In a time when we’re all feeling off balance and out of our comfort zones, our producers partnered with CEO Update to create a timely event design and theme for their virtual awards program: Finding Balance. And speaking of balance, since a virtual event is not a plug-and-play of an in-person format, we worked hard to re-imagine the experience and think about what elements from the program to capitalize on (celebrating the award recipients), and what we needed to adjust. For example:

1. Based on attendee feedback, we moved the timing of the show to happy hour (4-5pm) vs. the previous mid-day luncheon.
2. Instead of the traditional ballroom, we selected a video-friendly tech platform that could support the show’s large investment in broadcast-quality video programming.
3. Finally, acknowledging that the show’s past format of a networking reception wouldn’t be as effective virtually, we instead focused on delivering a highly produced storyline that would captivate the remote audience.

Read more tips for hosting a virtual event.

Another area we needed to adapt from CEO Update’s in-person event was providing value and opportunities to the award show’s sponsors. Our team got creative and developed numerous ways to give sponsors visibility. Not only were they featured via ads in the digital program guide we created, but we also utilized the video-centric program to create multiple chances for acknowledgement within the actual show content. Sponsor logos were introduced at the beginning of the show with a fun ticker scroll at the bottom of the screen, included in the show’s congratulatory videos for award recipients, as well as integrated through strategic in-show placement during the show’s pre-recorded videos (inspired by the classic Wayne’s World product placement). On top of this exposure, we also built out a special page on the event tech platform that featured the sponsors and linked out to their websites.

See more ideas for engaging sponsors virtually.