Must Watch Programming – Time to Tune In!
From the desks of: Phoebe Allen and Christine Altieri
Who could have foreseen!… we have now arrived at the era of virtual events. If you asked us a year ago if we had experience creating virtual events we might have said “why would anyone want to do that!” But here we are in these extraordinary times and the challenge is at hand. Our clients are looking to us for event solutions. Today, we can lay claim to have produced many successful virtual events and we continue to learn and gain more expertise every day.
We suggest to our clients that they approach their events like live TV programming. Questions to consider: How does someone decide what TV show to watch – Is their favorite personality in the show? Are they interested in the subject and want to learn more? When will it be aired? Is there considerable anticipation and buzz about the show? What will make a guest turn on our “event channel”? As we pivot from live to livestream for our nonprofit clients, these are the questions that the AE team must think through so we can recommend a variety of stimulating and exciting options for guests/donors.
For our first livestream event we considered all these questions and options with our client who found themselves in a position with a need to change directions for their event very quickly. Most of the virtual events you are now hearing about or witnessing are showing pre-recorded videos. Although this option is less risky, it’s often less engaging. AE and our client took a collective deep breath and made the decision to go live!
Taking on new platforms and understanding the intricacies of various functionalities was a lot to learn in a short period of time. As flawlessly as we expect to execute an event, we knew there might be a few missteps. Our attendees and donors have generously shown patience and graciousness as we all engage in this completely new experience.
What constituted the decision to go live with this event with just 8 weeks to plan? The main objective was to create a sense of community. People are yearning to get together with other people and we wanted to replicate that environment as close to reality as possible. As trailblazers, we aspire to take the most appealing yet challenging path to reach this goal.
Next steps involved determining how most effectively to entice guests to attend the virtual event. What could we do to bring the mission and message of the organization in advance of the event to ensure attendance? We collaborated with LuxBox to create 250 custom boxes to be shipped to every guest. Inside each box was a set of customized rock glasses and coasters, a sweet and salty snack, an after-dinner trivia game, a personalized note, a cocktail mix package, and the Program Book which they could peruse at their leisure prior to the event!
We then determined the best platform for this event and selected Zoom for the following reasons.
Many people have become comfortable and knowledgeable with this platform.
Zoom provides the functionality to have two separate meetings (one for the presenters and another for the guests).
We were also able to live stream Zoom to a Vimeo link if any guests preferred that option.
Creating guest tables was a critical factor in order to create intimacy and community. Zoom offered the ability to use breakout rooms for each tables of guests.
After choosing the right platform, we worked with our AV company, AVFX, to determine the best approach to produce the virtual event.
This virtual event had many aspects to it.
We had a total of 9 speakers hailing from NYC to DC to LA
Guests pre-registered under a Zoom account for a faster log-in process. This required a lot of communication with guests.
We showed title slides just as we would at an in-person event.
We had 450 guests
We organized a Fund a Need
We wanted guests to log in and have time to get settled. We arranged a 30-minute check in to give guests the opportunity to view our rolling video of the silent auction items.
We provided our guests with a hotline for any problems they encountered.
We had a genuine ‘cocktail hour’
We aimed to bring a sense of togetherness to this virtual event. We coordinated a 5 minute live performance of a mixologist demonstrating how to make an Old Fashioned, giving guests the chance to make their own Old Fashioned cocktails at home before being seated at their respective tables.
These tables were pre-arranged as they would have been at a live event.
Post-event many guests remarked that there was greater intimacy at their table because they actually had a chance to talk to everyone!
We showed a video during the event.
We showed a podcast during the event.
ALL of these activities were accomplished from our fingertips to the computers.
To be honest, there were a few hiccups – this was the first activity of this kind for many of the crew, but we were able to navigate through obstacles to ensure a great experience for our guests. The team pulled off a truly amazing event. Imagine a full live event with 9 speakers from all over the US showcased to 450 guests. Wow!
There are a number of takeaways from this experience. To be certain, a clear and simultaneous communication plan between AE, our clients, and our AV vendors, is paramount. As we continue to hone our expertise, we will find the best solution to communicate virtually with speed and accuracy!
We are excited and equipped to produce more virtual events during these exceptional and unexpected times. However, we do look forward to that point in time when the 15-hour days, moving quickly setting up, producing and coming together with all our clients at live in-person events will once again become an option and an opportunity!
Phoebe set up to run the show the night of!