Plus Minus Meeting Hybrid

Meeting hybrid, alias meeting yang dilakukan secara fisik dan virtual konon bakal jadi tren di masa pandemi. Ibarat dua sisi mata uang, meeting hybrid punya keunggulan sekaligus kekurangannya.

Coba sebut platform pertemuan atau meeting online apa yang belum pernah Anda gunakan. Platform Zoom, bisa jadi sudah makanan sehari-hari, entah untuk pertemuan bisnis, mengikuti webinar, atau konferensi lainnya.

Sementara Google Meet, juga pasti sudah cukup akrab, apalagi bagi para orang tua yang mendampingi anaknya sekolah online.

Di era pandemi ini, kegiatan MICE juga beradaptasi dengan situasi dan beralih menjadi kegiatan online. Perpaduan pertemuan fisik dan virtual alias hybrid mulai ramai digunakan.

Maklum saja, dalam situasi normal tanpa pandemi, kegiatan MICE identik dengan menimbulkan kerumunan dan mendatangkan orang.

Walau cukup solutif, namun meeting hybrid bukan berarti bebas hambatan. Mari kita bahas keuntungan dan kekurangan meeting hibrid.

Keuntungan:

1.       Memudahkan peserta, bahkan dari berbagai daerah dan negara untuk hadir tanpa memikirkan biaya akomodasi.

2.       Membatasi jumlah orang yang hadir secara fisik, ini sejalan dengan protokol kesehatan yang mensyaratkan venue MICE hanya boleh diisi 50 persen bahkan 25 persen dari kapasitas.

3.      Sudah banyak venue MICE seperti hotel yang menyediakan paket-paket meeting hybrid. Sehingga penyelenggara tidak perlu memikirkan koneksi internet, dan suasana pun terasa seperti menyelenggarakan meeting di era sebelum pandemi.

Kekurangan:

1.       Jaringan internet yang kadang tidak stabil seringkali membuat jalannya meeting hybrid terhambat.

2.       Penyelenggara mesti pandai-pandai mengemas meeting hybrid supaya tidak terasa membosankan dan peserta tetap betah sampai kegiatan selesai.

3.      Bagi penyelenggara kegiatan MICE, konsep meeting hybrid menuntut juga investasi baik untuk sumber daya manusia maupun peralatan.

Faktanya, sebagai mahkluk sosial, pertemuan fisik antar sesama manusia rasanya tak tergantikan. Namun di masa sulit ini, konsep hibrid bisa jadi solusi sementara.

Harapannya, pandemi bisa segera teratasi, lalu kita bisa menghadiri berbagai kegiatan MICE secara fisik dengan segala kenormalan barunya. Sementara teknologi tetap menjadi pelengkap yang membuat kegiatan MICE semakin asyik dinikmati.

English

Pros and Cons of Hybrid Meetings

Hybrid meetings, or the combination of physical and virtual meetings, are said to be a trend during this pandemic.  Like two sides of a coin, hybrid meetings have both advantages and disadvantages.

Try to name an online meeting platform that you have never used. Zoom can be a daily staple, whether for business meetings, attending webinars, or other kinds of conferences.

You must be familiar with Google Meet as well, especially for parents who regularly accompany their children during online school.

In this pandemic, activities related to MICE are also adjusted to adapt to the current situation by switching to online-based activities.  The combination of physical and virtual meetings, or known as hybrid meetings, is starting to get popular.

It comes as no surprise since MICE events are synonymous with creating crowds and drawing a lot of people.

Although the hybrid meeting can be quite a solution, it does not mean that it can be considered as a no-brainer. Henceforth, let's discuss the advantages and disadvantages of hybrid meetings.

Advantages:

1. Make it easier for participants, even from various regions and countries to attend the meeting without thinking about accommodation costs.
2. Limiting the number of people that are physically present, this is in line with the health protocol which requires MICE venues to only be filled at 50 percent or even 25 percent of the overall capacity.
3. There are many MICE venues such as hotels that already provide the hybrid meeting sessions. Therefore, the organizers don't need to think about the availability of the internet connection, and the atmosphere is set to feel like holding a meeting in the pre-pandemic era.

Disadvantages:

1. The internet network that is sometimes unstable often disrupts the flow of the meeting.
2. The organizers should be good at keeping the mood up in hybrid meetings so that the participants don't feel bored and stay engaged until the meeting is over.
3. For MICE event organizers, the hybrid meeting concept also demands investment in both human resources and the needed equipment.  

In fact, as social creatures, physical encounters between human beings are irreplaceable. But in these difficult times, the hybrid concept can be a temporary solution.

We can only hope that the pandemic can be resolved soon so that we can physically attend various MICE events with the things that become the new normal. Nevertheless, technology remains a complement for MICE activities to be even more enjoyable.