Giving Days has become our client’s largest annual philanthropic event, but when the pandemic disrupted our well-laid plans, we turned a nail-biting decision into a major success story.
Having worked with our financial services client for over 15 years, producing 10-12 events annually, we knew this decision would surely stress-test our relationship.
Moreover, the event carries a high-value purpose, dedicated to advancing the company’s community goals while increasing connectivity among employees, partners and vendors.
But we also knew our deep understanding of our client’s culture, our shared values and mutual trust would minimize the risks. After all, our ability to collaborate around creative ideas and push them farther had always made for standout events.
In the end, faced with canceling this highly anticipated event — or taking it virtual — the pivot paid off with a $100K increase in sponsorship donations.
KEY INGREDIENTS
Community Give-back Opportunity
Environmental Design
Event & Experience Design
Food & Beverage Planning
Logistics Planning & Management
Meeting Management
Strategic Planning
Technology & IT Management
KEY ACTIONS
Steadfast in their mission to raise money for at-risk communities despite the pandemic, a “show must go on” attitude quickly took over.
With heavy challenges on the horizon, our creative solutions and a meticulous calendar became important counting down to going live — especially when the budget was suddenly reduced by 50%.
MAIN ROOM VIEWS
TRIVIA ROOM VIEWS
PARTNERS WINE TASTING VIEWS
ESCAPE ROOM VIEWS
- Quickly realigned the agenda and presented options for a one-day event, flipping the script to keep the focus on engagement
- Established a 12-week countdown and met bi-weekly with stakeholders who were able to make programming decisions on the fly
- Produced the event with an on-brand moderator/emcee to keep attendees tuned in and committed while making the experience more seamless, exciting and engaging for the at-home audience
- To foster an authentic experience and stay focused on stakeholder needs, we made in-demand executives available via “chat” within the platform
- Keeping the conversations flowing in real time also created a real ongoing “buzz” throughout
- Came up with creative ideas to keep attendees engaged with sponsors, resulting in additional donations
- Designed and facilitated an array of activities for all tastes ensuring high participation and value
- Hosted a virtual partner reception and wine tasting to close the event on a communal note
