It is no surprise to hear that the event planning industry is struggling these days. From cancellations to keeping up with the changing industry, the pandemic has created new challenges for events, as well as many other industries.
While we are just as new to virtual events as everyone, we have learned a thing or two over the last few months about how to successfully plan and execute events in this time.
We saw great success with the Crossroads Safehouse Couch Concert Series, which was a Thursday night, live-streamed concert on Facebook. With events on Facebook, it is important to keep in mind your audience and what appeals to them. We found that viewers were more likely to keep watching and donating when the musician played a song they requested, so a musician who was able to do covers was a must.
Another important piece, which we very clearly realized at the end of May, was that virtual events were not getting as much traction as they did in April because the weather was getting nicer. With the uncertainty of the future, fall-time presents a lot of opportunities to explore a wide-range of virtual events.
We are now working on solutions for a number of summer and fall events that fit county and state social-distancing guidelines. Unfortunately, a lot of these solutions include an incredibly pared-down event with very limited guest lists, or overall event cancellations. However, with changing guidelines daily, flexibility is key. We are learning and growing with the various municipalities we work within.
The biggest piece in all of this is to keep an open-mind and to use your imagination. There are a lot of great ideas regarding events coming out daily. From drive-in concerts to live conferences, people are coming up with new and creative ideas to keep the public entertained.
We know event planning is hard, without adding a pandemic on top of it. We offer a number of services for events, whether you need help with everything or you just need some assistance with a small aspect of your event. If you are looking to plan a socially-distanced event or a virtual one, we are here to help!
