Is a TV-style Virtual or Hybrid Event Right for You? 5 Questions To Ask Yourself

When it comes to selecting a format for your virtual or hybrid event, familiarity is a good thing.

People are better prepared to focus on and receive your important messages if the presentation format is a familiar one. That’s why virtual event producers often utilize well-established TV show formats — such as one-on-one interviews, roundtable and panel discussions, live debate, even commercial breaks — for their virtual and hybrid events. Audiences “get” the premise immediately, know what to expect, and are ready to pay attention.

One of the most popular types of virtual events is the TV-style broadcast, like you’d see on Netflix or any other streaming service — for many good reasons.

Aside from being a familiar content genre, a TV-style broadcast gets its essential message to viewers by telling a story, engaging people’s feelings, and being accessible and re-watchable.

So, is a TV-style streaming virtual or hybrid event right for you?

To help you find out, we’ve put together five questions to ask yourself to help guide your decision-making.

1. Can your virtual event messaging be crafted into a narrative?
   Storytelling is at the very core of our favorite TV shows. And the art of storytelling has transformed significantly in the last 15 years. Top shows get you to feel something. If the purpose of your event is to share your story, and in so doing, communicate your brand’s message — then a TV style format might make sense.
2. Do you have capable “personalities” to deliver your stories?
   Your on-camera virtual event host is the ambassador of your most important message. This needs to be someone who can deliver a script well — and is comfortable on camera. And your presenters must be charismatic and passionate about the same things as your target audience.
3. Is your content suited to being delivered as a series of discrete segments?
   Notice how TV shows are 30 or 60 minutes. Instagram stories are 30 to 60 seconds. In all of these discrete segments, stories are told. Can your event producers transform your content into a flowing narrative with a beginning, middle and end? If so, the TV-style format’s length and ability to flow from one part of the story to the next are a great fit.
4. Do you want audience engagement?
   TV shows engage us in an emotional and human way. Building this element into your virtual or hybrid event allows you to seek audience input across several channels: the event page itself, concurrent streaming sites, and social media. So, if your communications could benefit from an audience’s energy, give-and-take, and inclusiveness, the TV-style approach could work well.
5. Do you have the resources and technical capability to emulate a TV-style broadcast?
   For maximum effectiveness, a virtual event done TV-style must have all the trappings of a TV show. That includes professional cameras and lighting, graphics as needed, “lower third” captions on screen, and split-screens or cutaways to remote presenters. This will require a virtual event platform with capabilities far beyond your basic conferencing solution. Having advanced production capabilities built into the platform will make it easier to produce a TV-style event.Can your virtual event messaging be crafted into a narrative? Storytelling is at the very core of our favorite TV shows. And the art of storytelling has transformed significantly in the last 15 years. Top shows get you to feel something. If the purpose of your event is to share your story, and in so doing, communicate your brand’s message — then a TV style format might make sense.

The hallmarks of the TV-style broadcast — creative, styled to stand out, and worth rewatching — make it an attractive choice for hybrid or virtual events that want to deliver content in a memorable, impactful way. Weigh your event’s strategic goals against your answers to these questions, and you’ll know whether or not your next event should tell your story in front of a live dispersed (rather than studio) audience.