By Theyo Team
Corona turned our world upside down in one fell swoop and changed it overnight, there is no question about that. Many of these changes have remained, including the fact that many events - whether team events, company anniversaries, customer events - now take place online. You have already participated in virtual events, but organizing an event seems like a mammoth task to you? Digital meetings are nothing new for you, but now you should plan and carry out exciting and fun online events? Don't worry, planning an online event isn't rocket science! Here you can find out what you should pay attention to so that your digital event is a success.
First you should use Doodle or other coordination tools to find a date that suits all participants. Should colleagues, customers or employees from different time zones be present at the event? Then keep this in mind when making an appointment.
Depending on the planned activity, you should make sure that the times of day in the respective countries are more or less suitable. Are you planning a wine tasting? Then your event should ideally take place in the late afternoon or early evening. You want to do a Theyo chocolate tasting as a digital team event or event highlight ;-)? The advantage here is that chocolate is always suitable at any time of the day and you are less restricted when planning a chocolate tasting.
Still not sure what kind of event it should be? Then it is best to set a slightly longer appointment blocker for everyone. Everyone is happy when an appointment is shortened. On the other hand, it is usually (almost) impossible to subsequently extend appointments if the participants have already agreed to other meetings.
Especially if you are sending something to the participants, a breakdown can always result in an emergency last-minute express delivery. We have now held over 200 virtual events and know from experience that even with perfectly planned events, something can always go wrong in the shipping process. If there is a buffer planned for such emergencies, a small delivery breakdown will not throw you off track! And the participants won't even notice it.
You can also look at the budget to see what (tax-free) options there are inside and outside the company. Depending on whether it is a team event, a project completion celebration or team building, different budgets can often be used here.
So far, the focus of our virtual events has been on the following goals... Maybe these are helpful to better define the goal of your own online event:
In the meantime, an online event can actually be almost anything that previously took place in analogue form. There are online readings, yoga classes, cooking courses, team building measures , customer celebrations and Christmas parties. According to the motto, everything can, nothing has to.
As with the preparation of "analogue" events, digital events should also be planned with ample time buffer. We recommend that you start planning an online event at least 6 weeks earlier, but no later than 3 weeks in advance.
It all depends on what activity you want to do at your online event. If you organize everything yourself and do not book any external organizers, a digital team event can even be quite cheap for you. If you decide to hire an external organizer, like us at Theyos, to conduct achocolate tasting , the costs depend on various factors, such as the number of people and the specific package you choose. So create a cost estimate for the team event promptly and ask external organizers if necessary so that you don't exceed your budget.
It all depends on which event you want to book. We generally recommend not booking via platforms, but rather contacting the organizers directly. The more direct the contact, the easier the communication and the less likely it is that there will be misunderstandings when planning the online event. You also save yourself costs that the middleman adds to the organization. This leaves more budget in the end that can be used to plan your event :-)
#1 ⏰ Timing is everything: The right schedule for the online event
In general, of course, the following always applies: the more time you plan for an (online) event - its planning and implementation - the better. Above all, an interactive online event should not be calculated too tightly in its schedule. This means that ideally you start planning 6 weeks in advance, but at least 3 weeks beforehand.First you should use Doodle or other coordination tools to find a date that suits all participants. Should colleagues, customers or employees from different time zones be present at the event? Then keep this in mind when making an appointment.
Depending on the planned activity, you should make sure that the times of day in the respective countries are more or less suitable. Are you planning a wine tasting? Then your event should ideally take place in the late afternoon or early evening. You want to do a Theyo chocolate tasting as a digital team event or event highlight ;-)? The advantage here is that chocolate is always suitable at any time of the day and you are less restricted when planning a chocolate tasting.
Still not sure what kind of event it should be? Then it is best to set a slightly longer appointment blocker for everyone. Everyone is happy when an appointment is shortened. On the other hand, it is usually (almost) impossible to subsequently extend appointments if the participants have already agreed to other meetings.
#2 💰 Money, Money, Money: Check your budget for the online event
Even if a digital team event is of course much cheaper than an analogue one, you should be aware of the available budget right from the start when planning. Because you also have many virtual options where a little budget can help you. Especially if you are planning a paid activity, make sure you still have some buffer budget.Especially if you are sending something to the participants, a breakdown can always result in an emergency last-minute express delivery. We have now held over 200 virtual events and know from experience that even with perfectly planned events, something can always go wrong in the shipping process. If there is a buffer planned for such emergencies, a small delivery breakdown will not throw you off track! And the participants won't even notice it.
You can also look at the budget to see what (tax-free) options there are inside and outside the company. Depending on whether it is a team event, a project completion celebration or team building, different budgets can often be used here.
#3 🎯 Objective: What is the goal of your online event?
Have you worked through #1 and #2, i.e. found a date and created a blocker, the budget in mind and maybe already some ideas for digital team events? Before you throw yourself into the planning, think again why you are doing the event in the first place and what your goal is.So far, the focus of our virtual events has been on the following goals... Maybe these are helpful to better define the goal of your own online event:
- Having fun & increasing motivation: That means lightening the mood in the team or among the employees, forgetting the home office stress for a few hours or just having some (digital) fun together again. Where there is no coffee or team lunch together, a digital team event should definitely generate some online “quality time” from time to time.
- Strengthen communication: You have the feeling that a lot of communication between colleagues and teams is lost? A virtual activity can help strengthen communication between colleagues or with clients.
- Maintaining relationships: Maintaining relationships can mean a lot of work, especially in larger organizations. A joint, positive online event can make a positive contribution to this.
- Celebrating the start or completion of a project: Whether internally or externally, whether with customers or colleagues, whether project kick-off or project completion... Even in the home office, the parties must be celebrated as they come ;-) A nice virtual one Event, can make that possible.
#4 🥇🥈🥉 And the winner is: Choose your top 3
Now that you've given it a lot of thought, you can make a pre-selection - preferably the top 3 - with a clear conscience. But maybe it should n't be an escape room game again ;-) Follow the link and you will find a small, fine list. Do you value sustainability when planning your digital team event? Here you will find 3 team building ideas with a positive impact !#5 👍🏾 👎🏼 Top or flop: What do the others want?
Once you've pre-selected, you can use tools like SurveyMonkey to vote for what activity team members or colleagues would like to do. The democratic vote gives everyone an equal say and ideally everyone looks forward to the online event in the same way!#6 💎 The finishing touches: The final steps to the online event
Even if virtual events involve significantly less organizational effort than "analogue" events, there are still a few points to consider. The most important things here are:- Choosing the right video conferencing tool : Most virtual team building activities take place on a video conferencing platform such as B. Zoom, Google Hangouts or Microsoft Teams. Ideally, you should use a tool that everyone is already familiar with. This way you avoid stress and technical problems during the event.
- Check the hardware: Make sure your teams, colleagues or employees have the right hardware. Even in home office times, there are still people who work on site and therefore do not have good WiFi or their own laptop. Additional data volume or a tablet/smartphone can help here.
- Pack all information in the blocked appointment : Ensures that all important information about the online event can be found in the blocked appointment on time, especially the link to the event. With some tools, you should also make sure to be in the "virtual room" early so that you can let the others in. This is particularly important when external people are involved.
FAQ
What is an online event?
In the meantime, an online event can actually be almost anything that previously took place in analogue form. There are online readings, yoga classes, cooking courses, team building measures , customer celebrations and Christmas parties. According to the motto, everything can, nothing has to.
