The Hybrid City Alliance has added five new members to its ranks, released a whitepaper exploring the design, sustainability and risks of hybrid and multi-hub hybrid events, as well as launched a dedicated website.

The five new members are Costa Rica Convention Bureau, Fukuoka Convention & Visitors Bureau (Japan), Liverpool Convention Bureau (UK), Quito Tourism Board (Ecuador), and Tourism Winnipeg (Canada).

These additions bring the total membership to 17 cities from 12 countries across six continents. Meanwhile, Fukuoka Convention & Visitors Bureau joins Seoul Convention Bureau and Business Events Sydney as the only three Asia-Pacific bureaus on the list.

The free whitepaper, entitled Your Ultimate Guide to Multi-City Hybrid Events, was produced from the output of four global workshops in January and February 2021 attended by congress organisers, convention bureaux, and suppliers such as hotels and AV companies.

The whitepaper sets out to:

• Define what it means to run a multi-city hybrid event – this includes the challenge of seeking a definition of hybrid events and identifying where they sit in the industry’s wider offering and vernacular.
• Help choose whether or not to organise an in-person, digital or multi-hub hybrid event, including the various challenges and benefits of each.
• Provide ideas and guidance on the design of a successful multi-hub event with an awareness that this can mean creating separate live, digital and hybrid experiences with content appropriate to each as a stand-alone offering and the wider event as a whole.
• Consider the sustainability of multi-hub hybrid events, measure their impact on the world and apply appropriate actions to mitigate damage.
• Identify the risks associated with hybrid events, in particular those areas where risk to an event’s success is increased by a switch to the hybrid and multi-hub formats.
• Highlight health and safety challenges, particularly in light of an ongoing global pandemic.

Bridget Chisholm, director of conferences at the International Leadership Association, said: “The Hybrid City Alliance is poised to provide invaluable partnerships, making it easier for planners to move forward with hybrid and multi-hub events. This creative alliance offers the opportunity for associations to grow membership not only in areas that have historically not had the resources to travel but also in existing markets keen to stay put.

“When we are able to cast this wider net of participation, the space is created for the advancement of new knowledge, innovative practices, and cutting-edge theory which benefits not only members but also the larger global community.”