Event professionals are no strangers to innovation—especially now, after a year like 2020. While some markets are welcoming back live events on a smaller scale, the industry is very much still navigating and learning the ins and outs of virtual event production. After all, the future is hybrid!
Canadian event management, production and entertainment agency BIG HQ, for example, recently designed a multiday kick-off conference for technology giant 1Password, during which attendees set sail on a three-day cruise to Hawaii, Alaska and Los Angeles—virtually.
The event welcomed more than 400 attendees from over 20 countries and found success by stirring up some pre-event excitement and employing a number of engagement strategies to improve the online guest experience. Here, BIG HQ CEO Bram Goldstein and Project Manager Samantha Houser divulge the team's key takeaways from producing the digital experience.
To bring the cruise experience to life, BIG HQ utilized Toronto-based virtual event platform JUNĹŤO to curate a custom branded event. (Spot the 1Password-inspired 1's cleverly making up the ship's funnel design on the backend of the boat.)Screenshot: Courtesy of BIG HQ
1. Draw inspiration from reality.
When looking to produce an online event for 1Password, Houser explained, “Our inspiration was finding a way to allow employees across the world to be engaged, entertained and to interact with one another." To accomplish all three goals—which have come to be the trifecta for measuring the success of a virtual event—the team drew inspo from the client's past in-person events. (Work smarter, not harder!)
“For the past four years, 1Password has taken its employees on a real-life cruise to the Caribbean, and we wanted to keep the tradition alive,” said Goldstein. “The most challenging part was building the virtual cruise ship from scratch in a couple of short weeks. Since we like to push the envelope in all that we do, we challenged our incredible programmers to work with us to provide as many realistic elements as possible.”
And the team certainly didn't hold back despite a time constraint. Fun elements of the digital experience included custom, interactive team-building activities, fitness-focused meeting breaks, photo-booth integration, educational breakout sessions and more. Thoughtful branding and the addition of life-like, personalized avatar characters brought extra elements of reality into the virtual space.
Guests go could into one of the cruise ship’s branded rooms and find virtual breakout rooms discussing topics such as product and user experience, finances, customer support, marketing, security and more.Screenshot: BIG HQ
2. Take the time to research virtual event platforms and select the one that best achieves your event's goals.
It's no secret that choosing the right platform for your virtual event can truly make or break it—so Goldstein suggests taking the time to find your perfect match. For 1Password's virtual cruise event, BIG HQ tapped Toronto-based platform JUNōO. Goldstein said his team was "looking for a 360-degree platform where we would be able to design and build a fully custom virtual environment from scratch, plus having the ability to change designs, visuals and backgrounds daily. We wanted the attendee experience to feel like they were in a video game with the ability to move around the ship and visit different areas with ease. We were not looking for a lobby that was static; we wanted the ship to feel like it was moving and having the attendee move with it. JUNōO allowed us to be creative and connect attendees in entertaining, relevant and interesting ways."
Another key aspect that can make or break an online gathering? The level of attendee engagement, which is dependent on a virtual platform's ability to allow at-home guests to interact with the program as well as others attending. To knock this out of the park at your next virtual event, Goldstein advises event pros to “learn about which new technologies are going to enhance the user experience.”
For example, Goldstein and his team were able to utilize JUNĹŤO's platform to include fun, human-like elements to the experience. Said Houser, "With the help of all attendees sending us videos of themselves dancing, clapping, singing and even doing the limbo at home, we created a number of uplifting pre-produced music videos that became memorable surprise and delight moments throughout the conference."
(Event organizers on the hunt for the "right" virtual event platform can tap BizBash's recent list of 50 platforms to consider for your next online gathering.)
3. Have a mix of fun and educational elements.
When thinking about the virtual guest experience, it's vital to keep guests engaged by being mindful of balancing work and play. During "Encryption of the Seas," each day began on the pool deck with live music, yoga and meditation, followed by keynote speakers and discussion sessions with the company’s CEO and founder. Attendees were encouraged to enjoy breaks on the pool deck where they could find unique networking opportunities, including games to play with colleagues and daily excursions. Then, each day ended with a social hour and team-building game before setting sail to the next destination. “There was never a dull moment,” Goldstein said.
One fun team-building activity included a corporate take on the famous TV show America's Got Talent. For "1Password’s Got Talent," a pre-produced 45-minute show, the production team tapped a celebrity host and included videos of at-home attendees showcasing their best talents for the judges. "The show was interspersed with other celebrity Cameo shout-outs, the No. 1 sleight-of-hand magician in the world and theatrical performers who allowed us to provide a video that will not soon be forgotten," said Goldstein.
During other entertainment-focused team-building sessions, Goldstein said, "Song Division split the attendees up into teams and had the groups write a song. On the next day, The Go Game produced custom trivia for the entire group. Both were well-received by all attendees."
With attendee engagement at top of mind, the BIG HQ team ensured the three-day event included interactive games to break up educational sessions and keynote speakers—one of those games being a corporate take on the famous TV show America's Got Talent. For 1Password’s Got Talent, a preproduced 45-minute show, the production team tapped a second celebrity host and included videos of at-home attendees showcasing their best talents for the judges. "The show was interspersed with other celebrity Cameo shout-outs, the No. 1 slight of hand magician in the world and theatrical performers who allowed us to provide a video that will not soon be forgotten," said Goldstein.Screenshot: Courtesy of BIG HQ
4. Get attendees engaged before the event begins—and keep it up from there!
Generating excitement about the cruise before it even took place proved a successful tactic for the event production company. "It was important for us to make attendees feel like they were a part of the show at all times," said Houser. "The guest experience began when employees received packed custom duffle bags from Incredible Incentives at their homes prior to the cruise ship’s departure. The bags included items to use each day at sea. This, along with a video message from our extremely entertaining captain, were the first steps in welcoming attendees and getting them excited for what was to come.”
Once the event kicked off and the ship set sail, the BIG HQ team had a goal of holding guests' interest nonstop by not only ensuring they could engage with the platform but that they wanted to. In addition to a live chat being available at all times, Houser said, "We doubled down on providing a celebrity host to drive the narrative and energy for the entire conference. The host was incredibly witty and engaging, and his presence was felt from the opening invite right to the last goodbye."
Especially with a multiday event, though, organizers have to get creative to keep attendees alert and entertained. "We made each day a new adventure and new destination allowing attendees to look forward to where they were sailing next," said Goldstein. "We changed out the moving backgrounds, the pool-deck entertainment, the menus, the point-of-view excursions and the content to represent each of the ports of calls. We also made sure that each conference day was no more than four hours and included breaks for networking, engaging keynote speakers, a place to play games with colleagues and a spot to take pictures at the photo booth."
Want an even closer look? See for yourself how BIG HQ tackled this multiday, engagement-heavy conference:
