Hosting virtual events is a great way to keep everyone engaged and connected.
Tips for hosting virtual events:
- Define the purpose of the event. Having a clear objective for your event will help you determine the best content to prepare.
- Create a planning committee. Even though you are not physically together, your club can still create a committee to plan event logistics. It’s often helpful to have a team to bounce ideas off of and distribute work effectively.
- Find your target audience. Is this event open to the entire campus community? Is it geared towards members of your club only? Deciding on your target audience will help you determine whether this event should be open or closed.
- Pro tip: You can create passwords for Zoom events to limit attendance to a smaller audience.
- Pick a style for your event. Do you want everyone to log on at a certain date and time? This is called an “active” or “live” event. Do you want it to be available for anyone at anytime? This is called a “passive” or “on-demand” event.
- Active/Live Events - Pick a date and time for the event. Work with your target audience to find the best time for your event. People may be in different time zones, so finding a time that works well for as many people as possible is important (and including a time zone in event invites is recommended!).
- Passive/On-Demand Events - Pick a launch date.
- Market your event. Let your target audience know about your event by advertising. Some places where you can advertise your event include:
- Find ways to engage your audience. There are many ways to engage the audience throughout your event.
- Plan activities such as playing games or having small group discussions throughout your event. Platforms like Zoom include breakout rooms for small group discussion and engagement.
- Use the poll features, reactions, and chat features on Zoom to encourage interaction.
- Have audience members submit questions before or during an event.
- Ensure all logistics are prepared before the event.
- Create an outline to keep the event on track.
- Check in with presenters before the event to ensure they’re not having tech challenges.
- Practice using any technology or apps prior to the event.
- Make the content accessible. Like in-person events, virtual events should be as accessible and inclusive as possible.
- Use closed captioning for your event utilizing apps such as Zoom closed captioning or Google live transcribe.
- Use clear language, large fonts, and high colour contrast for all marketing and presentations.
- Reframe your expectations. A virtual event will likely look different than an in-person event would look and that’s okay! Give yourself permission to think creatively and to do things differently.
- Policies still apply. Check in with Student Activities & Involvement in the following situations:
- You are going to contract a performer/speaker.
- You are advertising an event that may be higher risk (i.e. a cooking competition, a workout class, DIY project with hazardous materials, etc.)
Ideas for virtual events:
Educational Events
- Watch a TedTalk, video, or documentary and facilitate a group dialogue around the content.
- Select an interesting article for members of your club to read before the meeting and have a discussion around relevant content.
- Participate in a webinar. Many professional organizations are developing online content which can be purchased or viewed free of charge. Check to see if your national organization, or an organization in your field, is offering any online content. Consider facilitating a dialogue to discuss any relevant topics after the webinar.
- Bring a guest speaker to your meeting to present on an interesting topic.
Career Planning & Networking
- Invite an alumni or leader in a field of interest to speak to your organization and answer questions.
- Host a Q&A panel with leaders from the field. Your org can create a panel of individuals from multiple organizations or areas of interest to hear multiple perspectives.
- Work with Career Development to plan a workshop for your organization. Ideas include a resume workshop, cover letter writing workshop, etc.
Community Building
Consider hosting a fun event to get to know the members of your club better and build community. Some ideas include:
These are just a few options - there are endless activities you could choose for a virtual event! We encourage you to brainstorm ideas with your executive boards and general membership. If you come up with a great idea, please share the idea with our office so we can highlight your organization!
