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Talent Buyer, Booking Agency and Management for Keynote Speakers, Virtual Speakers Bureau, Comedians, Unique Artists and Entertainers for both Live and Virtual Events.

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6 Things You Need To Be Aware of if You’re Organizing a Webinar

by

Tim Grable
Tim Grable founded The Grable Group.The Grable Group is an international event and entertainment company.In addition to managing the schedules of our speakers, comedians artists and entertainers, we handle their literary, commercial, film/TV, social media and licensing opportunities.
Latest posts by Tim Grable (see all)

Last updated on July 4th, 2020 at 09:26 am

Webinars are quite popular among organizations and businesses. This event format is usually preferred because it’s simple to organize and provides many of the benefits of a brick and mortar event without the drawbacks.

Some of the benefits of online meetings include reduced costs, no more requirements for a physical space and the fact that your attendees are no longer conditioned to travel, since they can tune in from pretty much anywhere.

However, not everything is sugar coated and there are a few things you need to be mindful of before setting up your virtual event.

Rest assured, because in the following article we will go over a few of the things to watch out for when organizing a webinar.

1) The Goals and Objectives

When you are planning a webinar, the benefit should not be only for you. Equally important is how it will benefit those attending.

The goal of the webinar is often defined as the general intention. While the objective is a specific and measurable result, you desire to achieve to reach the goal. Having clear goals and objectives will help define your messaging.

2) Technical Difficulties

Virtual events are more reliant on a combination of hardware and software in order to work at their full capacity. You or your guests may experience faulty video or audio and this will invariably affect the virtual  experience.

The unstable nature of the internet also needs to be factored in, because there is the chance that the network may experience high traffic and this will affect the quality of the entire stream.

What you can do about these issues is to mitigate the risk of them happening or to diminish their impact.

Having high-end equipment will ensure that you put out high quality video and audio. And in order to prevent network issues, be sure to have a solid internet connection.

5 Things You Need To Be Aware of if You're Organizing a Webinar

3) Different Time Zones

If your online program has an international audience, it raises the problem of time zones. The event won’t take place at the same time of day for everyone, meaning that it might be a bit too early for some while it may be a bit late for others.

In this case, when you’re organizing a webinar, think of a date and time which happens to be convenient for the majority of the audience.

virtual event

4) Engagement

A common issue for virtual events is that they aren’t innately as engaging as in-person events. Even if guests are involved in an active conversation, it doesn’t usually transfer the same energy as it would during a live event.

To ensure that your audience is not left out, you can involve them more in the discussion. You can ask them questions more frequently, request their input or give them the freedom to speak out or to comment on a topic.

A great Virtual Emcee engages the audience, keeps the energy up, segues from one presenter to the next, fills in the gaps, adds insights, levity, value. The virtual format makes all of these duties that much more important. An experienced, confident, professional Emcee goes from being a nice add-on feature to your conference, to being ESSENTIAL to the success of your virtual event.

Jeff Civillico has hosted 60+ virtual events since March 2020 for companies including Nestle, Success Group International, C2P Enterprises, and The American Heart Association. He’s comfortable on all major streaming platforms including Zoom, ON24, Skype, WebEx, and Streamyard.  Jeff has 90 minutes of clean comedy material from his award-winning Las Vegas Headline Show that he uses to keep your attendees engaged and entertained. He is quick on his feet, able to segue smoothly between speakers, and extremely high energy.

He films and streams all of his virtual events at Truthful Studio in Las Vegas and can accommodate ALL your virtual production needs: livestream broadcasts / conferences, pre-records, internal events, external events, panels, interviews, game shows, webcasts, interactive comedy shows, team-building workshops, webinars, and more.
Jeff Civillico: Corporate Emcee/Hosting Demo Reel

5) Lack of Activities

Tying in to our previous point, when organizing a webinar you will want to diversify the experience by adding a myriad of different activities throughout its duration.

This way, you ensure that your virtual program remains fresh and won’t be at risk of losing the audience’s attention.  You can easily address the issue by adding a bit of entertainment as part of the digital program.

Digital Deception – Interactive Blend of Magic and Technology

One of the more popular virtual entertainment ideas is Digital Deception.  High-tech wizardry involving text messaging, phone calls, emails, and video, our tech-based duo has built an arsenal of interactive magic that can be presented via any online platform.  Featured on CNN Tech, Doug McKenzie and Ryan Oakes’ world-renowned blend of tech and magic allows participants to not only watch magic, but experience it firsthand – right on their screens, on their phones, and in their own hands.  A unique, shared experience that is suitable for any size group, it’s no wonder why savvy companies such as Google, Twilio, and WeWork have already hired Digital Deception to entertain their remote teams.

6) Too Big to Handle?

If your online program turns out to be a bigger challenge than initially projected, this begs the question -- will you be able to handle it by yourself or do you need the help of a professional?

This kind of professional is known as a virtual host and their job is to assist you to moderate the online meeting, to manage the audience and to assist your guests.

Whatever the situation, it’s best to get a professional on board in order to handle the virtual event properly.  Did you know that we offer clients TECHNICAL PRODUCTION & STREAMING for virtual events? Full sound, lighting, staging, backdrops, cameras, graphic design, scripting and streaming!

A few expert services we can bring to yourWebinar/virtual event:

• Full Technical and Streaming Production
• Entertainment/Speaker Ideas/Talent Contracting & Coordination
• Streaming Producer (that’s with you every step of the way)
• Emcee/MC Contracting & Coordination
• Full Graphic and Video Content Creation and Execution
• Enhanced Options: Sponsor Gifts, Special Deliveries, Catered Meals, Ideas, Creation, Contracting and Logistics

How to Organizing a Webinar

Organizing a Webinar Has Never Been Easier

With the help of today’s technology, you can easily set up a virtual meeting in record time, without much hassle.

Regarding the social aspect, you can rely on the help of professionals in order to diversify and make the event experience more entertaining.

If you want to go this route, then we can gladly assist you. At the Grable Group, we can help you find the right entertainers for both in-person and virtual events.

Reach out to us at (615) 283-0039 and let’s turn your event into a memorable experience!

8 Reasons Why Online Meetings Are So Successful Post Covid 19

by

Tim Grable
Tim Grable founded The Grable Group.The Grable Group is an international event and entertainment company.In addition to managing the schedules of our speakers, comedians artists and entertainers, we handle their literary, commercial, film/TV, social media and licensing opportunities.
Latest posts by Tim Grable (see all)

Last updated on July 4th, 2020 at 06:52 am

8 Reasons Why Online Meetings Are So Successful

Online meetings have been taking place even before the pandemic, and they have been a part of corporate culture for many years.  However, with COVID 19, they have become how companies and organizations interact with their community -- through various forms of  virtual events.  But rather than being a necessary alternative to in-person events, virtual meetings have a lot going for themselves.

In this article, we will give you 8 reasons to prove that digital meetings aren’t just a passing trend and that they may even have the potential to outclass in-person meetings.

8 Reasons Why Online Meetings Are So Successful Post Covid 19

1) Online Meetings Prevent On-Site Risks Post Covid 19

Because of the situation caused by the pandemic, in-person events have been put on hold. And to not endanger people’s health, the best alternative for companies and organizations was to go digital.

Even after the pandemic is over, people will be more considerate of the possibility of health hazards, on-site risks and will look to online events as a means of prevention.

Even though your event is taking place virtually, you can still show your appreciation for your team and bring them together. By adding a virtual magic show to your online meeting, your attendees will laugh and connect, boosting morale. Eric Jones has appeared on television in 19 countries spanning five continents with his mind blowing magic . He has wowed dozens of A-List celebrities all over the globe and even fooled Penn & Teller with his Breathtaking close-up magic. Your group will be laughing in astonishment in this highly interactive entertainment.

Eric Jones: Virtual Meetings & Events

2) Virtual Events are Cost-Effective

The costs associated with organizing an in-person event are significantly higher than the ones necessary for setting up a digital one post Covid 19. And this is undoubtedly a reason why some companies are tempted to choose one over the other.

Think of the expenditures required for a teambuilding event, a team meetup, or a conference -- you would have to rent a venue for the event, to set up props and other unforeseen costs associated with the administration of the event.

Online meetings, on the other hand, eliminate all these costs and only end up costing a fraction of what might have been spent for a brick and mortar event.  

Why not add a teambuilding activity to your virtual event?  This is a great way to bring everyone together and boost morale while working from home. Jeff Civillico is extremely high energy which is essential for digital events. He is comfortable on all major platforms including Zoom, ON24, Skype, WebEx, and Streamyard.  Jeff understands that in addition to having the right skills and tools, this transition to virtual is as much about having the right mindset, attitude and energy.

Jeff Civillico: Virtual Show & Team Building Event

3) Digital Meetings are Eco-friendly

Live events are expensive to organize and attend, not to mention the negative impact on the environment. In recent years there has been an increased desire for green meetings. Event planners have been reducing print collateral by creating apps for their event. They have been selecting buffet-style menus to keep the amount of food used as efficiently as possible. Getting people to events is the most significant reason in-person events are not environmentally friendly. Consider the number of trips made to attend a live meeting. Online meetings reduce the amount of waste by allowing attendees to access everything from their homes. Imagine the marketing possibilities of a genuinely green event.

4) Less Time Wasted

One of the most significant inconveniences of in-person events is that they require much time to be invested.  On the organizational side, they take a significant amount of time to set up. On the attendees’ side, valuable time is spent traveling to and back from the event’s location.  On this note, virtual events save more time both for the organizers and the attendees. Meetings are easy to set up, and the participants can tune in with just a few simple clicks.

5) Quantify Results and Measure Impact

One of the most challenging tasks for a meeting planner is measuring the results of in-person meetings. Live events create emotional connections and allow relationships to be built and enhanced. It can be difficult to track the ROI of face-to-face meetings. Virtual meetings are easier to quantify results. Since everything takes place online, data is easily trackable, making it easy to measure the impact of your investment. Also, you can get real-time feedback, which is crucial for virtual events to adjust future events.

6) Global Reach

Companies strive to increase the reach of their event to engage more people. Online meetings make this easy. Social media has made hosting a virtual event easy to promote to the global community. You can attract people from across the world without the cost of travel and time away from the office. Allowing meeting planners to grow their audience and increase engagement. 

7) Easily Accessible

Virtual meetings have fewer requirements for people to show up than any kind of in-person meetings. A virtual lobby can be accessed from almost any personal computer or a mobile device.  For the companies that have headquarters in multiple cities, online events come as a boon -- given the fact that traveling is no longer required.   To attend, people only need a device with an active internet connection, and they’re pretty much done.

4 Reasons Why Online Meetings Are Being So Successful

8) Celebrity Surprises

When planning an in-person event, surprises have a way of causing stress and panic, because every detail has been designed in advance. One of the most frustrating things with live events is having only minutes to adjust something you have been working on for months.  Often these changes are because of a celebrity and their security team. Virtual events eliminate these challenges.

Meetings can be tedious. Why not open your virtual meeting with a special celebrity guest like Will Ferrell. Your attendees will undoubtedly know Will Ferrell from big-screen comedies such as Step Brothers, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Elf, Daddy’s Home, and Saturday Night Live. How about having Traver Noah interview your company CEO or executive and take questions? Replace your buffet with a trip to Flavortown. Hire Celebrity Chef Guy Fieri and host of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives to provide Virtual Cooking Entertainment.  This top Food Network Star will provide an experience your online audience will never forget.  A list of ingredients will be provided so attendees can literally cook together.

What other Headline Celebrity can you hire for online meetings?

  • Nicole Kidman is an Academy Award-winning actress, best known for her roles in Moulin Rouge! and The Hours.   She most recently starred in as Queen Atlanna in DC Comic’s Aquaman
  • Keith Urban is a Grammy-award winning country music singer, songwriter and guitarist.  Urban has won four Grammy Awards, ten Country Music Association Awards, eleven Academy of Country Music Awards, a People’s Choice, an American Music Award, a Golden Globe nomination, and is a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
  • Will Smith is an actor, producer, and musician, two-time Academy Award nominee and Grammy Award Winner.  Filmography includes transformative portrayals of true-life icons in Ali, The Pursuit of Happiness and Concussion.  He starred in Hitch, I am Legend, I, Robot, Independence Day, and Men in Black I ,II, & III
  • Mark Cuban is the owner of the Dallas Mavericks and Co-owner of 2029 Entertainment, co-founder and Chairman of AXS TV.  He stars on ABC’s Emmy-winning reality series “Shark Tank”
  • James Corden is host of CBS’ The Late Late Show with James Corden, which has been nominated for 5 Emmy’s and won for Outstanding Interactive Program.  Former host of the BAFTA Award-winning UK sports-themed comedy game show A League of Their Own.  Starred in, produced, and wrote the BAFTA-nominated comedy thriller The Wrong Mans.  Named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People”Awarded the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Award for Comedy Writer of the Year, the South Bank Show Award for Comedy and the Royal Television Society Award for Comedy Writer of the Year for his work on The Wrong Mans
  • Ambassador Susan Rice served as National Security Advisor from 2013 to 2017.  She served as U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and was a member of President Obama’s Cabinet from 2009 to 2013.  Her memoir, Tough Love: My Story of the Things Worth Fighting For, became an instant New York Times bestseller recalling pivotal moments from her dynamic career on the front lines of American diplomacy

Virtual Events Are Here to Stay

Only time will tell if online meetups will become the norm, but for the time being post Covid 19, it’s essential to consider the benefits which they can yield for your business or organization. 

Online events aren’t just more convenient and a way to save money, but they can also be an exciting and unique experience.  There are more benefits to virtual meetings than just being a back-up plan in case of the unexpected. They are cost-effective to attend, easy to track ROI and help save the environment. While there will always be a need to meet in-person, one of the hottest new trends in the event industry is virtual and hybrid event solutions.

At the Grable Group, we can offer you entertainment solutions for both in-person and online events. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us at (615) 283-0039 and we will gladly assist you with all your entertainment needs for both in person and virtual events.

The Best Celebrity Chefs for Virtual Cooking Entertainment

by

Tim Grable
Tim Grable founded The Grable Group.The Grable Group is an international event and entertainment company.In addition to managing the schedules of our speakers, comedians artists and entertainers, we handle their literary, commercial, film/TV, social media and licensing opportunities.
Latest posts by Tim Grable (see all)

Cooking fans know today’s top Food Network Chefs also star in popular series on television.

But very few people know they’re also available for Virtual Cooking Entertainment? The people attending your virtual event can meet these top celebrity cooks up-close and personal! Your event will become an experience your online audience will never forget.

What Celebrity Chefs Can You Hire?

The Best Celebrity Chefs for Virtual Cooking Entertainment

Do you want to create a celebrity buzz around your incentive event? Or maybe dazzle your donors for your next virtual fundraiser? Adding a celebrity chef to your virtual program has never been easier. 

Guy Fieri

These Tacos Al Pastor Take Guy Fieri STRAIGHT To Flavortown | Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives

Guy Fieri, the “culinary rock star”, is known for his energetic personality, humor and culinary expertise. The debut of his first show, Guy’s Big Bite, on The Food Network was the catalyst for his successful culinary career. He is now the host of the top-rated television show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives and the special series Tailgate Warriors. Guy Fieri is a guest judge on Food Network Star and collaborates with well-known Chef Rachael Ray in a competition series on Food Network called Rachael vs. Guy Celebrity Cook-Off. Rachael Ray has described the show as “the cooking equivalent to Dancing with the Stars” and the show has featured competitors such as Grammy winning rapper Coolio and Super Bowl MVP Hines Ward.

Shirley Chung

Chef Shirley Chung | Coachella Curated 2019

Chef Shirley first gained celebrity status as a Top Two Finalist on Top Chef Season 11 and once again as the first runner up on Top Chef Season 14. Born and raised in Beijing China, Shirley was exposed to international cuisine at an early age by her grandmother. Shirley has served as the Executive Chef for China Poblano by Jose Andres, which was nominated for the Best New Restaurant Award by James Beard in 2011. She is the creator and original head chef at the high acclaimed restaurant Twenty Eight in Orange County and in 2018 she opened her next restaurant Ms Chi Café in Culver City.

Cat Cora

Cat Cora Burgers - Home & Family

Cat Cora is a world-renowned chef, author, restaurateur, contributing editor, television host and personality, actress, avid philanthropist, health and fitness expert, lifestyle entrepreneur and proud mother of six. The Jackson, Mississippi native, who trained at the Culinary Institute of America and went on to cook at two 3-star Michelin restaurants in France, has been captivating audiences since she made her TV debut in 1999, as co-host of Food Network’s Melting Pot with Rocco Di Spirito. She went on to host My Country My Kitchen: Greece, Date Plate, and was one of the featured hosts on Fine Living’s Simplify Your Life. Cat Cora is also a woman who holds a series of “firsts” for women in the culinary industry.

Adrianne Calvo 

Chef Adrianne's Grilled Lamb Chops, Maximum Flavor Style. Presented by FPL

Since 2007, Adrianne Calvo has taken the food scene by storm, firmly establishing herself as a one of the top celebrity chefs, author, television personality, philanthropist, and restaurateur. To date, she has produced five cookbooks: Maximum Flavor (2005), Chef Adrianne: Driven by Flavor, Fueled by Fire (2008), #MaximumFlavorSocial (2014), Play With Fire (2015), and The A-List, a two-volume work released last year. Her restaurant, the award-winning Chef Adrianne’s Vineyard Restaurant and Wine Bar, has dazzled patrons with its boldly creative menu and its extraordinary “Dark Dining” event, in which guests get to experience a heightened sense of taste by being blindfolded during a multicourse dinner. Among the restaurant’s other accolades are being named one of the U.S.’s 15 most unique restaurants by Zagat , being selected as one of the 17 most important restaurants in Miami by Thrillist, being named in the Miami Food Bucket List, also by Thrillist, and winning best chef (2014,2016, 2018) and best restaurant (2014, 2017) in Miami by the Reader’s Choice Awards. Chef Adrianne entered the celebrity food world at a young age, but age was not a factor in pushing her efforts.

Darren McGrady

There Are Burgers And There Are Burgers!

Chef Darren McGrady was personal chef to Queen Elizabeth II, Diana, Princess of Wales and Princes’ William and Harry for fifteen years and has cooked for Presidents’ Ford, Reagan, Bush, Clinton and Bush. He is now a one of the top celebrity chefs, author, culinary consultant, event planner and public speaker living in Dallas, Texas. His first cookbook titled ‘Eating Royally; Recipes and Remembrances from a Palace Kitchen’ is now in sixth print with all of his advance and royalties donated to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation.

Tyler Florence

5-Star Chicken Enchiladas with Tyler Florence | Food Network

For the past 15 years, Chef Tyler Florence has delighted the masses by sharing the sights, sounds and flavors of his unique culinary vision with fans around the world.  After more than 12 years as a Food Network star, Florence has taken his food and his wit across the globe, finely tuning what is regarded as one of America’s most important culinary voices. He has starred in such series as How to Boil Water, his cooking show for novices, Food 911, his hugely popular “recipe rescue” show, as well as Tyler’s Ultimate, his signature series. Florence has also hosted numerous other Food Network shows and specials, including Planet Food, All American Festivals and My Country, My Kitchen. Tyler is also a regular guest on The Today Show, CNN, The View, The Tonight Show, Oprah, Access Hollywood, Extra, Good Morning America, and more.

Betty Fraser

Betty Fraser's Fall Trifle - Home & Family

Betty Fraser is a loud, crazy, and no-hold-barred chef! She competed on Top Chef Season 2 and has appeared on serval other TV shows including Chopped, Top Chef Masters, Master Chef Junior and Man vs Child. Betty is co-owner of the award-winning Los Angeles eatery Grub Restaurant and As You Like It Catering, this self-taught chef began her career cooking for friends and testing out recipes for anyone that would sit down and join her. Betty can rattle off recipes from the top of her head and is confident that her cooking excels even those with professional training.

Chef Huda

Multi-talented celebrity chef, food & entertainment writer, fashionista, good food enthusiast and philanthropist, Chef Huda truly is a modern day Renaissance Woman. She is the CEO of Pretty and Delicious, a full service personal chef and culinary company and creator of the delicious destination for everything food “A Happy Food Place” the blog. With undeniably glam and class, great food and style are truly her gift to the world. Chef Huda life mission is to improve people’s relationship with food and help the world find “A Happy Food Place™”.

Massimo Mele

Massimo Mele’s is a first class chef with big Italian heart and soul. His passion for Italian food comes from being surrounded by great Italian food from an early age. His passion for life comes from being a talented, young Italian guy. Always on the go and always up for a laugh, until recently Massimo was the Executive Chef of the Hugos Group in Sydney, which included Hugos Manly, Hugos Bar Pizza & Hugos Catering. He is now at the helm of his rapidly expanding business, ‘Catering by Massimo’, where fun-loving and entertaining nature is reflected in his passion for the casual ‘get-amongst-it’ style of his much-loved Italian street food.

Natasha Crnjac

Top 4: Natasha Crnjac | Season 4 | MASTERCHEF

Chef Natasha heated up the kitchen in Season 4 of MasterChef, winning her the number two position. According to Gordon Ramsay, this was the toughest decision he ever made on the show and even tried to convince the other judges to call it a tie! With a diverse background and upbringing, she has so much to offer with her unique perspective on food and culture. Her love of world traveling provides her the prospective to be able to incorporate the spices and flavors of various countries around the world. In 2019, she opened Meal Prep Boutique, offering catering services and meal prep delivery in California.

Melissa D’Ariabian

Celebrity chef, television host, best-selling author, speaker, writer and mom of four Melissa d’Arabian is an expert on affordable and healthy family home cooking. After winning season five of The Next Food Network Star in August 2009, Melissa premiered her inaugural cooking show Ten Dollar Dinners proving a delicious budget-friendly meal can be made without compromise and always delivering on her $10 promise. Today, Melissa is a sought-after expert regularly featured in national media for cooking entertainment

Nyesha J. Arrington

Chef Nyesha Arrington Gets Her Gruyère On I Kitchen Little

Chef Nyesha J. Arrington has been in love with the kitchen since she was just a little girl cooking from the age of five alongside her Korean grandmother, Ai-Soon Lee. Born in Southern California to a multi-cultural family, Arrington was early introduced to diverse foods such as bulgogi, octopus, and homemade kimchi. These first stages of culinary experiences definitively shaped Arrington’s palate development and her ideas in cooking entertainment. By integrating flavors and techniques from around the world, Arrington has been able to create a style that is both personal and unparalleled.

Tracey Noonan

Jennie Garth's Wicked Good Tour

Tracey Noonan is the CEO and Co-Founder of Wicked Good Cupcakes, Inc. along with daughter, Dani Vilagie.

Wicked Good Cupcakes was started in the South Shore home kitchen of Tracey and Dani in 2010. After much success and increased demand, they opened their first retail location in Cohasset, MA October of 2011. In May 2013, a second retail location was opened in Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall Marketplace.

The company now 5 years young, has grown to be a nationally known, multi-million dollar brand thanks in part to an appearance on ABC’s Emmy Award-winning show, “Shark Tank” and subsequent deal with Shark, Kevin O’Leary. Kevin has called Wicked Good Cupcakes, “One of his best investments from Shark Tank” on numerous occasions.

Ready to Add Cooking Entertainment?

As the worlds leading virtual booking agency, we can help you hire the best Celebrity Chefs for your next virtual event. Call us at 615 283 0039 or email us to begin planning  your next online program.

Get The Best Of Live and Online Events By Organizing A Hybrid Event

by

Tim Grable
Tim Grable founded The Grable Group.The Grable Group is an international event and entertainment company.In addition to managing the schedules of our speakers, comedians artists and entertainers, we handle their literary, commercial, film/TV, social media and licensing opportunities.
Latest posts by Tim Grable (see all)

With the onset of the pandemic, some people may be wary about attending live programs, and because of this, many businesses and companies have found themselves in a tight situation planning online events.

Thankfully, this situation can be addressed by organizing a hybrid event – a type of program that people can attend live, but can also tune-in from home if they are worried about any potential hazards to their health.

Hybrid events combine the best of both in-person and virtual programs to offer your guests a hassle-free, entertaining, and safe experience.

In the following article, we will go over why such programs are so valuable, and we will share a few things you can do to set up one for yourself.

Get The Best Of Live and Online Events By Organizing A Hybrid Event

Why Should You Consider Hosting One?

Organizing a Hybrid event is by no means a new thing, and they have been around for quite a while, but have never caught on as organizers leaned towards either strictly in-person or online event.

However, given the situation brought forth by the pandemic, people may have second thoughts about attending an event in-person, even if the state of emergency were to be long gone.

People are still open to the idea of taking part in meetings; however, without having to put their health at risk. With hybrid meetings, you address people’s worries, and these are some of the reasons why:

  • Safety. Reduced chances of endangering public safety since large groups of people no longer form.
  • More Accessible. It gives people the option to choose whether to attend in-person or the online events.
  • More Affordable. From an organizational standpoint, it doesn’t take as much effort to set up as a fully-fledged in-person event, and with many costs being cut down, hybrid events end up having a lower participation fee.

Good Practices for Hybrid Events

When organizing a hybrid event, you will have to cater to two types of audiences – and the first thing that you need to have settled is to have an audience hall rented for the guests coming in-person and a virtual platform for those that prefer to participate in online events.

Make sure to have good video and audio support. So the audio from the audience hall is well captured and can be broadcasted online, alongside the video stream of the virtual program.

Be mindful to host activities that translate well for both in-person and remote audiences, as you wouldn’t want to alienate a part of your audience.

You can find all kinds of entertainers on our online portfolio, specifically for the type of event that you are going for.

Lastly, make sure that your event is compliant with the laws of your state, as you might find that public gatherings are still not allowed – and if that were the case, then you can convert it to be entirely virtual.

Organizing A Hybrid Event Adds to Online Events

If you are interested in fully committing to planning hybrid events, then be mindful of the advice that we presented in this article.

Be sure not to overlook the fact that the event’s activities need to be fun, engaging, and to reach out to both types of audiences. We can help you find the right entertainers who fulfill all these requirements.

Give us a call at (615) 283-0039 or drop us an email, and we will gladly help you find the right entertainment solution as you are organizing a hybrid event.

How to Smoothly Transition A Charity Event To An Online Fundraiser

by

Tim Grable
Tim Grable founded The Grable Group.The Grable Group is an international event and entertainment company.In addition to managing the schedules of our speakers, comedians artists and entertainers, we handle their literary, commercial, film/TV, social media and licensing opportunities.
Latest posts by Tim Grable (see all)

Last updated on June 23rd, 2020 at 07:32 am

How to Transition A Non-Profit Event To An Online Fundraiser

The internet has always been a veritable platform for many fundraising efforts. It has provided charities with the means to reach much wider audiences and to increase their potential donor-base.

The pandemic has impacted many fundraising campaigns, but with the help of the internet, many organizations have been able to soften this blow by transitioning their efforts online.

If your campaign has been impacted as well, then it is high time to consider going digital.

And in this article, we will present you 5 things that need to be on your to-do list to transition a charity event to an online fundraiser seamlessly.

1) Communicate with Your Community

Your community may consist of recurring donors, partners, sponsors, or people who are generally following your activity. Be sure to let them know that your campaign is going to transition to an online environment.

You will want to avoid giving your community the impression that you have gone cold. It’s important to do this because people will notice a sudden drop in your organization’s activity.

Trust is essential for charities, and any unrest can instill a feeling of doubt among your supporters.

How to Smoothly Transition A Charity Event To An Online Fundraiser

2) Create a Dedicated Landing Page

Landing pages for fundraisers are not a new thing. However, they have become a staple in the world of virtual fundraising.

A dedicated landing page serves as a central hub from where your target audience can connect to your online fundraiser. It is essentially the face of your entire campaign, and people will refer to it often to get updates or to find out general information about your activity.

Not to mention that the dedicated landing page is the first piece of content that potential donors will interact with, and it is in your best interest to make it stand out, but without compromising any of the vital information.

3) Safety Is a Priority for a Charity Event

People are very wary about where their money goes and how it is kept. You will have to emphasize the fact that even if you transition to a different medium, you aren’t exposing yourself to any online risks.

Security is an essential aspect of fundraising -- showing your donors that their money and personal information is secured builds on that aspect of trust, which we mentioned earlier.

Thankfully there are many reputable online platforms where security is top-notch, and people won’t have to worry about their money ever falling into the wrong hands.

You will want to pick a platform which has powerful security measures in place to prevent instances of fraud or hacking, but without compromising the simplicity of the donation process.

Are you technologically challenged and overwhelmed with putting together a virtual event? We can help you plan and produce a online event that connects.

4) Cement Its Online Presence

Promotion is vital for any charity event. And similarly to how you promote your in-person event, you will want to spread the word about its online version.

The difference here is that you can link directly to the platform of your online fundraiser. People no longer have to go through web pages and then show up for an in-person event, since now they can directly reach the center of the action with just a few clicks.

Social media can be a very powerful tool in this regard. If your campaign happens to be shared around, you are looking to expand its reach significantly and, along with it, the possibility of finding more potential donors.

5) Get People Interested in Your Online Fundraiser

Virtual events can offer the same level of excitement as a in-person charity event. You need to invest in the right type of activities, which translate well into an online environment.

Since the action will be taking place online, you can go ahead and organize all kinds of group activities in which people can interact with each other through a webcam and a microphone.

A good host brings attendees together, engages the audience, keeps the energy up, segues from one presenter to the next, fills in the gaps, adds insights, levity, value and helps you raise more money!  There’s an argument to be made that a Virtual Host is the most important part of a virtual fundraiser, because the virtual format makes all of these duties that much more important.  An experienced, confident, professional Emcee goes from being a nice add-on feature to your fundraising event, to being ESSENTIAL to the success of your charity event.

Jeff Civillico has A LOT of experience hosting live events.  Why does this matter?   All of the same skills that are required to host live events will be required to host virtual events.  Your host needs to be smart, quick on his or her feet, able to segue smoothly between speakers and programs, and most importantly for the virtual medium— your host must be HIGH ENERGY and ENGAGING.  We all know that it will be much more difficult to command attention through a computer screen.

Jeff Civillico: Corporate Emcee/Hosting Demo Reel

And be sure to consider the idea of hiring someone to provide professional entertainment for your online fundraising event.  Evie Clair is popular music choice for virtual fundraisers. More than one judge and millions of fans echoed that Evie’s voice was the sound of an angel. She’s different because although she can sing the big notes, she doesn’t depend on them and wants people to feel her soul when she sings, even in the quiet, heartfelt moments.

Evie Clair: Virtual Music Demo

Sand Artist Joe Castillo has helped raise over Fifteen million dollars for nonprofit organizations. He is able to tell your story in Sand from his studio in Atlanta.  He has been seen live on all 7 continents, over 43 countries, and into 35 different languages.  He has done events for world leaders including President Carter, President Bush, President Clinton, Hillary Rodham Clinton, President Juan Manuel Santos, Pope Francis and King Abdullah.  He has performed on NBC, CBS, FOX, BBC, PBS, ESPN, Univision and RCN Televisión.  His work has been featured on America’s Got Talent, Q’Viva! The Chosen, X-Factor and The Today Show.

Joe Castillo - Make A Wish 2

As the worlds leading virtual booking agency, we can help you find the right type of entertainer, perfect for both in-person and online events.  We can also help you with producing the program and the technology required for a successful virtual fundraiser.

Reach out to us at (615) 283-0039 or drop us an email and we will gladly help you!

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