Hybrid Board Meeting Design & Engagement
How MPI planned a successful hybrid board meeting by prioritizing safety, engagement, and learning.
MPI’s goal was to execute an engaging and inclusive hybrid board meeting for every stakeholder in attendance— in-person or via Zoom.
The Situation
When it’s time to pivot
Throughout 2020, MPI President & CEO, Paul VanDeventer faced unexpected and unprecedented challenges along with the entire MPI community. It’s necessary to make plans and move forward, but the industry is facing new territory and it’s complicated, even for MPI.
Last year, as the annual IBOD Strategic Retreat approached, the question at the top of Paul’s mind was: How do we conduct a safe, productive, and inclusive board meeting with MPI’s International Board of Directors in the midst of a pandemic?
The Challenge
Navigating hybrid unknowns
At the beginning of 2020, Paul and his team were planning-as-usual for MPI’s annual meeting, slated for in-person attendance in June. Paul was also traveling-as-usual until Covid hit in early March.
MPI’s World Education Conference, a live event scheduled for June 2020, officially switched to hybrid and rescheduled for early November. As the largest meeting and event industry association worldwide, MPI prioritized leadership and learning to help show the business events community how to execute a safe and engaging hybrid event, with Duty of Care at the forefront of all planning.
Solutions
The right people, technologies and partners
In order to develop content and produce events that are meaningful to attendees, hybrid events become highly complex endeavors. Technology presents new variables that require extra consideration.
Tech recommendations and consultations from experts helped highlight some of the challenges attendees face and helped MPI anticipate different levels of tech-literacy and attendee behaviors.
The Experts Included:
In terms of preparation, tech implementation and execution, the meeting was a resounding success.
Results
Learn by doing
MPI and Paul received positive feedback from the IBOD meeting attendees. Now that the first-ever hybrid board meeting is officially adjourned, MPI can share specific takeaways to improve hybrid event experiences for the MPI community.
Learning Opportunities
Attendees want more time to engage.
Technology can affect the in-person experience.
Bring in the experts.
Tech tools can create engagement or they can stifle it.
Read the details of how this hybrid board meeting came to be through the full case study download above.
