Staying Creative While Planning Virtual Events
From home workout videos, to reality TV shows like #TheCircle, it is no surprise that technology and virtual realities have become our new normal. Dating apps inspire connection for singles, Facetime reunites families, and biz mastermind sessions can all be done from the click of a button while still in your PJs.
As an event planner who loves coffee appointments and meeting face to face, this time of quarantine has not been the easiest. However, I have loved coming up with creative ways to still engage friends, family, and clients.
As I was brainstorming unique ways to engage audiences virtually, I thought of how important personal touches are to any event. I mean come on, the swanky decor, lavish giveaways, and networking opportunities are half the fun of events. Even though we can’t have gift baskets delivered to hotel rooms, or meet keynote speakers in person, there are SO many other alternatives.
Listed below are my top 10 ideas for making a virtual event personable, yet still engaging.
Skip the yawns early in the morning and start out with a dance party to some Beyonce music. Rachel Hollis does this at all of her #Rise conferences and it is the perfect way to get everyone’s endorphins going. If dancing isn’t your forte, get the digital crowd going with trivia games like Sporcle. Know your audience and prep beforehand to create great questions.
This one is great for small virtual retreats or gatherings with a closed registration. Send everyone a swag item or a little gift bag in the mail. If you are hosting a wellness retreat and are expecting under 50 people, send face masks or even gift cards with a personalized thank you. Just because you’re meeting online, doesn’t mean you can’t pamper your virtual guests from afar.
Welcome people with enthusiasm on the call! Whoever is hosting the event, should recognize and call out people who are joining in. With your registration data, figure out how many people are calling in from various countries. Mail out a gift to the person or team who has attended every conference prior. Encourage the audience to use your hashtag to enter them into a giveaway.
For breakout sessions, hire a meditation coach or #Zumba instructor to get people moving before the next session.
For designated lunch times, encourage your audience to have virtual cook-offs in their kitchens. We did this for my friend’s surprise birthday and there isn’t any reason you can do this for a larger event. In fact, Zoom can even shuffle everyone and place them randomly in groups for a more personal face to face experience.
Just because you can’t meet the keynote speakers at the VIP lunch, doesn’t mean you can’t engage with them at all. Set up a private VIP chat room in order to Meet the speakers and provide moderated Q/A. Enter to win book giveaways and announce over chat.
I saw this at a virtual conference recently and loved the idea. Bring a professional illustrator on board to create artwork as the keynote is speaking. Sometimes, it can get boring watching speakers talk all day. I am a photographic visual learner and pictures speak a thousand words to help me remember what the talk was on.
If your company has an app, encourage everyone to download and engage with it. Send out intriguing push notifications letting people know not to miss out on activities. Link the speakers books and include a place to type notes or even ask live questions.
Offer a virtual happy hour with a theme. Encourage your audience to grab a drink from home and provide networking rooms (kinda like speed dating). Hey, you never know who you will meet :) Themes could include luau, 70’s, or red carpet.
If you have sponsors and partners, encourage them to create a video advertising their products and show tutorials on how to use their products. This can even be linked in the app or shown in between sessions.
Remember that every event should be fun and creative! Don’t lose your audience by not including personal touches. Every registrant should still be treated like a VIP.