The Hybrid City Alliance has released a white paper exploring the design, sustainability and risks of hybrid and multi-hub hybrid events. The paper’s release coincides with the addition of five new members and the launch of a dedicated website.
The free white paper, titled Your Ultimate Guide to Multi-City Hybrid Events, has been produced from the output of four global workshops in January and February attended by congress organizers, convention bureaus and suppliers such as hotels and AV companies.
The white paper sets out to:
- Define what it means to run a multi city hybrid event. This includes the challenge of seeking a definition of hybrid events and identifying where they sit in the industry’s wider offering and vernacular.
- Help choose whether or not to organize an in-person, digital or multi-hub hybrid event, including the various challenges and benefits of each.
- Provide ideas and guidance on the design of a successful multi-hub event with an awareness that this can mean creating separate live, digital and hybrid experiences with content appropriate to each as a stand-alone offering and the wider event as a whole.
- Consider the sustainability of multi-hub hybrid events, measure their impact on the world and apply appropriate actions to mitigate damage.
- Identify the risks associated with hybrid events, in particular those areas where risk to an event’s success is increased by a switch to the hybrid and multi-hub formats.
- Highlight health and safety challenges, particularly in light of an ongoing global pandemic.
To coincide with the launch of the white paper, The Hybrid City Alliance is also announcing the addition of five new members: Costa Rica Convention Bureau, Fukuoka Convention & Visitors Bureau (Japan), Liverpool Convention Bureau (UK), Quito Tourism Board (Ecuador) and Tourism Winnipeg (Canada).
These three additions bring the total membership to 17 cities from 12 countries across six continents.
Bridget Chisholm (pictured left), director of conferences at the International Leadership Association says, “The Hybrid City Alliance is poised to provide invaluable partnerships, making it easier for planners to move forward with hybrid and multi-hub events. This creative alliance offers the opportunity for associations to grow membership not only in areas that have historically not had the resources to travel, but also in existing markets keen to stay put. When we are able to cast this wider net of participation, the space is created for the advancement of new knowledge, innovative practices and cutting-edge theory, which benefits not only members, but also the larger global community.”
The International Leadership Association hosted their last in-person conference for 1,200 delegates in Ottawa in 2019; this year’s event will be in Geneva, another member of the Hybrid City Alliance.
The current Hybrid City Alliance members are:
- Australia, Business Events Sydney
- Belgium, Antwerp Convention Bureau
- Canada, Ottawa Tourism Business Events
- Canada, Explore Edmonton
- Canada, Tourism Winnipeg
- Costa Rica Convention Bureau
- Czech Republic, Prague Convention Bureau
- Ecuador, Quito Tourism Board
- France, Cannes Convention Bureau
- Japan, Fukuoka Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Switzerland, Geneva Convention Bureau
- Switzerland, Lausanne Montreux Convention Bureau
- Switzerland, Zurich Convention Bureau
- SouthAfrica Durban KwaZulu Natal Convention Bureau
- SouthKorea, Seoul Convention Bureau
- The Netherlands, The Hague Convention Bureau
- United Kingdom, Liverpool Convention Bureau
The Hybrid City Alliance brings together like-minded destinations to offer a simple, streamlined, transparent and free to access approach to engaging with multiple locations for hybrid and multi-city events. The city partners act as one point of contact for PCOs and event buyers looking to work with multiple suppliers and destinations on a single event. The Hybrid City Alliance is developing a range of services and additional tools for organizers, including educational content and white papers. For more info, visit www.hybridcityalliance.org.
