Member News Briefs

Q Center offers solutions for hybrid meetings and events

As the Midwest’s premier conference center, Q Center has always offered a plethora of amenities, services and experts under one roof. As clients opt for many different meeting and event options, the property has proven to be an all-inclusive partner with not only years of experience, but also with relevant, state-of-the-art solutions to assist clients in educating, training and collaborating with teams from around the world.

Throughout the pandemic, Q Center has worked with clients to consult on the best fit solutions for their meeting needs with the understanding that 100% face-to-face events may not work for their organization.

The sales and production teams are able to give examples of hybrid meetings utilizing the latest technology for an in-person meeting along with virtual attendees. Some clients can only consider virtual options at this time due to company or government policies, but have concerns of achieving their meeting goals without an in-person meeting. Although the industry observes that in-person meetings cannot be completely replaced with virtual options due to necessity for human connection and training purposes, Q Center’s team of production professionals, Q Creative, offers full service support for virtual and hybrid events and have been serving a wide array of clients throughout the pandemic. They offer everything from high-definition remote recordings of presenters to virtual and hybrid event solutions that can integrate remote and in-person locations.

Q Center is the Midwest’s largest all-inclusive conference and events center located in Saint Charles, Illinois, featuring 150,000+ square feet of meeting and event space on 95 acres along the Fox River.

For more information, call (630) 444-3920 or visit qcenter.com.

Encore Hybrid Event Solutions lead the way for industry rebound, introduces Hybrid Event Handbook

Encore, a leading global event production company, recently announced the development of enhanced end-to-end hybrid solutions to address the growing needs of meeting planners and venue partners to manage the transition to integrating in-person and virtual events.

An outcome of its study of more than 2,600 meeting planners in November 2020, the Company identified key trends and insights regarding how planners are approaching hybrid events as well as best practices for the future. These learnings have already been put into practice through the more than 3,000 virtual and hybrid events Encore has delivered since last fall, and formed the foundation for the Company’s new hybrid solutions, which includes a design approach, solutions toolset and industry-recognized training curriculum to better connect audiences in a hybrid environment. This resulted in the development of the Company’s Hybrid Event Handbook, which showcases these solutions along with methods to help achieve specific hybrid event goals.

While Encore has provided customers with hybrid solutions for more than a decade, innovating enhanced solutions in response to the rapidly changing environment of the last year ensure a more engaging experience for in-person and remote attendees for events of all types and sizes — from boardroom to conference to convention.

Hybrid solutions from Encore provide planners, sponsors, presenters and attendees the ability to reach more people. And a great hybrid experience bridges the in-room setup and technology with a digital event platform to ensure all attendees can maximize engagement and participation. Whether the goal is to educate, collaborate, motivate or network, great outcomes are driven by achieving the right mix of in-room technology and digital platform such as videoconference, webinar, microsite or the Chime Live™ platform from Encore. Based on in-person and virtual audience size, Encore offers numerous configuration options, from a single room with remote attendees to multiple in-person sites that connect remote participants. Through its network of more than 35 Presentation Stages™ worldwide, other alternatives are available to record or broadcast in high quality from a dedicated space.

While hybrid events have evolved over the years, the importance of gathering people remains stronger than ever. Encore has outlined six drivers to create a successful hybrid event of any size. These include environment, experience, engagement, connectivity, content and production. These drivers must work cohesively to ensure success in the hybrid meeting and event space.

A strategically planned environment creates a purposeful experience for in-person and remote attendees. The best meeting experience keeps everyone focused on the content and allows them to revisit it in their mind or on-demand later. Whether it’s a basic cloud video solution or a fully customizable platform, engagement methods should be kept top of mind. Connectivity and bandwidth at the venue needs to support a clear, uninterrupted video stream to remote users. It is also important to journey map the event content through the eyes of each participant. Finally, production has the power to set the tone for a professional and engaging event experience.

For more information, contact encoreglobal. 

Have a news brief to submit? Contact Erika Johnson at ejohnson@chicagohistory.org.