Return to office or #WFH? The big question on everyone's minds is what shape the future of professional culture will take. Many of us are excited to gather in-person again and look forward to kicking off live team building events. Still others are eager to explore the range of possibilities virtual events offer for an increasingly global workforce. So are we embracing a digital future or returning to the in-person communities we know and love?

Experts say both! Hybrid events are the happy medium between virtual events and in-person gatherings. In fact, 73 percent of event planners predict that hybrid events will continue to rise in popularity—up from 67 percent when asked in May—while those who think hybrid events are a transient trend have gone down by 6 percent according to a study conducted by one of the premiere conference venue facilitation experts.

Learn more about the benefits of hybrid events and how you can bring your whole team together through the power of creativity and technology.

Increased Reach, Improved Engagement

Are you looking for a simple way to reach a wider audience? When it comes to team building activities, getting various departments, cohorts, and offices together can feel a lot like herding cats. This is where hybrid events can come to the rescue. On average, hybrid events boast 2.5x higher attendance than traditional in-person offerings.

Even better, hybrid events aren't simply bringing more people together through a streamlined virtual and in-person model. These innovative forums are improving engagement with team building games and activities to advance collaboration. A virtual or semi-virtual environment causes attendees to network on a peer-to-peer level. It may have been easy to take a seat and watch a presentation in the past without really engaging with the content, but nowadays hybrid events are delivering informed break out room sessions, small group discussions, and virtual games and cocktail happy hours that draw the whole team together.

Hybrid event showing coworkers together in a conference room viewing virtual attendees on a screen

Inclusive and Accessible

Hybrid events are not simply yet another forum to trade ideas. The expansion of how we visualize events is making team building more inclusive and accessible.

Empowering diversity, equity, and inclusion in an increasingly global workplace is a priority for many companies. As Forbes states, "creating an environment in which everyone has the freedom and comfort to think and approach problems in their own way can give employees a sense of belonging that will lead to better creativity and engagement across the company." One avenue for inclusion has been the integration of long-term remote work. The #WFH life has allowed employees a greater degree of accommodation for any physical or neurodivergent needs, alongside casting a wider net in terms of geographic diversity.

In the interests of supporting DEI, hybrid events utilize technology to include both the remote team as well as your in-office crew. Organizing your event with an experienced events and technical team ensures there's no lag between in-person and remote. Live streaming capabilities allow seamless integration while break out rooms and closed captions ensure everyone is a part of the conversation.

In addition, hybrid events champion accessibility by allowing those who cannot travel or find travel (and certain venues) difficult to navigate an alternative route for participation. When it comes to team building, hybrid team building events take the best of virtual team building activities and blend these key elements into a successful gathering for all involved.

Marketing and Metrics

If you've ever hosted an amazing team building conference, but found yourself wondering how effective your efforts were in the long-term, hybrid events can help quantify your reach.

A virtual or semi-virtual venue is ideal for attendance and participation tracking. Hosts can send mid and post event surveys as well as keep a closer record of attendee interactions. This data is pivotal in measuring impact. The marketing team can leverage these numbers to boost the effectiveness of future events. In addition, because the event is virtual leaning with an on-site attendance option, the marketing team can make the best use of email reminders and campaigns prior to the event. These typically reach more attendees than traditional handouts and save on costs as well.

Now that's team building done smart!

team members around a conference table with another team member joining virtually

Go Green with Hybrid Events

More and more companies are leading their teams in sustainability. Hybrid events are a great way to embrace low input, environmentally conscious business model. Forbes reported that one San Francisco based university found that their online conference "produced 66 times less greenhouse gas emissions than an in-person gathering in San Francisco would have."

When factoring the significant environmental impact of air travel into the equation, virtual events are part of the sustainability solution. Of course, one common challenge is that many companies are not equipped to go fully remote and would like to retain an element of the collaborative communities they've come to know so well. The hybrid option offers an easy transition between in-person team building activities and fully remote events for companies looking to embrace ESG initiatives without sacrificing the culture of live events.

If minimizing environmental impact is a core goal for your company this year, your hybrid event planners can help design a complimentary on-site with key elements like energy efficiency in mind. Efficient and simple, hybrid events are an easy way to reduce our carbon footprint without breaking the budget. As more and more companies continue to feature virtual offerings, the future of ESG looks likely to evolve and flourish,

Collaboration is the cornerstone of any great company. When it comes to designing fun team building activities, the most important consideration is how to engage a diverse audience. Our workforce is becoming more global which makes gathering in-person a greater challenge than ever before. However, many companies are choosing to view this as an opportunity to expand their teams through hybrid events. When amazing people come together, big things start to happen and ideas begin to flow!

Interested in hosting your own hybrid event or virtual team building activities? We'd love to make your event a success! Reach out to our event experts today.

Considering a Hybrid Event for Your Team?

The technology behind virtual teamwork has been available for some time. However, there was little hype surrounding virtual team building activities, but the pandemic offered companies an opportunity to reimagine work.

This gave rise to work models like the hybrid system where employees can work either in-house or remotely. Currently, 83% of employees prefer working in hybrid workplaces, while 74% of US companies are already using the model or plan to implement one.

With the high adoption rate, it comes as no surprise that hybrid team-building activities are likely to stick for a bit longer. The process involves interacting with your teammates through games or exercises that are made from physical and virtual elements.

By leveraging the expertise of companies such as Host Events, you can get the most out of your team through additional services such as hybrid team events and meetings. This post looks at some hybrid team-building activities you can incorporate at your workplace.

How Hybrid Team Building Activities Work

Since it is a virtual event, in-office attendees gather in the conference room, or break room, and connect to the hybrid activity through a webcam and video monitor. Remote attendees can join the event from anywhere through private links and connect via a tablet, laptop, or smartphone.

Sometimes, the hybrid activity includes sending physical objects to online attendees. Most companies that host hybrid events offer delivery services for an extra free. This ensures all team members enjoy the same experience during the activity.

Hybrid Trivia Battle

Trivia battle is a fun-to-play game that tests the team through a series of questions on any topic you choose. The game is a great opportunity for your team to learn while building impactful relationships.

For hybrid trivia battles, the show host will join the game remotely to coordinate the questions. Host hybrid trivia battles event can host up to 200 participants for this fun team building event. They also make the event more interesting by delivering snacks and drinks such as, seasonal beer, artisanal soda, and wine.

remote employee participating in a hybrid virtual team building activity

Hybrid Music Bingo Party

Music plays a crucial role in any event, especially during team-building activities which require high energy. Couple this adrenaline with a game of chance like Bingo, and you have a highly interactive team-building session.

The hybrid music bingo party is completely virtual, and participants can connect through a computer plus another device to play. The DJ joins the party remotely while the hosting company loads up the Bingo. Host can moderate up to 100 guests at the party for a 60-minute event with a generous variety of goodies.

Hybrid Volunteering

Volunteering allows people to come together for a greater cause, allowing them to develop emotional and empathy intelligence. These two qualities are really important to any team because they give the members a sense of satisfaction.

From disaster relief to animal welfare, your team can participate in any hybrid volunteering project you want. With hybrid volunteering, you get a non-profit or remote instructor who coordinates the entire project. There is a 15-minute tech check to ensure the project doesn't have any hitches during the event.

To make the activity interactive, participants can receive materials for the selected project and pre-paid return labels before the event begins.

Hybrid Art-Based Activities

Art-based team building activities offer participants a therapeutic way to unwind as a team while unleashing their creative talents. The activity is a great way for you to test the team's communication, teamwork, project management, and creative problem-solving skills in a fun environment.

The main pull of hybrid art team activities is that they can take any form, and participants are also taken out of their regular routines. For example, you can opt for a hybrid art class to bring calm and mental clarity to your team.

At Host Events, you get to choose classes on jewelry marking, watercolor/ acrylic painting, and vision boarding. Like every other hybrid group activity, the art instructor joins the activity remotely to teach around 50 guests for 60 minutes.

Since it is a physical activity, the company delivers the materials you need to create your masterpiece. For an additional fee, you get a sip and paint box which comes with:

one full bottle of wine
wine opener
two stemmed wine glasses
paints and brushes

Hybrid Tasting Party

Tasting parties come in all sorts. Wine, beer, whiskey, chocolate, coffee, and other tasting parties are a great opportunity for teams to share their thoughts on something they all enjoy. Commonly known as a happy hour team building activity, tasting parties will turn team members into actual friends.

Hybrid tasting parties allow you to interact with members of the team regardless of their location. The attendees receive all the materials they need for the event while an expert joins them remotely. The delivery price varies depending on what the team would be tasting.

For example, the price of a hybrid coffee tasting party on Host includes three high-quality pre-ground coffees and a pour-over brewer, filters, an air kettle, and a scooper per person. You could also opt for a mixologist class as your team-building exercise where you are walked through various recipes.

Get The Best Out of Your Team with Host Events' Hybrid Team Building Activities

Host is a company that focuses on bringing communities together by leveraging their social and virtual experiences. Since the service is tech-enabled, we have ensured it is extremely easy to plan your next hybrid team-building activity or event.

We conduct our business with high standards of integrity, fairness, and honesty because customer experience is at the core of our company. Thanks to our industry-leading experts and multiple private events, we guarantee that our virtual experience will offer something unique for your team.

Please schedule time to chat with us to learn more and book your event!