Themed “Hubs, Hybrid & Handouts”, the one-hour hybrid meeting combined in-person delegate and speaker presence from South Africa and Denmark, as well as worldwide online attendees.
Insight on the challenges faced when the hybrid solution became necessary due to the pandemic was shared by Esmare Steinhofel, Regional Director Africa of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) in combination with Zandri Swartz, Brand Influencer at Century City Conference Centre & Hotels. They both, from different perspectives, emphasized the importance of a venue fully compliant with Covid restrictions; flexibility when it comes to financial matters and last-minute change; fast internet connection; and a highly educated technical team.
Anna Ørsted Pedersen, Senior Bid Manager at Copenhagen Convention Bureau, and Murad Ahmed, CEO/ Executive Producer of Make Sense, agreed fully with their South Africa colleagues. Diving deeper, Pedersen talked about the toolbox Copenhagen created to guide clients towards the right requirements for their hybrid events so as not to get lost in the vast offer. Ahmed stated that technology is here to stay and that, costly as it may be, it offers endless combinations and possibilities. The secret is to ask the right questions when planning the event, pay attention to detail, and give audience a TV-show experience to make it more engaging.