Built Environment Networking
Meet Built Environment Networking, an events agency that used Hopin for a best-in-class hybrid conference
A new hybrid approach after hundreds of successful virtual events on Hopin
Built Environment Networking is a leading provider of networking events for the construction and real estate industries in the U.K. The agency organizes more than 100 large-scale conferences annually.
Over the past year and a half, Head of Marketing Nathan Spencer and his team have used Hopin for hundreds of successful virtual events. So, the decision to use the platform for their first-ever hybrid event was an easy one.
The benefits of utilizing Hopin for a hybrid event meant that we could connect to people both physically and virtually at this particular conference, which is crucial when we're hosting a national event with people covering every inch of the U.K.
Nathan Spencer
Head of Marketing, Built Environment Networking
The biggest challenge for Nathan and his team was the hybrid nature of the event. It was crucial for virtual attendees to have an experience that was equally as impactful as the in-person portion of the event. Luckily, they were able to pull this off using a range of Hopin features and integrations.
The people who were attending virtually could also see the audience. They could connect with the audience, not just through the app, but they could physically see them in person, which was a huge success. And the feedback that we've had was that they've never experienced something like it before.
Nathan Spencer
Head of Marketing, Built Environment Networking
A truly hybrid event
The extensive testing and preparation Nathan and his team conducted beforehand paid off - on the day of the conference, everything ran smoothly for organizers, speakers, and attendees. More importantly, virtual attendees were as engaged as those who joined in person.
Using Hopin Onsite (Boomset), Built Environment Networking commercialized the physical registration area and gave in-person attendees a seamless, branded check-in experience. This branding was reflected in the virtual environment as well, with customized colors, logos, and content in all event areas and stages.
Nathan and his team used StreamYard to combine multiple camera angles and had a walk-around camera so virtual attendees could see exclusive, behind-the-scenes shots during networking breaks.
Using Hopin also allowed Built Environment Networking to ensure the event aligned with their company values. These values include reducing carbon emissions within the construction and real estate industry and promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion.
We wanted to ensure that the people attending [online] weren’t just coming and watching a basic webinar. We wanted to ensure that they were connected with those who were physically in attendance. And that’s exactly what we managed to do by utilizing numerous different elements that Hopin, Boomset (Hopin Onsite) and ourselves had developed over the last few months to be able to integrate that into one event.
Nathan Spencer
Head of Marketing, Built Environment Networking
The Hopin features that made the event a success
Nathan and his team made the most of Hopin’s all-in-one event management platform to create a memorable hybrid experience for all attendees, regardless of location. Here are some of the features they used:
- Customization: The Hopin platform allowed Built Environment Networking to brand the entire hybrid event.
- Hopin app: With in-person attendees using the Hopin app and virtual attendees in the online platform, everyone who joined the event could network and message one another with ease.
- Expo: Sponsors hosted content online and in person, allowing them to connect with both virtual and physical attendees.
- Sessions: In addition to Expo booths, sponsors got more bang for their buck by hosting virtual breakout sessions.
- Hopin Onsite (Boomset): Nathan and his team used Hopin’s onsite solution to simplify the check-in process for onsite attendees (and event organizers) while keeping branding consistent throughout the experience.
- StreamYard: The powerful live stream studio featured multiple camera angles and visuals, allowing virtual attendees to feel like they were immersed in the event.
- Analytics: Built Environment Networking evaluated the success of the event with Hopin’s analytics and reporting tools. They could see registration and attendance rates, sponsorship booth interactions, and other key metrics.
- Replay: All event content is automatically recorded on Hopin via the Replay feature, so Nathan and his team could quickly export videos to share in their post-event communications.
Utilizing the StreamYard element and the feeds that they have has actually allowed us to save a considerable amount of time and money on trying to find a solution where virtual attendees can actually see what's happening in the physical world.
Nathan Spencer
Head of Marketing, Built Environment Networking
Hybrid is here to stay
Since the hybrid event, Nathan and his team have been inundated with positive comments from key stakeholders, including attendees, sponsors, and speakers.
Hopin’s reporting tools made it easy to measure engagement and attendance among virtual attendees. Nathan was thrilled to see that switching from a purely physical event to a hybrid format increased attendance by 40%.
The benefit of running it through Hopin meant that we had 300 people this time attending physically, but we also had 120 people attending virtually. Therefore, we created a new commercial element by allowing new people to experience the event.
Nathan Spencer
Head of Marketing, Built Environment Networking
Using Hopin has also improved Built Environment Networking’s post-event communication strategy. Before Hopin, they spent weeks preparing post-event videos to send to attendees and use on social media. Now with Hopin’s automatic recording feature, Replay, it only took a few clicks to export event content and distribute it to attendees via automated emails.
Nathan and his team are even exploring new commercial opportunities by offering access to event video content to those who couldn’t attend the event for a reduced fee.
The success of Built Environment Networking’s first hybrid conference has fundamentally changed how the agency operates. In the future, they plan to combine the physical events they’re used to hosting with virtual venues – all through Hopin. This will not only massively boost attendance and reach for their events, it will also increase ticket sales, sponsorship opportunities, and more.
40%
Increase in attendance versus physical event
100%
Ideal customer persona (ICP) attendance
£40K
In revenue generated from ticket sales
£20K
In revenue generated from sponsorship
One of the things we've found with virtual audiences is that we get a new audience – so people who are younger from different backgrounds, more diverse. And that's actually allowing us to create not only a new audience, but new commercial opportunities for ourselves as a business, which is allowing us to grow in the long term.
Nathan Spencer
Head of Marketing, Built Environment Network