Recently, business activities are not normal. Travel, work environment and schedule have all changed to some extent, but some things must be done. Despite the intricate environment in 2021, my colleagues and friends still successfully held a summer party to share the joy in the four continents of the world!
The following 9 tips can help more event organizers to complete their virtual party combat.
1. Develop a game plan
No matter the scale, offline or online, every activity must have a strategy. You’d better start with key goals and concepts, and then move on. The theme this year is to take you around the world. The reason why the virtual summer party program works well is that the core organization team has put together “officially produced” materials containing the concept of the event and various design materials. Then share it with organizers in other regions, even if the geography and time zone are different, everyone can more easily maintain a consistent pace. Therefore, before organizing a virtual party or event, ask yourself the following questions:
- What kind of experience do you hope to provide?
- How much time do you need to plan for this event?
- What is the budget?
- Which time zones need to be covered by your event?
- Will the event have a theme?
- Is the event live broadcast, recorded broadcast or both at the same time?
- Where do you want to see the content?
- When is the best time for the activity?
- How will you promote the event?
- After the event is over, can people still access the event?
- What KPIs and data do you plan to track?
2. Call all experts!
Now that you have a solid foundation, it is time for division of labor. Think about which member of your team can best complete (and enjoy) tasks related to the planned activity, and let him start! Specify what help he needs by “raising his hand”. You may have team members from different regions, they may be experts in this field, or they may have great interest and research in the subject area of the event.
3. Party Invites
It is exciting to send party invites at least 1 month in advance to receive an email with “please reserve time”, not to mention this email gives everyone enough time to remind customers. Here are some suggestions to remember:
- Send an invitation one month ago
- Share the event agenda as soon as possible so your invitees know what will happen
- Exclude event dates on the company calendar for your attendees
- Send a “countdown” email one or two weeks before the event email alert
4. Adapt to each time zone
The most challenging part of organizing a global event is determining the time. Since employees live on several continents around the world, our event team must be forward-looking in planning the agenda.
A time difference of more than six hours between participants will be a big trouble. Customize the rest of the agenda according to the location and time zone of each team. For example, one team holds live events in the afternoon and comes back online later in the evening to participate in a global conference call with everyone.
When planning a global event, you’d better include different time zones on the agenda to take the event further. Wherever the agenda is shared, the time of the organizer and participants in all relevant time zones should be clearly listed. It not only avoids confusion, but also makes the team feel this thoughtfulness.
5. Allow enough time to rest
Sometimes, it’s easy to forget to take a break in a virtual event. With buffered time, it will be easier for us to achieve the expected results of each activity! Provide a 15-30 minute break between each activity. This is a good way to stay in shape.
6. Create a tailored experience for each region
Why not surprise the team with a celebrity guest?
You may be thinking, “This is a great idea! But where do we start? Who do we invite?” Here are some things to keep in mind:
- Who are you organizing this event for?
- What activities might they be interested in?
- Are there any dietary requirements to consider?
Once you start to do this, it will be easier to narrow your choices. The event lineup during the Virtual Summer Party reflects how considerate our event experts are to the invitees. They realize that people from different regions have different preferences. With this in mind, it will improve everyone’s event experience.
If you find a guest or host, a test is a good way to see if their form and content fit the theme you want to do in the event.
7. Turn on the camera and talk freely
Sometimes an online event can feel like another meeting, so in order to separate the two experiences, you need to encourage audience participation as much as possible.
Don’t forget to check various technical issues in advance. Online activities are the same as offline, and various problems will arise. Before the official start, check the network connection, cameras and microphones and other equipment. Prepare the files to be demonstrated and back up these files in advance. It is best to have a rehearsal or rehearsal, so that potential problems can be spotted early and a plan can be prepared.
Here are some of the platforms we use:
- Slido: We use them to listen to information from all over the world. With Slido, we can conduct fast and interesting online interactions, such as questionnaires, voting, etc.
- Google Meet: As the main video and audio exchange and interactive platform for events around the world, you can also choose a similar platform that suits your local area.
- Zoom: It can provide functions such as “group discussion room”. Thanks to this, Zoom is also a platform of our choice in the “Mystery of Murder in Ancient Egypt” event.
8. Send party gift packages.
If people can’t be there, then we will send the party gifts to everyone. At present, our party members are all over the place. In order to make everyone feel better, when making plans, we can refer to the following points to prepare:
- Are the items in the party bag prone to expire or rot?
- What kind of transportation method is more appropriate for the event object?
- Are your participants located in different countries and time zones?
- Does the platform have enough capacity to accommodate participants during the event?
- Do I need to consider the delivery time of the goods ordered in advance?
Reminder: Whether it is an email or a gift package, you can add some personalized arrangements to it. As long as the organizer is careful, the participants will definitely feel the warmth.
9. Don’t forget the wrap-up meeting after the event
After the event is over, please call the relevant event organizers together to let everyone review the details of the entire event and discuss how we deal with the various issues exposed during the event. This review meeting allows us to sum up experience and lessons and do better in the next event. Internal review is very important, and it is also very important for the participants of the event to listen to everyone’s opinions and ideas. The following questions can help us obtain more valuable information:
- Is everything going well?
- Do you want the activity time to be different?
- Do you think the party package is useful?
- Do you think something is missing?
- What activities do you hope to have next time?
Party never sleeps
Although organizing a global online event (especially in the current epidemic) is not easy, it is not impossible. It is recommended that you draw inspiration from event experts, because they successfully and perfectly achieve all the desired objectives.
