This guide will walk you through how to use a single Splash page to host a hybrid event and cater to guests attending IRL (in real life) or online.

On this page:

1. Introducing hybrid events

Hybrid events are events that combine in-person and virtual experiences. Your audience, regardless of their location, gets the choice to participate in the way that's most comfortable and accessible to them. 

But twice the experience can also mean twice the work! Hybrid events require compelling content, timezone considerations, new staffing considerations, and more.

Thankfully, Splash makes it easy to get your registration, event reminders, and virtual venue up and running.

2. Creating the registration form

The most crucial part of a hybrid event? Determining how guests plan to attend.

Let's walk through the steps for how to set capacities for in-person and virtual attendance and how to display a COVID questionnaire for in-person guests only.

1. Click into your event's Form Touchpoint. 
2. Click Add Question to add the "Are you attending?" question.
3. Using the same steps, create a new radio question: "Will you be attending virtually or in-person?”
4. Use the radio options to enter “Virtual” and “In-person.”
5. Inside each radio option, set a response limit according to how many virtual and in-person guests you can accommodate. 
6. Next, we recommend you use the CDC’s COVID-19 screening template to create a set of questions that can help ensure a safe event for those attending in-person.
7. To only display these questions for guests who respond “In-person,” click the advanced logic icon within each question.
8. Select Add Condition then select the “Will you be attending?” question, the equals logic, then the “In-person” response.
9. Remember to apply this logic to each screening question.

3. Setting up the virtual experience

Our Virtual Event Page allows you to host and gate embedded video content inside Splash, while our native integrations allow you to automate the registration process for video providers. Based on your tools and experience of choice, make your selection.

Helpful resources:

• Virtual Event Page
• Virtual Integrations
• Splash and Zoom: Which option is best for my event?

4. Customizing the confirmation messages

When it comes to your on page and email confirmation messages, you have two options:

1. Create generic confirmation messaging and rely on reminder emails for group specific information.
2. Include all of the information relevant to each group in your on-page and email confirmation, the most important pieces being:
   • The Virtual Event URL, or the unique URL that allows an attendee to check in and access the virtual content, for online guests. Read about how to include the Virtual Event URL in your on-page and email confirmation.
   • COVID-19 event safety protocol for in-person guests
   • Customized confirmation messaging based on how guests are attending (in-person or virtual)
     • If you're using the Hybrid Branded Theme, open the Registration Form touchpoint and customize the default values for the Virtual, In-Person, and Undecided message hidden questions. The messaging entered here will be included in the confirmation email based on whether guests choose In-person, Virtually, or Not sure yet for the "Will you be attending" form question. These fields are hidden and aren't visible to your guests.
       
     • Add the personalization tags for the In-person, Virtual, and Undecided questions to your confirmation email.
       
       
       Each guest will receive custom messaging based on how they are attending the event.

5. Scheduling reminder emails

As the event approaches, you can tailor your reminder emails to each group of attendees.

The goal is to (1) refresh in-person attendees on the event location and any on-site protocol and (2) ensure virtual attendees receive their Virtual Event URL, or the URL

Here are our top tips:

• Be aggressive, be be aggressive (when it comes to reminder emails)! At a minimum, we recommend three reminder emails: one week before, three days before, and the day-of. 
• Use these quick steps to segment your in-person and virtual attendees into lists:
  1. From your Guest List, click Filters. 
  2. Select By Custom Questions.
  3. Choose the "Will you be attending virtually or in-person?” question.
  4. Select the "In-person" option and click Save 
  5. Click Apply Filters.
  6. Bulk select your guests and click Add to List.
  7. Name your list or add guests to a pre-made list.
  8. Repeat steps 1-7 to create a list of guests attending virtually.
• Create a reminder email for each list and be sure to include the event safety guidelines for those attending in-person and the Virtual Check-In email element for those attending via the Virtual Event Page (see below).

Pro Tip: Give give guests the option to easily change their registration from in-person to online or vice versa. Read about how to enable the modify RSVP feature on your event page.

6. Managing on-site and virtual check-in

To ensure the safest check-in experience for guests on-site, consider taking advantage of kiosk mode on the Splash Host app for iOS and Android.

With kiosk mode, you can set up devices and allow guests to check themselves in (or register if they haven't already). This helps reduce the amount of close contact with your event staff. Just be sure to have some sanitizer near the devices!

As for your virtual guests attending via the Virtual Event Page, they can start checking themselves in 30 minutes before your event's start time using their Virtual Event URL. They'll be met with a personalized greeting and a branded space to view your event. 

Warning: A guest can only use their Virtual Event URL on one browser and on one device at a time. To ensure your guest's don't get locked out, make sure they don't share their URL and don't have their link open on multiple browsers or multiple devices at once.

7. Sending on-demand content post-event

All guests, including those with a Checked Out status or those who no showed (Attending status), can benefit from your post-event content. 

Use our Virtual Event Page as a secure home for your recorded video content.

Simply include the [virtual_event_url] tag in a follow up email to any or all guests on your Guest List. Guests will be able to use the link that populates to check themselves in and view the recording.