How to Plan Corporate Virtual Events in 2020

No one expected that at the end of 2020 corporate events, trade shows, conferences, and summits would still be canceled around the world. Many organizations are not sure how to stay relevant and up-to-date in this type of constantly changing landscape. For many though, it means making the switch and planning corporate virtual events instead. Most likely you’ve seen musical groups live streaming concerts to take the place of in-person concerts. Even Google changed its Cloud Next 2020 to a virtual format. With so many taking advantage of online forums and programs, there’s no reason why individual businesses shouldn’t benefit as well. Taking advantage of the virtual setting is still a way to help boost employee morale.

What are corporate virtual events?

A virtual event simply means it’s a gathering that is happening online instead of at a specific location. Participants can interact through an online platform with chat and video features that allow them to communicate and see each other. Virtual events can be useful for bringing people together from all over the world. The most important part of corporate virtual events is to remember that you are still bringing everyone together at the same time  and the same “place” albeit online.

Virtual events are not really new, they’ve been around for years. However, with a large number of workforces moving online and positions going to remote work only, they have become much more popular. The really good thing about virtual events is that they are cheaper than hosting in-person corporate events. You don’t have to calculate costs for catering or drinks. You can literally meet with hundreds of people in their own homes.

Planning Corporate Virtual Events

You can do just about anything in a virtual event from holding a conference or a leadership summit, hosting a corporate awards ceremony, or have your annual company-wide meeting. There are specific platforms for holding these types of meetings and a number of people. It can take some time and thought to coordinate it, but it is much easier than you may think, and it will go a lot faster than you might suspect. Here are the important things to consider when planning a virtual corporate event:

• Define the purpose of the event. Defining your why, or your purpose will help you get started. Are you wanting to educate, congratulate, or show appreciation to your employees?
• Choose the topic. This is your what – determining if you need to host a how-to session, a virtual award ceremony, or a company meeting is how you will achieve your purpose.
• Set a date and time. When hosting a virtual event, be sure to consider the different time zones and locations. If your employees are working remotely, it’s usually best to try to host meetings in the morning as everyone is likely to be more alert.
• Invite and schedule speakers. You can still use speakers at a corporate virtual event. They can often be Skyped in or they can easily attend on one of the popular online meeting platforms like Zoom or GoTo Meetings.
• Design the event. This is the bulk of the planning and it will depend on what you want to do. You can host a webinar, present a video, or do a slide share. This determines what the meeting will look like. Just remember to continue being consistent with your brand.
• Practice technology. Always take time to set up any equipment beforehand so you can practice your presentation. Even then, there are times it just doesn’t go as planned, but you can increase the likelihood of success by practicing.

Don’t Cancel Live Events, Turn them Into Virtual Events

With the uncertainty businesses face today, it can be frustrating to keep moving event dates out. Many events have been postponed numerous times or even canceled. You can turn almost any live event into a corporate virtual event from leadership meetings to awards ceremonies. You can continue to boost company morale and maintain a cohesive team by going virtual with company awards, employee appreciation, teamwork awards, and all types of business meetings and summits.

Planning Virtual Corporate Awards Events

Planning employee recognition and corporate awards on a virtual platform is almost the same as in person. The only difference is finding a way to get the awards to the recipients and honorees. You don’t have to cancel anymore, reward your employees for the hard work they have put in all year with end of year awards in a virtual meeting. It’s very doable!

Let Suburban Custom Awards Help!

You don’t have to miss out on the benefits of corporate awards. If you need ideas for hosting virtual awards programs or what types of trophies and awards to give please contact Suburban Custom Awards. We can put our years of experience and expertise to help you plan your awards events.