5 Options to Easily Step Back into Live Events
The sun is shining, spring is here . . . and live events are blooming like our Texas bluebonnets!
As we continue to move closer to summer and with more people being vaccinated, we’re seeing a dedicated upward trend of people ready and willing to be around larger groups again!
We have all felt supported by friends, colleagues, and clients this last year — but to hear about local and national events resuming and seeing them done well makes hearts happy. We can begin to see all the faces we have missed and start making connections involving more than a screen and a decent internet connection.
Planning Your Next Meeting or Live Event
According to Northstar Meeting Group’s PULSE survey, 80% of event planners will have an in-person event this year. That’s an incredible turn, and we are poised to bring back safe, engaging, and fun events — better than ever.
If you’re thinking about planning your first in-person event, remember that communication is key between the client and the events team and the events team and everyone else (attendees, venue staff, AV teams, etc.). Getting all the logistics planned early on, doing a dry run, and having contingency plans will set you up to mitigate any potential issues.
And as much as we hate mentioning this, you must have a plan for Contracts and Legal Requirements. While this isn’t the most fun part of event planning, right now, it’s imperative to have liability waivers and to understand local, regional, and national protocols that are ever-changing. Vaccine passport anyone?
You will want to be prepared in case virus cases spike again or added variants of COVID emerge — and have contract clauses to reduce your risk if attendance numbers aren’t what we expected.
In-Person Event Ideas
Dedicated event professionals are more critical than ever to help you implement Covid protocol and bring creativity and ROI to every event. If your company is ready to plan a few occasions but unsure where to begin, here are five event ideas that could help you dip your toes in and get your people back together.
Outdoor Events
You can create a unique outdoor experience for your team and create socially distancing-friendly spaces while feeling incredibly “normal.” Some events that can easily transform our company-wide team-building events or award ceremonies, local festivals, galas, leadership training, and networking events.
From the smell of food cooking to the feel of the sun on faces, an outdoor event can help boost morale by appealing to the senses.
Here are a few things that you can do —
Gather information. If you’re doing a networking event, find a test group to gather feedback relevant to planning — like distancing protocol comfort levels, interests, and reasons for attending. If you’re doing something with your company, you can quickly gather interests, comfort levels, and food preferences — and decide if a gardening or mixology class is best for your people!
Plan for Exceptional Dining Experiences. You can be creative with food options by serving and dining under a tent or awning, offering pre-packaged meal options, or providing come-and-go service from food trucks. Be sure to plan for social distancing in lines and while seated to provide the most comfort. If you’re hosting a very laid-back affair and are confident of good weather, you could encourage people to bring blankets for a picnic option! Or even better, provide the blanket with the event theme and company logo as a gift item.
Manage On-Location Needs. If you have a speaker or need AV equipment, find a quiet spot and use cordless equipment. Revisit untraditional spaces for different purposes, like parking or courtyard areas. Start Planning ASAP! You'll need more time to work with venues and suppliers. Some have just returned, and some are still building back their workforce — it is taking more time for them to respond. Also, with the return, those same venues that may still be short-staffed are in great demand. Get your venue nailed down in an LOI or contract as early as possible.
Roadshows for Tradeshows and Product Launches
Canceled tradeshows and product launches have negatively impacted many industries nationally, but there is a way to bring companies and products to the people. Roadshows provide a solid solution because —
When companies have travel restrictions or if people are hesitant to fly, you can meet them where they are.
They offer branded bespoke experiences, as immersive or tailored as you need them to be, providing live demonstrations.
Keep your team safe by training them to manage the roadshow truck’s sanitization.
Help you achieve your business goals by providing demonstrations across the country.
If you’re interested in using a secure and dependable marketing solution that can reach core customers nationwide, we can help! We will pair you with the right marketers, digital content generators, and tradeshow transport teams to increase the reach and impact of your next roadshow.
Day Trips Close To Home
From wine tours to Top Golf or movie premieres, there are various venues that can provide private rooms or suites, starting the day off with business and ending with some good food and fun.
Limited Gatherings — Cooking Classes, Lunch or Dinner Events
When your people feel comfortable dining indoors, you can bring in some smaller affairs for executives or teams, like a cooking class and dining experience, wine or beer tastings, or traditional dinner. We have connections with spectacularly attentive restaurants and hotels that are people-safe while enjoying time together.
Indoor Conferences with Omnichannel Elements
One of the most challenging but rewarding events to produce is an indoor conference, summit, tradeshow, or convention with a virtual option. And this type of event is here to stay, with some people limiting their contact with others indefinitely.
We all have seen how virtual has impacted events both negatively and positively. We have adjusted to many variables and can provide exceptional service to those who need a virtual option. From initial idea conception to marketing planning, you must be entirely in tune with your audience, develop a winning strategy for your sponsors and exhibitors, and increase resources for online production, marketing, and engagement.
Some essential factors in planning a hybrid event are —
Accurately planning for ROI, asking and answering the right questions.
Creating a fully customized plan for both in-person and virtual attendees.
Find dedicated technical staff and AV solutions.
Booking speakers who are accustomed to engaging both in-person and virtual attendees.
Providing an engagement strategy for online attendees with effective communication, regular updates, contests with prizes and awards, polls and Q&A, networking chat rooms, sponsor and exhibitor interactions, and a team of people to manage technical issues and respond to queries.
We are thrilled to see more of our people face to face and are prepared to help you provide the best experience for every attendee. Contact us today to start planning and preparing for our “new” normal — returning to in-person events with fun and innovation while maintaining health standards for all.
