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Powering 12,000+ Hybrid Events

Hybrid Event Streaming

Unite In-Person and Virtual Audiences Seamlessly

Stream conferences, meetings, and events to in-person and remote attendees simultaneously. Create equal experiences across both audiences with synchronized content, real-time interaction, and enterprise-scale reliability.

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Hybrid Events: Best of Both Worlds

Hybrid events combine in-person and virtual attendance, expanding reach while maintaining personal connection. Post-pandemic, organizations discovered hybrid formats increase attendance by 3-5x while reducing per-attendee costs by 60-70%. However, creating equal experiences for both audiences requires specialized infrastructure that traditional streaming solutions don't provide. WAVE enables seamless hybrid events where virtual attendees feel as engaged as those in the room.

3.2x
Attendance Increase vs In-Person Only
67%
Cost Reduction per Attendee
94%
Virtual Attendee Satisfaction

Common Hybrid Event Challenges

Creating Equal Experiences

Virtual attendees often feel like second-class participants with poor audio, missed visual cues, and limited interaction opportunities. Traditional streaming treats remote audiences as passive viewers rather than active participants, leading to disengagement and lower satisfaction scores.

Venue WiFi Reliability

Conference venues often have inconsistent WiFi that struggles under load when hundreds of attendees connect simultaneously. Streaming requires dedicated, reliable bandwidth that venue infrastructure frequently can't provide, leading to dropped streams during critical moments.

Cross-Audience Interaction Complexity

Enabling meaningful interaction between in-person and virtual attendees requires coordinating Q&A systems, chat moderation, polling, networking, and breakout sessions across both groups. Without integrated tools, this coordination becomes overwhelming for event staff.

The WAVE Solution for Hybrid Events

WAVE provides purpose-built hybrid event infrastructure that creates equal, engaging experiences for both in-person and virtual attendees, with seamless interaction, reliable streaming, and enterprise-grade features that make hybrid events effortless.

WAVE PIPELINE

Unified streaming for dual audiences

  • <3 second latency for real-time hybrid interaction
  • Multi-camera venue coverage with auto-switching
  • Adaptive quality for diverse network conditions
  • Backup stream redundancy for critical events

Cross-Audience Engagement

Unified interaction for all attendees

  • Unified Q&A system for in-room and virtual questions
  • Live polling synchronized across both audiences
  • Chat integration with in-venue display screens
  • Hybrid breakout rooms mixing both audience types

Venue Integration

Professional AV and connectivity

  • Direct venue AV system integration
  • Dedicated bandwidth bonding for reliability
  • Professional multi-camera production workflows
  • On-site technical support for critical events

Enterprise Features

Scale and security for professional events

  • 100,000+ concurrent virtual attendee capacity
  • Attendee authentication and access control
  • Complete event recording and analytics
  • GDPR-compliant attendee data management

Recommended Configuration

Protocol: WebRTC for Interactive Events

Sub-3-second latency enables real-time Q&A, polling, and interaction between in-person and virtual attendees. Essential for creating equal experiences across both audiences.

Quality: 1080p @ 30fps for Conferences

Professional quality at 3Mbps bitrate ensures clear slides and speaker visibility without excessive bandwidth requirements for remote attendees on varied connections.

Fallback: HLS for Keynote Broadcasts

Automatic fallback to HLS for large keynote sessions where interaction is limited, providing maximum scale and reliability for broadcast-style presentations.

Implementation Guide

Deploy professional hybrid event streaming with WAVE's comprehensive venue and virtual audience integration. From planning to post-event, we've got you covered.

Prerequisites Checklist

  • WAVE account with hybrid events plan (Professional or Enterprise)
  • Venue AV equipment or WAVE mobile production kit
  • Minimum 20Mbps dedicated upload bandwidth (50Mbps recommended)
  • Event registration platform with attendee list
  • Optional: Event management software for integration

Step-by-Step Setup

1

Create Hybrid Event Production

Set up your hybrid event environment with dual-audience configuration.

POST /api/v1/events/hybrid
{ "name": "Tech Summit 2024", "venue": "Convention Center", "audiences": ["in-person", "virtual"] }
2

Configure Venue AV Integration

Connect to venue audio/video systems for professional production quality.

  • • Main stage camera: 1080p @ 30fps (podium/speaker)
  • • Audience camera: 720p @ 30fps (for Q&A reactions)
  • • Presentation feed: 1080p screen capture (slides/demos)
  • • Audio: Direct feed from venue sound system
3

Set Up Cross-Audience Q&A System

Enable unified question submission and moderation for both audience types.

// Configure hybrid Q&A
wave.qa.configure({
  unifiedQueue: true,
  moderationRequired: true,
  displayToVenue: true
});
4

Configure Network Redundancy

Set up bandwidth bonding and backup connections for reliable venue streaming.

  • • Primary: Venue hardwired internet (ethernet)
  • • Backup 1: Dedicated mobile hotspot (5G/LTE)
  • • Backup 2: WAVE cellular bonding (automatic failover)
  • • Monitor bandwidth health with real-time alerts
5

Enable Virtual Attendee Features

Activate engagement tools that make virtual attendees first-class participants.

wave.virtual.enable({
  livePolling: true,
  networking: true,
  breakoutRooms: true,
  chatWithVenue: true
});
6

Configure In-Venue Displays

Display virtual attendee engagement on venue screens to create unified experience.

  • • Show virtual Q&A questions on confidence monitors
  • • Display live poll results on venue screens
  • • Show virtual attendee count and engagement metrics
  • • Highlight virtual participant names during discussions
7

Test Complete Hybrid Experience

Run full rehearsal with test attendees in both audiences before event day.

  • • Test venue audio/video quality from virtual perspective
  • • Verify Q&A system works for both audience types
  • • Test network failover by disconnecting primary connection
  • • Confirm virtual attendees can join and interact
8

Launch Event & Monitor Engagement

Go live with real-time monitoring of both in-person and virtual audience engagement.

Pro Tip: Start stream 15 minutes before event with lobby music and countdown. This gives virtual attendees time to test connections and ensures smooth start.

Code Examples

Hybrid Event Stream Configuration

Initialize dual-audience streaming setup

import { WAVEClient } from '@wave/sdk';

import { DesignTokens, getContainer, getSection } from '@/lib/design-tokens';
const wave = new WAVEClient({
  apiKey: process.env.WAVE_API_KEY,
  environment: 'production'
});

// Create hybrid event production
const event = await wave.events.createHybrid({
  name: 'Annual Tech Summit 2024',
  venue: {
    name: 'Grand Convention Center',
    location: 'San Francisco, CA',
    capacity: 500
  },

  // Streaming configuration
  streaming: {
    protocol: 'WebRTC',
    latencyMode: 'low',
    quality: {
      main: { resolution: '1080p', framerate: 30, bitrate: 3000000 },
      backup: { resolution: '720p', framerate: 30, bitrate: 1500000 }
    }
  },

  // Hybrid features
  features: {
    unifiedQA: true,
    crossAudiencePolling: true,
    virtualNetworking: true,
    breakoutRooms: true,
    venueDisplayIntegration: true
  },

  // Virtual audience configuration
  virtualCapacity: 10000,
  requireRegistration: true,
  enableRecording: true
});

console.log('Event ID:', event.id);
console.log('Virtual Join URL:', event.virtualUrl);
console.log('Venue Stream Key:', event.venueStreamKey);

Cross-Audience Q&A Integration

Unified question system for both audiences

// Setup unified Q&A system
const qaSystem = wave.qa.initialize({
  eventId: event.id,

  // Question sources
  sources: {
    inPerson: {
      enabled: true,
      requireModeration: false, // Microphone questions already moderated
      displaySource: true
    },
    virtual: {
      enabled: true,
      requireModeration: true, // Online questions need review
      displaySource: true
    }
  },

  // Display configuration
  display: {
    venueScreen: true, // Show on confidence monitors
    virtualStream: true, // Show in virtual interface
    speakerNotes: true // Send to presenter device
  },

  // Moderation workflow
  moderation: {
    autoApprove: false,
    prioritizeInPerson: false, // Equal priority
    flagKeywords: ['inappropriate', 'spam']
  }
});

// Listen for new questions
qaSystem.on('question_submitted', async (question) => {
  console.log(`New question from ${question.source}: ${question.text}`);

  // Auto-approve in-person questions
  if (question.source === 'in-person') {
    await qaSystem.approve(question.id);
  }
});

// Display approved questions
qaSystem.on('question_approved', (question) => {
  // Show on venue displays
  venueDisplay.showQuestion(question);

  // Highlight in virtual interface
  virtualUI.highlightQuestion(question);
});

Customer Success Story

TechForward Conference

Annual technology leadership summit

The Challenge

TechForward's 2023 conference accommodated 500 in-person attendees at capacity, leaving 2,000+ on waitlists. Traditional virtual streaming felt disconnected with 30-second delays and no meaningful interaction. Virtual attendees reported feeling like "second-class participants" with 43% satisfaction ratings. Post-event surveys showed 67% wouldn't register for virtual attendance again.

The Solution

TechForward migrated to WAVE's hybrid event platform for their 2024 conference, maintaining 500 in-person capacity while adding 5,000 virtual attendees. WAVE's sub-3-second latency enabled real-time Q&A integration, synchronized polling, and hybrid breakout rooms mixing both audience types. Virtual attendees could network, ask questions, and participate equally with in-person participants.

The Results

11x
Total Attendance Increase
94%
Virtual Satisfaction Score
$320K
Additional Revenue

"WAVE transformed our conference from capacity-constrained to globally accessible. Virtual attendees rated their experience 94% satisfaction—nearly identical to in-person ratings. The unified Q&A meant speakers couldn't tell if questions came from the room or online. We increased attendance 11x while reducing per-attendee costs by 67%. Hybrid is our future."

— Jennifer Martinez, Conference Director, TechForward

Best Practices for Hybrid Event Success

Venue Setup

  • • Position cameras to capture speaker and slides equally
  • • Use dedicated microphones for clear virtual audio
  • • Test venue WiFi load capacity before event day
  • • Have backup internet connection ready (cellular bonding)

Audience Engagement

  • • Treat virtual questions with same priority as in-person
  • • Display virtual attendee count on venue screens
  • • Create hybrid networking breaks mixing both groups
  • • Acknowledge virtual participants by name during sessions

Technical Reliability

  • • Use wired ethernet for primary venue connection
  • • Enable automatic failover to cellular backup
  • • Monitor stream health with real-time alerts
  • • Have backup laptop ready with pre-configured stream

Virtual Experience

  • • Provide dedicated virtual networking spaces
  • • Offer virtual-only breakout sessions for smaller groups
  • • Send pre-event tech check emails to virtual registrants
  • • Enable post-event recordings for those who couldn't attend live

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you create equal experiences for in-person and virtual attendees?

WAVE's sub-3-second latency enables real-time interaction where virtual attendees participate identically to in-person guests. Unified Q&A, synchronized polling, and hybrid breakout rooms ensure both audience types have equal access to speakers, networking, and content. Virtual questions appear on venue screens just like microphone questions from the room.

What happens if venue WiFi becomes unreliable during the event?

WAVE provides automatic failover to cellular backup connections using bandwidth bonding technology. If primary venue internet degrades, the system seamlessly switches to mobile hotspots or cellular bonding within 2-3 seconds, invisible to virtual attendees. We recommend testing failover before each event to ensure backup connectivity is ready.

Can remote speakers present to the in-person audience?

Yes. WAVE supports remote speaker integration where virtual presenters appear on venue screens with broadcast quality. Remote speakers can see the in-person audience, respond to questions from both audiences, and share slides that display in the venue and virtual stream simultaneously. Sub-3-second latency makes remote presentations feel natural and interactive.

How does cross-audience Q&A work in practice?

Virtual attendees submit questions through the stream interface, which appear in a moderation queue alongside in-person microphone questions. Moderators see all questions in unified view and can approve them for speakers. Approved questions display on venue confidence monitors and in the virtual interface, making the source (in-person vs virtual) transparent to everyone.

What's the typical setup time for a hybrid event?

Professional AV setup typically requires 2-4 hours for single-stage events, including camera positioning, audio configuration, and connectivity testing. Multi-room conferences require 4-8 hours. WAVE provides setup checklists and can arrange on-site technical support for mission-critical events. We recommend venue site survey 1-2 weeks before for large conferences.

How many concurrent virtual attendees can you support?

WAVE Professional plans support up to 10,000 concurrent virtual attendees per event. Enterprise plans support 100,000+ concurrent attendees with maintained low latency. For conferences expecting larger audiences, we offer custom scaling. Our infrastructure has successfully handled events with 500,000+ concurrent virtual participants.

What are the pricing options for hybrid events?

Professional hybrid event plans start at $499/month including 1,000 concurrent virtual attendees and 40 hours of streaming. Enterprise plans start at $1,999/month with 10,000 concurrent attendees and unlimited streaming. Per-event pricing available starting at $1,200 for single-day conferences. Volume discounts for organizations hosting multiple events annually.

Do you provide on-site technical support for events?

Yes. For Enterprise plans and critical events, WAVE provides on-site technical producers who handle all streaming setup, monitoring, and troubleshooting. Technical support is available in major cities worldwide. For events in remote locations, we provide remote monitoring and phone support throughout your event. All plans include 24/7 emergency technical support.

Related Use Cases

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