Back to Class faculty lectures have long been a staple of many alumni group event calendars. During this time of continued travel restrictions/hesitations, you can still bring this form of engagement to your communities entirely in-person (in some instances), entirely virtually, or you might want to consider hosting a “hybrid” event that allows your local alumni to gather in-person while broadcasting a faculty speaker into the venue over Zoom.
*When planning in-person gatherings, please be sure to follow local guidelines and check Healthy Brown for University protocols and guidance.
Step 1: Decide on a hybrid format
We primarily recommend hybrid events in which you gather locally as alumni and stream the faculty speaker into the event virtually. We understand the desire to get together in person again after such a long hiatus, and this form of a hybrid event allows you to gather as a community once again. If a faculty member isn’t able to travel to you, you can all be in the same room and interact with them on the big screen via Zoom. It’s entirely possible to provide an engaging experience for both the in-person alumni and your virtual speaker with just a little extra forethought and technology.
Some groups may be interested in also streaming the content of the lecture virtually so that community members can tune in from home if they’re unable/unwilling to gather in person yet. You can share the Zoom URL you created for the faculty member with registrants who have decided to stay home, but there can be more details to consider to make it engaging for people who aren't in the room.
In most cases, our team doesn't recommend live streaming an event if a faculty member has traveled to your region. Unfortunately, the logistics behind hosting this kind of hybrid event are more complex and costly, while still possible. You’ll be limited to choosing venues with on-site conference services teams who specialize in the more complex nature of making the experience meaningful and engaging for viewers at home.
Step 2: Select a volunteer to become your local expert coordinator
We suggest that one or two volunteers from your Club/Class/Affinity Group get up to speed with the format of hybrid events and the technology so that they feel comfortable running an event of this nature. The volunteer(s) in question will be tasked with:
Helping to set up the event
Can the remote faculty speaker see the room and hear the moderator?
Can people in the room hear the speaker clearly and see both the speaker and their slides?
Training the emcee for the evening on the technology and the run of show
Troubleshooting during the event if technical glitches arise
Either assisting the emcee or managing the Q&A interaction with the remote faculty speaker over Zoom
If you’re streaming to a virtual audience, you’ll want to ensure that you have two moderators: one managing in-person Q&A and one monitoring the Zoom chat and assisting virtual attendees with any technical issues throughout the event. Both moderators should be on-site at the venue.
Step 3: Pick a date and time
You know your communities best. Are weekend afternoons popular for engagement, or are you better off selecting a weeknight? Do you prefer hosting faculty speaker events during a specific time of year? While faculty schedules are complex, your Alumni Relations staff contacts will do their best to connect you with a great speaker around your desired date.
Step 4: Know your budget
Getting back to in-person programming comes with a price tag. Do your research on venue and food pricing, technology costs, and staffing fees. Thoughtfully consider tiered ticket pricing for your community to help offset costs. You may also consider applying for program funding.
Step 5: Pick a venue
Venue selection is critical to the success of a hybrid event. You’ll want to carefully consider your choice of venue, to be sure the location has the ability to provide a screen/projection and that they have adequate streaming abilities to patch the speaker in via Zoom.
It’s imperative to the success of the event that the audio quality is high end. Make sure that your venue is able to provide a high-quality microphone so that your remote speaker/audience is able to reliably hear the emcee and questions. If multiple microphones aren’t available to pass around the room during Q&A, consider having in-person attendees step up to the podium to ask their questions.
If a venue is able to provide staffing to train you on the logistics of their space beforehand and/or staff the actual event, that’s even better.
Step 6: Consider the remote participant
Remote participants should be able to see in-room attendees and slide presentations. One solution is to have a laptop or two within the room, paired with webcams (which will provide better image resolution than your laptop camera). These webcams should be facing the in-person attendees. Before the event starts, login to Zoom from the laptops and your speaker will be able to see their audience via Zoom.
Step 7: Test the technology in advance
While many of us have become experts at running fully virtual Zoom events, this hybrid format will have its own learning curve. If you’re able to schedule a runthrough with your venue, emcee, and speaker a few days in advance, that’s ideal. You can discover any bugs early which will allow for a low-stress environment while resolving issues.
If getting to the venue a few days early isn’t an option, ask to pad in 30 minutes to an hour before guests are due to arrive for a tech rehearsal. You should also invite the speaker to hop on Zoom at least 20 minutes before the start to make sure the technology is working on their end. Scheduling the time to make sure all parties are comfortable with the technology is invaluable.
Step 8: Enjoy your event
Kick things off as you always would, welcome your guests, introduce yourself, introduce your speaker. Wrap things up with a warm thank you, and let people know about any upcoming events on the calendar. Have fun, and enjoy the togetherness this technology has allowed!