has some exciting things in store including a complete online virtual village for fans. It is the first time that a virtual setting for the event has been created, and recreates in an online format the downtown setting of the in-person event. The village is completely free and open 24-7 starting on Saturday, and visitors can check out a special DJ session and visit local attractions. I’m interested in checking it out, as we’ve been putting together some of the initial plans for upcoming hybrid events productions. Will the Eurovision team be able to bring the Rotterdam experience to an online audience? How important is it to bring the look and feel of a physical location to those attending virtually? These are some of the questions still left unanswered when it comes to hybrid events productions, and ones that I look forward to seeing how event organizers begin to answer them.

It’s been a short week for us in Germany, but there’s been plenty of important event news on. Here are the things that you won’t want to miss this week:

#EventTech:

How to do it:

  • 8 Creative Ideas for Networking at Hybrid Events [BizBash] Networking is one of the most important parts of an event, so don’t fragment your experience when returning to physical in a hybrid event. Here are some top tips to create connection between virtual and physical audiences sharing an event together.
  • The Magical Ingredient for Virtual Events [Special Events] Could the “magical ingredient” for your event be, a bit of magic itself? Check out this post for some other tips to incorporate entertainment into your next virtual event.
  • The future of events is hybrid [Charity Digital] Some great examples of how non-profit organizations have incorporated hybrid events over the past year, and some top tips on how to make the most of your hybrid events productions.
  • Hybrid-Event Pricing: One Group’s Approach [Meetings Net] How the Professional Convention Management Association developed a new pricing structure for their hybrid events by using member survey data.
  • Friend or foe: the new fight for online event data [Conference and Meetings World] Who owns the behavioral and usage data generated by your event? Make sure you do– not your event platform. Here’s how you can manage online event data successfully.
  • So nutzt Mainz die Pandemie How the DCK Digital event in Mainz went digital this year, and some of the top learnings from this successful event for German surgeons.
  •  14 Steps to Consider When Going Hybrid with Mia Masson [Mic Drop Events] Mia Masson is the Content Director at Swapcard and shares her firsthand experience when it comes to producing hybrid events that work.

Don’t Miss It:

  • Eurovision Song Contest in Rotterdam: co-creation, innovation, digitalisation [Rotterdam Partners] How one of the world’s most beloved events, the Eurovision Song Contest is going digital and hybrid this month. We love the behind the scenes view of the virtual Eurovision village and their sustainable event concepts shared in this piece by Rotterdam Partners, one of the firms bringing the event to life.
  • State of the Event Industry Report: First Quarter 2021 [EventMB] Results of a new survey of event professionals by leading publication EventMB. Some surprising takes on how the event industry is moving forward in 2021 when it comes to adopting hybrid events.
  • 88% of visitors likely to attend autumn event in person, says organisers [Exhibition News] As the UK begins to open up to events this summer, attendee confidence is returning.
  • Gamescom 2021 switches from hybrid event to online only [VG27/7] Gamescom was one of our favorite online event formats last year. They’ve now decided to ditch their planned hybrid option for 2021 and go all digital again.
  • Most investor events to remain virtual this year, study finds [IR Magazine] Nearly 70 percent of investor events are planned to be virtual or hybrid in 2022, according to a new survey. Finance was one industry that successfully pivoted to virtual during the pandemic, with one platform, OpenExchange hosting 514 virtual conferences between April 2020 and March 2021, including over 117,000 virtual meetings.
  • Umfrage der BWH Hotel Group für die Segmente Corporate und MICE: Digitale Events stehen hoch im Kurs [TopHotel] Virtual events are a success and will remain important for bringing people together, according to a new survey of event professionals by BWH Hotel Group. Expect hybrid events to take center stage as soon as hygiene standards and safety can be ensured.
  • The Scenario and Landscape of Virtual Events in India [PCQuest] With digital events, there’s the suggestion that they can easily cross borders. But things aren’t always what they seem. Here’s an example about some of the challenges producing virtual events for an Indian audience.
  • Ihre größten Event-Fuckups [Event Partner] Not everything goes right when it comes to running events! Here are some of the funniest ones shared with Event Partner for some #fridayfun

That’s it for this week! If you want to be kept up to date on the innovation of the event industry, sign up to The Lookout Newsletter! Read more editions of our newsletter here.

Online Eurovision Village & Hybrid Events Productions

The Lookout Newsletter #25

Written by:
Felix Josephi
PIRATEx Managing Director