Along with the rest of the world, medical associations were forced to pivot into hosting online events in 2020. Since then, digital and hybrid event platforms have become more and more sophisticated and many organisations are wondering whether they’ll ever go back to traditional events.

As the world reopens and we learn to live in the pandemic era, hybrid events are the way of the future for medical association events. Keep reading as we go over why medical associations can benefit from hosting hybrid events and which hybrid event features are most exciting for them.

Benefits of Hybrid Events for Medical Associations

While the benefits of hosting hybrid events are countless, medical associations, in particular, are able to:

Increase your event’s reach and scale

Event technology can help increase the reach and scale of your in-person event in a variety of ways including:

• Generate more revenue
• Promote member engagement during your event
• Increase event attendance
• Reach an international audience

Generate More Revenue

Medical associations usually make the bulk of their revenue through membership fees. However, medical associations that host hybrid events have the opportunity to generate revenue beyond these fees.

Since the medical field is incredibly dense and things are always changing, the types of events you can host are a dime a dozen. Not to mention, there are many opportunities to host hybrid networking events, seminars, awards ceremonies, conferences and more as a medical association.

Plus, since you’ll be increasing your reach by expanding your in-person events into the online space, you’ll be able to increase ticket sales and boost revenue even more.

In fact, according to a Community Brands study, it was estimated that association professionals were investing 85% more in virtual events and 65% more in online education in 2021. The trend is expected to continue into 2022.

Promote Member Engagement

One of the main challenges medical associations face is the difficulty of getting members to engage in their events. Medical professionals are busy and need a good reason to attend an in-person event, especially if it requires traveling.

Hybrid events make it easy for medical associations to host events that people can either attend in person or remotely. Plus, with engaging content options for your hybrid event, members will be excited to engage with your webinars and meetings.

For example, on-demand content from a hybrid event platform includes:

• Networking sessions
• Live chats
• Q&As
• Live streams
• Recorded videos
• Surveys
• Exhibitors

Hybrid event hosts can also receive detailed analytics for each event to show you exactly what content your guests interacted with and how you can continue to improve your offerings.

Increase Event Attendance

Since hybrid events allow attendees to choose exactly how they want to show up, they’re known to help medical associations increase their attendance.

While many members prefer in-person experiences, many others are still hesitant and prefer not to, for reasons including:

• Cost
• Schedule conflicts
• Prior commitments
• Travel concerns
• Impacts on home life

Since hybrid events offer lower costs and no travel requirements for attendees, it makes sense that medical associations see increased attendance when they host hybrid events instead of in-person events alone.

International Reach

Reaching an international audience is important for every industry, but especially in the medical profession. Connecting with international health workers is more essential than ever before and medical associations can benefit from international reach when they host hybrid events.

Not only do hybrid events allow you to stream your in-person seminars and presentations to an online audience, but many digital event platforms offer closed captioning and multilingual capabilities to ensure that diverse audiences have the best experience possible.

With on-demand content available online and across all time zones, hybrid events hugely benefit medical associations that are looking to expand their reach internationally.

Hybrid Event Features for Medical Associations

Now, let’s go over some of the specific features that medical associations should look out for when choosing a hybrid event platform.

1. CPD Tracking

   CPD stands for Continuing Professional Development. In the medical community, this is also commonly referred to as CME which is Continuing Medical Education. These days, CME is undoubtedly important and is a pillar of most medical association goals.
   
   CME tracking is a huge perk of hosting hybrid events within your medical association. By collecting real-time data about video watch time, ePoster views, and certification requirements, hybrid events allow you to create high-quality CME courses and webinars that are streamlined and automated.
   
   
   

2. ePosters

   ePoster modules are another impressive hybrid event feature that medical associations can take advantage of. ePosters are dynamic, interactive visuals that accompany any presentation. They can be viewed for up to 12 months after a session and can either be a static image or interactive with Q&As and video capabilities.
   
   Particularly useful for exploring complex topics such as scientific research, medical associations should definitely check out hybrid event platforms that offer ePoster features.
   
   

3. Abstract Submission

   Hybrid events also give medical associations the opportunity to submit abstracts as part of their research. This feature helps medical professionals share their ideas, improve current research papers, and, in short, benefits the medical community as a whole.
   
   Especially if your EaaS platform has integration from multiple certification paths and third-party tools, abstract submission is the perfect hybrid event feature for medical associations who need a platform with high-quality, research-centric features.

Leverage Hybrid Events as a Medical Association

Now that you can see all the reasons why your medical association should be hosting hybrid events from now on, what to do next?

Well, you’ll need to find a hybrid event platform that can help you produce the most high-quality hybrid events possible. Arinex Live is arguably the best hybrid event platform for medical associations as we provide all the features that medical associations would benefit from. Arinex Live has hosted hybrid events for various medical associations across Australia and internationally including the Australian Sonographers Association and the Australian Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.

Interested in hosting a hybrid event for your medical association? Request a demo to check out Arinex Live and see what our hybrid event platform can do for you.