The shift to the hybrid teams is one of the defining management challenges in the 2020s. Traditional wisdom like ‘out of sight is out of mind’ no longer helps. The inverse is also true – showing dedication by logging punishing hours at your desk is no longer enough. The mix to hybrid work is changing how managers and employees think about their work.

The Mixed Blessings of Hybrid Work

The hybrid work concept is born out of a compromise between two competing visions of the modern workplace. In one corner, there are remote work evangelists like Atlassian, Drift, Okta and other companies that have enthusiastically embraced remote work as their default. In the other corner, there are workplace traditionalists who see significant value in working together in-person.

In theory, hybrid work is supposed to offer something for everybody: a few days of remote work and a few days of in-office work. The practical realities look a lot different.

Put yourself in the shoes of a project manager working toward an upcoming deadline. They might grab a few people and set up shop in a conference room for a focused session. If they have some bad luck, they might be in a room with limited connectivity that makes it difficult to connect with remote staff.

It’s not just urgent project deadlines or trying to organize hybrid events either.

Like it or not, the speed of work and collaboration is quietly governed by the depth of trust in the team. When some or all of your team are remote sometimes, you end up having deeper interactions with people in the office compared to remote staff. As a result, trust doesn’t develop evenly and productivity will start to slow down.

If you’ve been struggling with hybrid team engagement, you’re not alone. It’s a new way of working. Our older social skills and work habits aren’t a natural fit. Fortunately, there are a few simple strategies you can adopt to drive engagement higher.

Building Your Hybrid Engagement Playbook

There is no one size fits all approach to driving up hybrid engagement. Several factors influence the difficulty of remote work like your history with remote work, the level of technology investment and management skills.

To evolve your working habits and relationships, you need to build a playbook specific to your challenges. View each of the following ideas as inspiration to help you develop your playbook.

1. Set The Tone From The Top 

Many organizations shifted suddenly and dramatically to a high level of remote work a few years ago. Fortunately, that era of crisis induced flexibility is now in the rear view mirror. Now, the first strategy is to set the right tone from the top.

To set the right tone from the top, the words and actions of managers and executives need to send a consistent, positive message for their hybrid teams. Act as a role model yourself by reaching out to remote and on-premise employees for special opportunities. Further, share your struggles and solutions with making hybrid work effective so that your staff know it is okay to admit struggles.

2. Clearly Communicate Expectations 

Updating our communication habits and preferences to thrive in a hybrid workplace is a vitally important strategy. Start by encouraging asynchronous communication (i.e. encouraging people to reply to messages on their time) rather than relying on video meetings as the default option for hybrid teams.

Further, you may need to revise your professional communication expectations for the hybrid world. For example, some companies encourage informal dress and communication for internal meetings. On the other hand, video meetings with customers and clients are a different story – dressing up and presenting a more professional image in those settings may be worthwhile.

3. Update Your Hybrid Work Communication Technology

Take a hard look at the communication tools you use with your hybrid teams. You’re probably used to relying on email, phone calls, messaging apps and video calls. What about your larger meetings like all-hands meetings?  

Running an event with dozens or hundreds of people can easily get disorganized and unruly. In a hybrid office, you might have some people raising their hand to ask questions while remote staff use messaging. Your speakers might end up favoring in-person questions – a tendency which can hurt remote staff engagement. 

One solution to these challenges is to use Arena Live Chat in your hybrid events. It has support for polls and Q&As so you can easily gather feedback from employees. The best part? You can review the chat log after the meeting to identify broader concerns in your employees and nip engagement problems in the bud.

4. Make Casual Connections Easier

Participating in formal meetings, collaborating on documents and responding to messages all matter. Yet these forms of engagement are not enough for the hybrid workplace. People are social creatures – even introverts enjoy interacting with others on occasion.

To help your team come together as one, it is important to give employees regular opportunities to connect informally. As a starting point, check out our guide to online events for employee engagement. Holding social events is a great way to laugh and come together.

In addition, look for smaller ways to encourage connection like virtual coffee chats or even giving people 5-10 minutes during team meetings to share personal news. 

5. Update Your Work Life Boundaries 

The old way of thinking about boundaries at work and at home have been fading for years. Many, if not all, professional employees have a work phone that allows them to stay connected to the office even while on vacation. Left unmanaged, work responsibilities in a hybrid work environment can bleed into every evening and weekend.

The solution to these challenges is to encourage employees to set boundaries around the work schedules. To avoid the temptation to check work messages constantly, consider powering down and disconnecting work devices once you finish your work day.

By the way, your boundaries may need to look different depending on whether you are working remotely or in the office.

The Unexpected Way To Drive Higher Hybrid Team Engagement

Sometimes, a shift in perspective can unlock new potential in hybrid teams. Put on the hat of an event producer seeking to create an inspiring live event. Done right, live events create memories and bring people together. Even if you only create a few live hybrid events for your teams this year, it could make all the difference in getting your staff on the same page.

To help you plan your next live event faster, download a free copy of our ebook on improving live events. You’ll discover how to organize live events on your own platform so your employees can stay focused.

The rise of streaming is changing the world of entertainment and news. Traditional broadcasters and studios are quickly losing ground in revenue, awards, and innovations to streaming services. Streaming services now seem so familiar that it is easy to forget how new they are.

The Rise of Streaming By The Numbers

The following numbers put the rise of streaming services into context.

2007

In 2007, Netflix launched its streaming service and quickly became one of the most successful entertainment brands. The arrival of near-universal broadband services in the US (47% in 2007 and 77% in 2021, according to the Pew Research Center) made modern streaming reliable and convenient.

$47 Spent Per Household on Streaming Services

Netflix might have an early mover advantage, but that edge is fading. According to Variety, the average US household spends $47 per month on streaming. Over the past decade, millions of Americans have ‘cut the cord’ and no longer subscribe to traditional cable TV packages.

Streaming Services Spend Billion On Original Programming

In the first streaming era, providers largely focused on licensing existing content. Unfortunately, licensed content doesn’t stay on your platform forever – “The Office” famously left Netflix recently. 

The second era of streaming – investing in original programming – emerged over the past decade. According to Variety, Netflix spent approximately $13 billion on new content in 2021, 26% more than in 2020. They’re not the only streamer investing in original content – Amazon spent $13 billion on video and music content in 221, up from $11 billion spent in 2020. If spending on original content is a predictor of streaming success, then watch Disney+, which plans to spend over $33 billion on original content in 2022.  

Streaming Is Taking Market Share From Cable TV 

Perhaps even more important than money, the rise of streaming has reshaped leisure time. In December 2021, Nielsen estimated that streaming services accounted for 27.7% of all-time Americans spent watching TV. 

However, there’s a good chance that the rise of streaming is even more popular because these estimates do not include ad-free streaming services like HBO Max, Hulu, or Paramount+. Traditional cable TV is still king for the 55+ demographic, but streaming services are starting to catch up quickly.

We’re Not In 2007 Anymore: Two Paths To Streaming Success

In 2007, Netflix started streaming and started to end its DVD by mail. In those early years, Netflix was almost alone in the streaming industry. That’s all changed over the past few years.

The best way to understand opportunities in the streaming industry today is to think about the famous red ocean vs. blue ocean metaphor made popular by the book Blue Ocean Strategy: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne.

The Red Ocean of Streaming

In the red ocean of streaming, businesses will be competing directly with the likes of Netflix, Amazon, and Disney+. Success in this market requires much more than name recognition. Just take a look at the early days of CNN+, which has so far attracted less than 10,000 daily users. At this rate, signing up millions of subscribers seems unlikely.

Competing in the red ocean of streaming requires a streamer to invest heavily in big-budget productions that rival Amazon’s Lord of the Rings (production cost: $465 million for the first season) or Netflix’s avalanche of original series. 

Success in the red ocean of streaming is still possible – just take the case of Disney+ as an example. The service grew from 0 to 100 million subscribers in less than five years. However, relatively few media companies have the deep pockets and massive fan base Disney has accumulated.

Winning in the red ocean of fierce competition is still possible. But you better bring patience, a large stable of popular franchises, and billions to spend to have a chance. Those who succeed have the opportunity to build the next Netflix and win in the mass market.

The Blue Ocean of Streaming

The Blue Ocean of streaming takes a different approach from the existing giants. Instead of relying on bullion dollar budgets and franchises with an established following, the blue ocean streaming strategy looks for growth differently.

One way to implement this strategy is to build a specialized streaming service instead of chasing a mass-market audience. This approach works well for organizations that do not plan to center their business on streaming alone. In a previous post, we looked at the top 10 OTT Vimeo streaming services. These examples show how fitness companies, religious organizations, publishers, and sports broadcasters create specialized streaming services. In essence, they are creating a mini-Netflix experience to support their goals.

Offering a unique library of content is not the only way to innovate, however. Some streaming services are also looking at ways to reimagine the viewing experience. For example, sports broadcasters use live chat to invite their audiences to ask questions and connect. For more ideas on how to win with sports fans, see our post on six online events ideas for sports publishers. 

With Arena Live Chat, you can run live online events with hundreds or thousands of participants. With dedicated Q&A features, it is easy to keep track of questions and pick the best ones to address. Keep engagement high by using polls to keep your finger on the pulse of your audience’s interests. You can also use conversion cards to drive your audience to sign up for offers, draw attention to products and much more.

From Streaming To Live Events

Thriving in the age of streaming services isn’t easy. Amazing quality content is an essential part of the solution. Another key element? Offering engaging live online events to your audience – opportunities for your audience to connect and your brand more deeply. 

If your strengths lie in broadcasting and programming, your team might need support to craft a successful online event. You don’t have to start from scratch, though – download your free copy of Arena’s live events ebook to discover how to plan your next event.

Online events ideas for all-hands meetings make it easier to keep your employees aligned. Instead of a traditional event, online events allow you to optimize costs. Online events are also a key way to invite remote and hybrid employees.

What Is An All-Hands Meeting?

Think of an all-hands meeting as a crucial opportunity to bring together all employees at once. Also known as townhalls, this event includes different subjects and participants. An all-hands meeting may include a presentation from executives, a question and answer session with the CEO, and networking opportunities.

Organizing an all-hands meeting is worthwhile because it reduces misunderstandings and fosters trust. In an all-hands meeting, everyone has the chance to hear the same message from leaders at once. Meeting people from different departments and deepening relationships contributes to trust and ultimately drives higher productivity.

The Simple “Paint by Numbers” Way To Plan An All-Hands Meeting

Look at these online events ideas as different paintbrushes you can use to create images. Pick and choose from these event ideas to create variety for your employees.

1. Celebrate Wins

An all-hands meeting is a perfect setting to shine a light on your organization’s achievements. For example, the VP of Sales might recognize the highest performing sales representatives. In addition, look for ways to celebrate employees who have worked in alignment with your values (e.g., highlight a group of employees who demonstrate exceptional teamwork).

2. Plan An Ask My Anything Segment

On the website Reddit, the AMA (Ask Me Anything) segment is one of the most popular activities. Consider adopting this practice for your organization. This event is a great way to encourage leaders and employees to open up about their interests, hobbies, and lives.

Use a platform like Arena Live Chat to moderate the session to keep the questions focused.

3. Add “Breakout Room” Networking Time To Your Event

Imagine if you are one of hundreds (or thousands!) of employees attending an online all-hands meeting. You might feel disconnected, and the urge to work through a few work emails might be impossible to resist. There’s a solution to this problem.

Give employees a chance to connect using a breakout room. For the best results, there are two principles to use. Start by keeping the number of people in each room small: four to eight people per room is a good rule of thumb. Next, mix people from multiple departments and levels of seniority.

The randomness factor in a breakout room is vital. It is one of the best ways to approximate the serendipity of meeting new people in a conference room, hallway, or elevator.

4. Bring the fun! 

Traditional company townhalls are composed of two elements: presentations and question and answer sessions. In an online event, it can be challenging to stay fully engaged through multiple long presentations. That’s why adding some fun to your all-hands meeting is so important. It gives your employees a chance to relax, smile, laugh, and get to know their colleagues better.

Play a virtual trivia game.

Playing a trivia game is a great way to encourage friendly competition. Consider asking questions about company history and industry trends. A software company might pose questions like, “how many apps does our product integrate with?.” A Fortune 500 company might ask people about products (e.g., what is our best selling product in Europe?).

Add a comedy segment.

Did you know that there are leadership trainers and corporate speakers who make comedy a crucial part of their style? For inspiration, browse the comedy-centric business speakers listed on the Executive Speakers Bureau.

5. Welcome new people

Joining an organization, especially a large one, can be a scary experience. Newly hired employees are less likely to feel connected to their colleagues. You can accelerate their onboarding by rolling out the virtual welcome mat in your virtual all-hands meeting.

The way you welcome new people will partially depend on how many new hires you have to welcome. If there is a small number – say five people or less – you can invite each person to appear on video to introduce themselves. A different approach may be needed with a more significant number of new hires, like a presentation slide showing pictures of each new person.

6. Train two moderators for online events

Running a significant online event with a large audience and employee attendees means managing many moving parts. Keeping everything moving smoothly should not be taken for granted. That’s where moderators play a significant role.

For larger all-hands meetings (i.e., online events with more than 50 people), it is best to have two trained and prepared moderators. This approach means you’ll be covered in the event of illness, Internet service problems, and other problems.

Moderators can keep your event moving effectively in the following ways:

Set the event ground rules

Take a few minutes at the event’s start to review the event ground rules. For example, if the event will be recorded, make sure you tell everyone that fact at the start.

Introduce each speaker

Before a new speaker comes onto the virtual stage, introduce them briefly. Introductions help the speaker feel valued. Further, introductions help your employees put each speaker into context.

Run polls

Polls are an excellent way to gather quick feedback from your employees. Arena Live Chat makes it easy to run polls in your event.

How To Keep Employees Fascinated By Your All Hands

You can’t take employee participation in an all-hands meeting for granted. For example, sales reps might be more interested in focusing on closing deals than hearing company announcements. Likewise, software staff might be more interested in shipping new features.

The solution to these engagement challenges is twofold. Start by using the online events ideas for all hands covered above. There’s no need to start your planning process from a blank page. Once you have the right idea, it is vital to create an exciting event free of social media distractions.

Download your copy of the free Arena Live Events ebook to save time in planning your next live event experience for experiences.

Online events for companies inspire you to bring together your employees, customers, and communities. You no longer have to start from the blank page when planning online events.

Online events ideas for companies: Team Building 

Spending time and effort on team building is well worth the effort. Team building helps employees view each other as three-dimensional people with various interests, quirks, and skills. With better trust and relationships, productivity will increase.

1) Virtual Happy Hour

• Planning Effort: Low
• Impact: Low

Coming together to share drinks is a tried and tested way of forging connections in the business world. When you take this concept into the online context, some adjustments are necessary. You might want to ship a gift card to employees so they can buy their preferred drink to make a big impression.

As far as online events go, a virtual happy hour is simple and easy to plan. Since the event is simple and unstructured, it is a good starting point if you are new to running online events.

2) Virtual Meditation Class

• Planning Effort: Medium
• Impact: Medium

Many employees struggle to manage stress effectively. This type of online event can ease the burden of heavy demands on your staff. Even the Mayo Clinic has stated that meditation is a simple, fast way to reduce stress.

Organizing a virtual meditation session is relatively simple. Seek out a meditation teacher with experience running virtual sessions for business audiences. Remember that many, if not all, of your employees might be inexperienced with meditation, so we recommend taking a beginner-friendly approach.

3) Virtual Cooking Class

• Planning Effort: Medium to High
• Impact: Medium 

Cooking is a life skill that most people want to improve. You probably have a few go-to recipes that you use repeatedly. Why not challenge yourself and your team to learn something new in the kitchen? Organize a virtual cooking class to learn something new.

Depending on your approach, the type of online event requires a few hours to a few days of planning. At its simplest, you could ask an accomplished chef or baker on your team to lead the event. 

Alternatively, you can also hire a cooking instructor to deliver a session. For example, Sur La Table in New York offers virtual cooking classes for $29 per household. The organization offers classes in preparing salmon, pasta, pastries, and more.

Aside from the event team, your employees will also have to put in some effort to prepare. For the best results, focus on easy recipes that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less.

This type of virtual event has the potential to foster significant connections between your team. It gives everyone a chance to step away from the keyboard and make something. This kind of online event also lets participants involve all five senses! Make sure you include Arena Live Chat so that employees can easily ask for help and share their experiences.

4) Virtual Speed Networking

• Planning Effort: Low
• Impact: Low

As you explore different online events ideas for companies, it is crucial to tailor the idea to your company’s situation. If your company has recently hired many remote employees, that is an important reality to consider. Newly hired employees are less likely to have developed the internal networks and knowledge necessary to get ahead.

Organizing a virtual speed networking event is an excellent way to kickstart employee connections. The event format is simple. 

Schedule the event for 60 minutes and organize five ten-minute sessions. At the end of each 10-minute session, rotate people into a new meeting room. Break the ice by giving attendees a few starter questions (e.g., when did you join the company, your favorite movie, and what do you like doing outside of work)?

5) Virtual Murder Mystery

• Planning Effort: Medium
• Impact: Medium

Mysteries and detective stories – everything from Agatha Christie to Batman – have been famous for decades. These stories have human drama, clues, and intriguing puzzles to solve. To bring your team together, plan a virtual murder mystery online event!

For a hands-off approach, work with a facilitator like Detective Ness. Alternatively, you can run the session yourself by buying a kit like the Little Rock Horror Shop Murder! A virtual murder mystery event has outstanding team-building potential because you need to work together to solve a problem, analyze clues and ask good questions. 

6) Virtual Volunteer Event

• Planning Effort: High
• Impact: High

Corporate volunteering events have a long history of fostering team building while making the world better. At first, organizing a virtual volunteer event might feel tough. After all, you can’t exactly come together to paint a house, clean a yard or easily complete other tasks. Don’t worry; there are several ways to make this format work for you

The first option is to structure the virtual volunteer event as a celebration. With this approach, you’ll invite employees to spend a day volunteering with a local organization they love. Encourage them to take photos if permitted. A few days later, invite the volunteers to join an online event where they share photos and observations about their volunteer experiences.

As an alternative, you can also virtually perform some types of volunteer work! In this situation, think about your employees’ skills and which skills could be shared in a virtual context. For example, your employees might tutor students in math or English. Alternatively, you might offer a new immigrant networking session to help recent arrivals build connections. 

7) Virtual Holiday Event

• Planning Effort: Medium
• Impact: Medium

The holidays are an excellent time to bring together people for a celebration. For example, you might organize a virtual Halloween party close to October 31 where employees can show off their favorite costumes. Further, some companies plan a virtual Worksgiving event close to Thanksgiving to thank their employees. 

There is a critical nuance to scheduling a virtual holiday event: timing. You don’t want employees to feel compelled to show up for an event on Christmas Day or another official holiday. Instead, schedule your event about two to five days before the holiday.

From Online Events Ideas To Reality

Finding one or two live events ideas is just the beginning. Aside from simple events like a virtual happy hour, most of the best online events ideas for companies require planning, a team, and the right mix of technology. You’re not alone in this journey, though – download the Arena Live Events ebook to learn how to plan, promote, and run a successful online event.

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