Over the last five years, Wired Production Group has worked closely with the Donor Relations Group to execute virtual, live, and hybrid events, video production projects, and podcast production services. The Donor Relations Group (DRG) hosts regular in-person conferences, online webinars, and leadership training for fundraising professionals and others in the nonprofit sector. In 2023, DRG hosted The Four Pillars Conference in Chicago, IL, with our Wired team as their event and video production partner.
Designing a Hybrid Event Experience
This three-day conference was designed for attendees to immerse themselves in comprehensive donor relations training with the full DRG staff of experts in the donor relations industry. Over the three days, DRG focused on the Four Pillars of Donor Relations and the Four Pillars of Donor Experience. This included specialized training on advancing fund reporting, donor stewardship, and donor communications. With DRG hosting this event in a hybrid format, our team was thrilled to dive into an experience encompassing a unique global audience. The hundreds of event attendees, both in-person and online, attended from various colleges, universities, philanthropic organizations, medical institutions, and beyond.
At the venue, Wired Production Group managed the audio, including all microphones for presenters and moderators. The in-person event attendees were able to view the slides and video portions of the presentations with projection screens. Our WPG video engineers handled the live stream for virtual attendees, including the live video playback of the presenters alongside the presentations.
Why Hybrid? Donor Relations Reaches Everywhere
DRG has a network of donor relations consultants for philanthropic organizations of all types and sizes. These consultants are spread across the United States and beyond, just like their clients. While the idea of keeping their event centrally located in America and hosting it live at Loyola in Chicago, Illinois, the event organizers with DRG understood that their venue choice would only work for so many. Their goal of the conference was to reach as many people as possible with the virtual element. Scheduling the event in a hybrid style allowed for a much larger audience with an affordable registration option.
With decades of experience in the industry, DRG understands their audience can’t always get away. Many individuals and teams working in the nonprofit sector don’t have a lot of “backup” for them to be away from the office for a multi-day conference. Not only did offering the virtual option for the conference allow for more attendees, but it also allowed attendees to join who may not have been able to attend in person otherwise.
Communications & Connection in Hybrid Events
No matter what type of event you’re hosting, attendees crave connection. In donor relations, connection is even more valued to attendees and event organizers. DRG fully understands the importance of making their attendees feel a real connection to the messaging.
DRG worked closely with our team to design an effective communication plan for event registrants on the virtual event side. DRG handled the registration through their website and then transferred the registration information to Wired to upload into the virtual event platform. The selected event platform for virtual attendees called BigMarker included an initial email with a unique access link, a reminder email one day before the event, and one hour before the event start time.
For virtual and hybrid events, Wired Production Group manages all tech support for virtual attendees, allowing DRG moderators to focus on engaging with their virtual attendees. DRG had three virtual event moderators who were live on-site at the venue. These moderators were responsible for engaging in the chat throughout the day, answering questions privately, and relaying any questions or ideas from the chat into the room full of live event attendees. Attendees could chat casually and stay engaged in the programming throughout the live presentations. Additionally, the moderators could deploy special content to virtual event attendees via handouts and download links to attendees who attended the virtual portion of this hybrid event.
While DRG selected a platform with limited private networking opportunities for event attendees’ safety and anonymity, attendees online were invited to share their LinkedIn profiles throughout the event so that others could connect with them beyond the conference.
The Final Result: An Experience to Inspire Fundraising Professionals
The three days were jam-packed with valuable information for professional fundraisers, and memories were made! From sharing creative ideas to doing a little dance break here and there, the 100+ in-person and 160+ attendees online could collaborate and connect in a way that they would remember forever. The engaging content and the best delivery from event organizers, both virtually and in-person, allowed attendees to leave the event experience and get back to work with a spark! Fresh ideas shared in these hybrid events are incredibly valuable to attendees focused on value in event experiences.
Setup Your Hybrid Event Experience
Hybrid events are one of the coolest events for our team of event professionals at Wired Production Group! There are never two identical hybrid event experiences. When you’re ready to start planning the production of your next hybrid event, let’s connect you with our team of audio, lighting, video, LED, and stage design pros. We’re excited to help guide you through the hybrid event production process and build an unforgettable hybrid event experience with you!