FAQ

What is a multiple city hub event?

Simply put, a multiple city hub event is an event designed so that attendees can meet face to face in hubs located in different cities/countries, but all connected via an online platform.

Is this the same as the “Hub and Spoke” format?

Multiple city hybrid hub meetings can include, but are not limited to, the “Hub and Spoke” meeting format, which suggests the main meeting location with satellite hubs in other locations. Other terms used are “decentralized” and “satellite”. The role of each hub, whether it is as the main event hub, or as a satellite hub, or all hubs host-sharing, will be determined by the objectives of your event and therefore the design of the event.

For us as the Hybrid City Alliance a key element is to give all the delegates, no matter where they are located, a similar experience. Hybrid events are not about maintaining one audience divided by distance but using technology to grow audiences and share experiences. This is a new world for our market, it is continually evolving and more complex than people realise.

We have been exploring the option to have our international conference organized by connecting our regional members as hubs, the multiple city hub format may work for us, how can the Hybrid City Alliance help?

You may contact the CVB of a partner city of the Alliance in which at least one of your meeting hubs will be located.  In 3 simple steps that CVB can act as your point of contact to engage with the other cities in your region(s) of interest.

We would like to have our international conference next year but are concerned about frequently changing travel restrictions, the comfort levels of our delegates regarding travel and our preference for a face-to-face event. How can the Hybrid Alliance help?

In 3 simple steps, the Alliance can support your decision to create meeting hubs to facilitate face to face interaction and limit travel.

What if we want to have one of our conference hubs in a city that is not part of the Hybrid City Alliance?

The Hybrid City Alliance is not an exclusive club but a solution for international event organizers. The Alliance has a core of strong partner cities who will engage as necessary to provide clients with a trusted solution.

We have our own PCO that we use for all of our conferences, what would be their role if we were to use the Hybrid City Alliance?

The Alliance encourages PCOs to expand their services to include multiple city hub events, if relevant for them. In 3 simple steps, the role of the Alliance will then be to ensure that, acting on your behalf, your PCO is supported. Alliance members are like air traffic controllers, pushing the business in the right direction and managing the flow of opportunities – the results flow from there.

Are there any extra costs involved in using the Hybrid City Alliance?

There are no fees involved in accessing the services of the Alliance. For cities wanting to join the alliance, there is a nominal marketing admin fee but otherwise there is no cost to entry.  Most importantly though we are looking for a human resource and time commitment.  We are looking for our members to become involved and make an effort.  Those that do so will reap the greatest reward.

We would like to use the Hybrid City Alliance to provide us with access to cities that we have not held conferences in the past, but with which we would like to establish a relationship, is this possible?

Connecting with one partner city of the Alliance provides quick access to all partners of the Alliance and also to partner cities still to join the Alliance.

Does the Hybrid City Alliance have its own event platform?

The Alliance can connect you to trusted service providers to select the right event platform that suits the needs of your event. Across the world we have multiple destinations with access to multiple platform providers. Much like our attitude to the organisation of the event we don’t feel it appropriate for us to develop a platform. That decision should be left to the organisers who know what they want and need for their events to be a success. A key part of the alliance is our ability to bring our local partners on board to deliver all the various elements of an event and ensure they engage with the PCOs to achieve the strategic and logistical goals of any event.