Don't Forget Creativity In Corporate Events
It’s hard to believe that we have been living with the pandemic for over two years now. What is even harder to believe is that, sometimes, I find myself reminiscing about the early days of the pandemic when whipped coffee, baked bread, and socially distanced porch meet-ups were all the rage. As time went on, the novelty of quarantine quickly faded and what was left was the ambivalence of our “new normal”. As soon as we thought the pandemic was receding, a new variant exposed itself. Understandably, this trend made us a little wary of planning anything in advance. Even though we are now able to go out and resume most activities, there is still a sense of collective uncertainty around events and, as an event planners, we find ourselves asking what we can do to combat that.
The show must go on, but, to have a successful event, it’s important that your attendees feel safe while also engaged and excited about the itinerary. When planned correctly, virtual, hybrid, and in-person events can leave an everlasting impression on attendees, now more than ever. Why?
GO ALL IN…Literally and Virtually
It’s time to reframe what you think about virtual events. When done well, there are a lot of benefits! Bash Creative has planned a plethora of original and fascinating online events. Working with our partners, we have built online 3-D virtual worlds, customized avatars and walked around a virtual space while watching live-streamed performances in real-time with other attendees. We have hired talent that was unattainable for a live performance, but now...game on! In 2021, we sent over 15,000 virtual attendees carefully curated packages to engage and connect them in the physical world. If you are not excited about a box of sweet somethings showing up in your mailbox unexpectedly...well, we don’t know what tell you.
So, GO ALL IN with your programming! Be bold and try new things to see what sticks. Teams are being revolutionized and companies are breaking through barriers as we speak.
PLAN FOR SOCIAL NETWORKING TIME
We also still want to progress our careers, broker that new deal, or meet that new ally, right? Some of the most meaningful conversations event attendees have are during the free time of the social networking hour. So, it’s important to keep a focus on this area of the event and not let it be overlooked.
Ensuring that both virtual and in-person attendees have access to the same meeting materials is crucial but, be sure to also include the virtual attendees in the social networking. Plan for a facilitator to pose questions and create breakout groups so they have the opportunity to meet and chat with new people and aren’t left to awkwardly stare at each other for an hour. For in-person attendees, having fun activities or question prompts really helps break the ice and allows for new connections to happen as well.
If you’ve seen Let’s Make a Deal recently, you may have noticed that half the crowd is in-person while the other half is virtual and everyone has the same chance of getting called on stage to play the game. A creative format similar to this can be incorporated into an event where virtual attendees can interact with those in-person. Instead of looking at both groups so separately, there are ways to combine them to have one cohesive event.
BRING NEW EXPERIENCES TO THE TABLE
The last thing we want on any attendee’s mind is, “Oh no, I have to go to that conference again this year.” We don’t make events boring, we make them a BASH! With our team’s collective experience, we can bring just about any wild idea to life (and have..but we see you NDA’s).
When creating a unique experience, it always comes back to the details. For example, instead of hosting a happy hour with a signature cocktail at the end of a long conference day, turn it into a street party with trendy food trucks, speed networking, dazzling entertainment, and great photo opportunities to spread brand awareness organically. Now that is creative…and memorable for your guests. Top that off with all the proper safety protocol in place, attendees will feel just as excited as they were to try that new whipped coffee recipe from March 2020.
The pandemic may have changed us as a whole but we can still tap into that excitement for life and harness the creativity that was there before. If you are looking for a partner to help you execute a WOW-worthy experience, schedule time to chat - we can’t wait to hear from you!
Bash Creative is an event planning company that specializes in incredible gatherings that go beyond just great design. We’re known for teasing out smart goals for your event and serve up a stylish execution that will keep your guests buzzing. Located in San Francisco, but often found in New York, Austin, Chicago, Seattle, and beyond.