An iPad wall of online attendees welcomes the in-person crowd.
technique — attributed to John Woo
Woo illustrates the fifth-wall bridge concretely. Instead of the standard photo op area at event entry, build a wall of iPad screens showing the faces of online attendees welcoming the in-person audience as they arrive. Take it further: in-person attendees can pick up an iPad and walk around with it, carrying an online person through the physical space. The technique inverts the usual hierarchy in which online attendees are second-class. Here, the online attendees become the hosts of arrival, and the in-person attendees become the guests being welcomed. The reframe produces a different texture of connection across the two audiences than passive simulcasts can.
For experiential agencies, corporate event teams, and brand experience leads designing hybrid events with both meaningful in-person and meaningful online audiences. The technique requires investment in hardware and operations that simple streaming does not.
ipad-wall, online-presence, welcome-design, spiro-execution