The Covid-19 pandemic has forced most of us to go online for a number of things we would otherwise do in person. These events can include a protest, a meeting, any type of celebration or a conference. It can be difficult to know exactly how to make a virtual event as engaging as it would be in person, but I’m here to help with some tips on how to organise a virtual event.
- Be clear about the reason you’re throwing the event, and what you want to achieve or get out from the event. To help you come up with clear goals, you can use the SMART approach, which is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time Based. An example of a goal might be to make all the employees feel appreciated and motivated to continue working through a difficult project they might be working on currently.
- Once you have your goals, you’ll have to choose the right platform in order to host the event. This may be Google Meets, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams. There are a number of different platforms that have different features so do you research to decide which one is best for you.
- Choose a date and time for your event. It is very important to make sure that you pick a time that is good for people in different time zones, and one that that takes into account when people are working or busy. You don’t want to make all this effort preparing for the event and then not have anyone turn up!
- Promote your virtual event, or send out invites. Make sure to let everyone know when the event is happening well in advance so they can put it in their diaries early on.
- Plan your event and include activities that encourage active participation. This is important so you can maintain the interest of your audience, as this is a lot harder to do online than in person. For example, if it is a virtual event celebrating the completion of a work project, you could send hampers to your employees’ houses before-hand. Visit Team Gifts, to find a wide variety of hampers for virtual meetings and events. There is an afternoon tea hamper and even a breakfast hamper. Great for making everyone feel involved, and appreciated.
Hopefully these tips for setting up your own virtual event have helped you feel more confident that you will host a successful event. Good luck!
