MCLEAN, Va.—In response to the shift in how people meet and celebrate in the era of COVID-19, Hilton announced its set of Hilton EventReady Hybrid Solutions. The new suite of offerings, which the company plans to continue to evolve, directs event planners to Hilton’s hybrid-ready hotels while also providing them with planning resources—including an expanded Hilton EventReady Playbook and flexible customer offers. Participating hotels will have access to team member training resources to build and strengthen their knowledge in hybrid events.
“Hilton has remained a leader in the meetings and events industry for more than 100 years by listening intently and innovating quickly to changing customer needs,” said Martin Rinck, executive vice president and chief brand officer, Hilton. “Hilton EventReady Hybrid Solutions were born out of our continued commitment to excellence—from accessing the capabilities of our global portfolio to rolling out a suite of extensive event planner resources and introducing team member training to ensure we can deliver the optimum overall event experience.”
The Hilton EventReady Hybrid Solutions will begin rolling out globally this month. Additionally, the expanded hybrid events chapter of the Hilton EventReady Playbook—which will include detailed case studies, pro-tips, a glossary of hybrid event terms, and more—will also be available in English this month and accessible to customers working with any hotel within the Hilton global portfolio.
The portfolio of hybrid-ready hotels will spotlight the baseline requirements for hosting a small hybrid event, which include:
- IT readiness: Each hotel will have undergone an evaluation to assess the available IT bandwidth and infrastructure of the hotel to meet the requirements of small hybrid events. To be deemed “hybrid-ready,” hotels are required to have a minimum amount of incremental and available bandwidth that is above and beyond the hotel’s average circuit utilization level. This requirement allows for seamless communication and connectivity to optimize the hybrid experience within the hotel while providing easy access for virtual attendees.
- Multi-site offering and express agreements: These incentives enable customers to book the in-person portion of their event at multiple hybrid-ready Hilton locations as well as create a more seamless contract experience.
- Expanded Playbook: While the EventReady Playbook is available to customers globally, those looking for in-depth information on planning and executing small hybrid events can access the expanded Hybrid Events chapter, which will continue to evolve alongside customer needs.
As part of the Hilton EventReady Hybrid Solutions, Encore (formerly PSAV) is offering several event technology packages created for small hybrid events at participating hotels in addition to Presentation Stages, a production-ready event solution equipped with critical broadcast technology and staging equipment that helps elevate event messaging and engagement. Presentation Stages offer a clean and safe pre-built location to produce, record, and/or broadcast a high-quality online event far exceeding production values available from the typical home or office. The Hilton properties equipped with event technology will accommodate two to six onsite presenters and up to 50 in-person attendees.
Presentation Stages are currently available to book at Conrad Fort Lauderdale Beach, Hilton Atlanta, Hilton Anatole, Hilton Denver, and The Beverly Hilton with several more being made available in Cleveland, Minneapolis, New York, Washington, D.C., and across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa by the end of the year.
