1. www.p2meetings.com
Hybrid Conferencing:
Medical Education Advancement
B r i t t a n y W r i n n
C E O
R e n e e . W r i n n @ h o w a r d c c . e d u
O l a i d e O d u s o t e
C F O
O l a i d e . O d u s o t e @ h o w a r d c c . e d u
T r e n a J o h n s o n
P r e s i d e n t
T . J o h n s o n 6 8 6 3 @ h o w a r d c c . e d u
Executive Summary
Conferences and conventions are a significant investment.
However, the implementation of a well-organized hybrid
event can reduce the cost of such events, and increase the
returns in finances, increase membership, and raise morale.
The hybrid approach increases the ability for higher
participation levels at lower costs to consumers, and can be
effective at the expense of losing out on two-way
communication. Electronic Meeting Systems (EMS) can be
used in order to bridge this gap and maximize engagement
of virtual experiences, and online testing systems can be
utilized to ensure virtual attendance and provide the ability
to award Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits. This
paper also discusses the proper implementation of these
tools and how hybrid conferences can increase association
memberships.

2. Hybrid Conferencing
P2 Meetings Group
www.p2meetings.com
2
Contents
Introduction 3
What is Hybrid Conferencing? 3
Hosting a Hybrid Conference 4
Sponsorship for Hybrid Experiences 5
Virtual Attendance Experience 6
Continuing Medical Education (CME) Credits:
How to Implement Virtual Verification
6
Membership:
Continued Progression and Enhancement
7
The Cost of Going Hybrid 8
Summary 8

3. Hybrid Conferencing
P2 Meetings Group
www.p2meetings.com
3
Introduction
Each year, the world progresses with
advancements in the medical field, which
requires those employed within this field
to be in constant pursuit of the newest
findings and discoveries within their given
fields of study. Many of these findings are
through extensive research, but also
through technological advancements.
Technology is just as fluid and alive as the
medical field, and it spans over several
different fields. All the advancements
have made technology nearly a
requirement in our everyday lives, here in
the United States. If we are constantly
pursuing the best technology to conduct
research and enhance our understanding
of the medical field, should we not also
pursue this advancement in how we
present our findings within the medical
community?
Hybrid conferencing, like medical
advancements, requires the undertakers
to have a full working knowledge of
proper conduction of the tools necessary.
Conducting hybrid meetings requires the
understanding of what different options
are available, and what tools work best in
each endeavor.
P2 Meeting Specialists have a full working
knowledge of these platforms and can
assist in the proper implementation,
setup, presentation, and employment of
the tools which fit your group’s needs
whilst maintaining budgetary restrictions.
P2 Meeting Group understands these
hybrid platforms and how to utilize them
so as to enhance the experience for
present and virtual guests, increase guest
participation, and elevate the benefits of
group membership and sponsorships on all
platforms. Additionally, utilization of a
hybrid platform allows for CME credits to
be obtained by attendees during and after
the event has taken place. This benefit
also allows for guests to refer back to the
information obtained during presentations
at a later date, and can even be used to
continually bring in new memberships year
round through various subject promotions.
What is Hybrid Conferencing?
Hybrid Conferencing is an event which
combines a traditional, in-person event
with an ability to participate virtually.
Hybrid events are expanding in popularity
due to their ability to reach larger
audiences, without the costs and logistics
required to bring all participants together.
These events have also aided in the

4. Hybrid Conferencing
P2 Meetings Group
www.p2meetings.com
4
advancement of marketing and
sponsorship capabilities.
Hosting a Hybrid Conference can have
several benefits for your group, including:
Ø Cost reduction
Ø New Product Development and
Innovation
Ø Investigation of quality issues for the
advancement of future conference
experiences
Ø Guest Satisfaction
Ø Increased Membership through
enhanced benefits
Ø Additional sponsorships and
increased partnership opportunities
Ø Ability for guests to attend more
break out tracks than traditional
conferences
Ø Proof of retention for honorable
awarding of CME credits
Ø Ability to refer back to sessions and
tracks after the conference has
taken place
Ø Increased revenue
Ø Interaction between both guest
platforms during the sessions,
despite location
Ø And so much more!
Hosting a Hybrid Conference
For this event to have the greatest awards
for all parties involved, we at P2 Meetings
Group recommend an Asynchronous Hybrid
Event, which allows participants to join at
different times, from different locations,
with a complimentary set of activities for
full tool utilization and involvement of all
guests.
In order to conduct an Asynchronous
Hybrid Event, P2 recommends the
utilization of Electronic Meeting Systems
(EMS). These group engagement tools
were developed in response to research
conducted on organizational activity and
causes of ineffective meetings. This
system allows for participants to
contribute to live feeds anonymously. The
anonymity of this program allows guests
on both platforms to ask questions without
fear of criticism from their peers. This
system can also help for guests to submit
their questions during a program without
interruption to the speaker so they may be
answered at the end of the segment. EMS
systems also allow for live discussions and
immediate feedback of guest satisfaction.

5. Hybrid Conferencing
P2 Meetings Group
www.p2meetings.com
5
Sponsorship of Hybrid Experiences
Another benefit of Hybrid Conferencing is
the ability to offer more options for
advertisement and sponsorship to a larger
pool of businesses. In a traditional
conference, the main focus of sponsors
has been limited to mainly those of
medical connection. With the addition of
virtual attendance come the capabilities
for more vendors to have an interest,
because they know guests will be
connected for extended periods of time
via the internet, and be directly exposed
to the ads for these periods.
Potential New Sponsors include but are
not limited to:
Ø Pizza Delivery Companies
Ø Carbonated Beverage Corporations
Ø Fast Food Restaurants
Ø Full Service Restaurants
Ø Alcoholic Beverage Companies
Ø Technology Manufacturers
Ø Furniture Retailers
Ø Real Estate Groups
Ø Vehicle Dealerships
Ø Online Businesses
These different companies can now offer
their products directly to guests who fit
their market without purchasing booth
spaces or in conjunction with spaces. This
flexibility also creates the ability for them
to reach more guests and be seen or
heard, which means the charges can be
priced higher and more options can
become available.
For instance, a furniture company will not
want to come out and have a booth at
your event, but now they can purchase
online ad space, which would actually be
of interest to them. From there, proper
sales promotions can increase sponsorship
by also offering space on event flyers or
posters for attendees. In another
example, a full service restaurant chain
may want to purchase virtual and paper
advertisement spaces to promote their
services to guests who will be growing
hungry during the events of the
conference. A discount could be presented
to them if they also provide a meal or
multiple meals catered by their chain.
This ability can provide cut on catering
costs by bargaining deals of mutual
benefit, whilst still bringing in revenue.

6. Hybrid Conferencing
P2 Meetings Group
www.p2meetings.com
6
Virtual Attendance Experience
One common difficulty with having a
traditional conference is that fewer
people have the ability to attend to do
costs, travel restrictions, work, family,
and other various factors. Virtual
attendance makes it easier for guests to
still reap the benefits of the conference
without all of life’s difficulties, but their
experience will not be exactly the same as
physical attendance. Bridging the gap for
virtual attendees is an important
necessity. We spoke already of how EMS
can assist with closing the gap.
Virtual attendees will be able to
contribute to the events despite their
distances and complications when plugged
in live to the program. When logging in
after the completion of an event, the
guest will not have live feedback on
questions, but they will have an excellent
reference tool, and most of their
questions will be already answered by
their peers during the live feedback.
So what issue isn’t addressed?
Personal Networking in a real-time, face-
to-face environment is not available for
those who attend virtually, but it is an
important role in conferences because it is
how people make professional connections
in order to enhance knowledge, increase
opportunities, and spread the wealth of
knowledge they have to newer
generations.
Although this particular piece of the
conference is missing to the virtual guests,
it is still beneficial for guests to attend in
order to receive their CME credits, expand
their knowledge, and show guests the true
value of physical attendance to future
events.
Live video streams of guests interactions
during icebreakers allows for virtual
attendees to see these benefits and assist
in future conference promotion. Sharing
photos from fun bonus activities on the
virtual platform can also provide personal
promotion and increase membership, as
well.
Continuing Medical Education (CME)
Credits: How to Implement Virtual
Verification
The great benefit of an EMS combined
with an asynchronous hybrid event is that
you can prove a guest has attended
virtually and actively taken part in the
growth of their knowledge base. This can

7. Hybrid Conferencing
P2 Meetings Group
www.p2meetings.com
7
be viewed by discussion posts, viewing
times, and quizzes!
…but nobody wants to take quizzes!
Here’s where we have the opportunity to
“kill two birds with one stone.”
When you ask questions about a particular
session and title the top of the page as
“We’d Love Your Feedback,” you’ll
receive guest feedback on the session, the
presenter, the overall experience, and
what they actually learned all in one! Most
people are not fond of quizzes, and some
actually perform poorly on quizzes for
personal reasons, but by providing an
opportunity to speak their minds about
what they’ve learned during the session,
and letting them know this is how you
attest to their attendance during the
session, you’ll have documentable proof of
the guest’s attendance virtually and
physically.
Membership: Continued Progression
and Enhancement
This document has touched briefly on
different ways to increase membership
already, but allow us the opportunity to
divulge further information.
By including virtual feed of icebreaker
events and face-to-face networking, you:
Ø Show the value of being in
attendance physically
Ø Show how much fun the conference
is… almost like a vacation!
Ø Allow guests to see why it would be
beneficial to sign up or renew for
membership in order to keep costs
low.
By including virtual attendance to the
conference, you:
Ø Show some of the big names worth
networking with in the association
Ø Allow guests to obtain necessary CME
credits from home
Ø Provide the opportunity to promote
the various benefits of membership
Ø Show how the conference can aid in
continuing the knowledge of one
person, a private practice, large
groups, and even students

8. Hybrid Conferencing
P2 Meetings Group
www.p2meetings.com
8
The Cost of Going Hybrid
“Going Hybrid” may seem like an
expensive venture to take, but the reality
is, it is more expensive to neglect this
positive enhancement.
The EMS has a one-time logistical set up
cost varying based upon the customer base
and the needs of the association. For a
larger conference such as this, the initial
cost will vary around $5,000-$8,000. The
annual renewal fee is also based upon
total participation and is approximately
$3-7 per participant, which can be met by
increasing membership dues by $5.
Traditional A/V prices will be increased as
well, but the investment will out-weigh
the initial costs. Although prices will vary
between locations due to differences in
mandatory provisions, existing
capabilities, and more, the all-inclusive
price range for the span of the conference
ranges around $10,000 with sponsor
benefits due to the expert negotiation
skills and professional working
relationships exclusive to P2 Meetings
Group.
In total, the cost of Going Hybrid will be
$15,000-18,000.
At the average rate of $150/virtual
attendee with an estimate of 6,000 virtual
attendees, the total is looking to be
$900,000 spent by guests for virtual
attendance. By subtracting $15,000 from
this total, there is still a profit of
$885,000.
Summary
To conclude, the costs of a Hybrid
Conference experience are a worth-while
investment. This endeavor is beneficial to
the guests, the speakers, the sponsors,
and the association! Electronic Meeting
Systems enhance the experiences of
virtual guests and are useable as a
promotional platform year round. The only
true loss between physical and virtual
attendance is the lack of face-to-face
networking, but this added benefit is
promoted for future conferences through
the use of hybrid connectivity.
Sponsorship and Profit are increased
exponentially due to the added platform,
which increases the bottom line of the
event itself. Full and proper utilization
through a knowledgeable source will
greatly increase the success of this
endeavor.
References
Bather, Steve. “Innovation in Hybrid
Events: New Meeting Tools That Increase
Audience Engagement and Commitment
To Results.” MeetingSphere. Print.
Cvent Online Solutions. 2014. Web. 6 Oct
2014.

9. Hybrid Conferencing
P2 Meetings Group
www.p2meetings.com
9
P2 Meetings Group
P2 Meetings Group is a dedicated team of event professionals with knowledge of hybrid
events, business conferences, conventions, and other professional meetings. Our team
strives to bring you the event you’ll enjoy and remember for years to come. We work to
ensure all of your needs exceed expectations without exceeding you budget and hope to be
your meeting group of choice for all of your future events.
Howard Community College
10901 Little Patuxent Parkway
Columbia, Maryland 21044
Jodi Fisher, CHE, CHA
Associate Professor
Hospitality Coordinator
Center for Hospitality and Culinary Studies
jodifisher@howardcc.edu
443-518-4091
Sheryl Brannon, CMP, MBA
Adjunct Faculty Professor
Hospitality Management Program
sbrannon@howardcc.edu
HMGT 163 – Introduction to Meetings
240-432-5271
R. Brittany Wrinn

10. Hybrid Conferencing
P2 Meetings Group
www.p2meetings.com
4
Renee.Wrinn@howardcc.edu
Olaide Odusote
Olaide.Odusote@howardcc.edu
Trena Johnson
T.Johnson6863@howardcc.edu