RECAP - THURSDAY, APRIL 8: Behind the Curtain: Planning a 'Meet Safe' Hybrid Meeting

On April 8, Global Meetings Industry Day, MPIGNY launched its first hybrid event experience in collaboration with NYPCMA, EventFluence and SITE Northeast. There were five speakers in-person, with another speaker and the host joining remotely. Close to 500 people registered for the event, 50 of whom were set to attend in-person. How did we pull this off in three weeks? Here’s a peek behind the scenes.

The 2021 GMID theme was "Meet Safe," so we thought, what better way to discuss how to meet safely than to demonstrate it by holding a hybrid event? Our first challenge was finding a location in New York City that was able to accommodate the in-person event. Conrad New York Downtown had the space, the staff and the Hilton EventReady with CleanStay safety standards and protocols in place. The Conrad’s in-house technology partner, Encore, signed on to provide the event’s selected digital platform, Chime Live. 

Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC&Co and co-chair of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition, kicked off the event with an update on why the unwavering value of our industry has never been more important for nationwide economic recovery.

Since this event was intended to be a showcase as well as a discussion, we wanted the panel to reflect different approaches and perspectives to producing a hybrid meeting. In addition to three planners — Koleen Roach, Stacey Courtney and Derrick Johnson — who represented the corporate, association and independent points of view, Zena Phillips and Hope Holm represented the hotel and the digital platform perspectives. The event host and panel moderator, Eva Saha with Gotham Artists, seamlessly integrated all aspects of the event and engagement with all in-person and virtual attendees.

The program also included videos from our event sponsors, including Visit Salt Lake and New York Hilton Midtown, along with industry advocacy collectives Live Events Coalition of New York & New Jersey and Global Events Collective, as well as comments from the CSR recipient, Golden Rule Charity, and an interview with the Conrad’s general manager, Marlene Poynder, about protocols and safety measures implemented for the event in accordance with New York guidelines. 

Smart Reg International Inc. signed on to provide touchless badges, PMSI gave away PPE kits and Scarborough & Tweed provided branded GMID2021NY face masks to wear during the event. The Conrad had hand sanitizer stations in key areas of the event space. The ballroom was set classroom-style with one chair per table, there were directional arrows and decals that clearly marked the entrance, exit and directional flow, and the space was cleaned and sealed in accordance with Hilton EventReady protocols. 

The feeling of excitement and relief in the ballroom was palpable as people savored being at an in-person event once again. Both in-person and remote attendees used the event platform to submit questions (in addition to those submitted in advance through the registration form) and connect with each other. Some also posted photos. And the event recording, sponsor pages, resources and platform were available to all registrants to access until April 30. Two editors of PCMA’s Convene magazine also attended, one in-person and one remote, and shared their experiences in a recent Convene article. Here’s to meeting safely, engaging in-person and remotely and eventually sharing a hug!

Photos courtesy of Front Page Photography