A virtual event is vastly different from an in-person event. It can be fraught with pitfalls for planners who are inexperienced with the format. All the logistics—and potential glitches—of pulling off a virtual event can stop even the most experienced planners in their tracks; especially as attendees’ expectations for elevated experiences and content production continue to grow. We understand how stressful it can be to navigate the realm of virtual events as that bar is set higher and higher. We’re sharing the five biggest issues standing between you and success.

The pandemic created a plot twist for just about everyone, but the truly remarkable stories are how the obstacles were overcome. For Hamilton Families, the challenge was how to pull off their fundraising events while elevating the donor experience for a virtual realm.

Whether she’s creating a branded winter wonderland out of a blank slate venue or bringing a Bali-esque dream to life on an open field overlooking the San Francisco Bay, you can bet that Senior Executive Producer and VP of Strategic Partnerships Marianne Jackson has tackled every last event detail with creative flair. Her zest for travel and adventure, cuisine, and aesthetics is visible in every event—whether in-person or virtual—that she produces.

On a tight deadline to produce a virtual event with minimal budget and no clue where to start? You don’t need to throw the towel in just yet. Today, we’re sharing personalized, simple solutions that won’t break your budget, or force you to learn an entirely new set of technical expertise to build the engaging, virtual event experience you’re envisioning.

Nothing quite bridges the gap between the virtual and physical realm like using tangible items that tie back into an experience your attendees will share during the event. Whether the goal of your event is team-building or connecting with your customers, session boxes with tailored swag or activity contents deepen the sense of community and encourage active participation. Your attendees won’t be gathering in person, but incorporating the five senses into the event will ground them in an experience they’ll remember.

Claire Morrison joins the Kennedy Events team from Florence, Italy. She’s a Bay Area native but moved overseas to pursue her undergraduate and graduate degrees. Though positioned abroad, her heart still remains tethered to home, and working for Kennedy Events allows her to maintain ties to her California roots.

We have seen over and over attendees light up at the experience of enjoying thoughtfully items shipped straight to their door. From tie-dying kits for team building to revealing their winnings off scratch cards during a financial presentation to toasting together after creating an elaborate cocktail under the tutelage of a mixologist, to props for a virtual photo booth, items big and small can make an enormous impact. We’re here to help guide you through all the pitfalls of shipping and ensure your event is remembered long after they sign off your virtual event.

As the reality—and necessity—of socially-distanced celebrations settled in last Fall, we were contacted to create a virtual holiday party that needed to take place in less than three weeks. The challenge was not only creating a fun and engaging event in a serious time crunch but to do so across four different time zones.

As we like to remind ourselves every year, there is no such thing as planning too early for the holiday season. So, how do you get through another season of uncertainty? One sure-fire way is to plan for a virtual celebration. With in-person events continuing to be in question, you can still bring people together in a shared virtual experience to ring in the holiday season; not to mention satellite offices and team members that you want to include in the festivities.

As a networking tool, a name badge that is thoughtfully designed provides a powerful opportunity for participants to learn, connect, and engage​​. Corporate events that successfully help people generate the right personal and organizational outcomes start with interactions, and your event’s name badge should facilitate making new connections. To learn how to create the best name badges out there, read on.

DonnaRose Kohl, better known by all as DR, comes to Kennedy Events with nine years in the business as a certified meeting planner. We’re so pleased to introduce her, and we know you’ll soon be singing her praises too.

Are you having trouble justifying your event budget to your leadership because your Return on Investment (ROI) is hard to track? The success of a virtual event can be measured in many different ways depending on the purpose and nature of the event.

As event planners, our client’s success is our success. Partnering with Adobe for a multi-show and multi-format program spread globally across several time zones gave this small team the opportunity to provide significant impact, supporting our client each step of the way. In this case study, we’re sharing the challenges of reaching a global audience and how we overcame them to reach Adobe’s vision of success.

When Eric Dong joined the Kennedy Events team as an event planner, we knew he would be a natural fit for our team. Eric is a ray of sunshine brightening our clients’ event horizon and we are legitimately jumping for joy to introduce you to him.

Kennedy Events Creative Director and Senior Producer Marianne Jackson recently sat down with three of our favorite venue managers to dig into these dynamic partnerships and discuss the top venue trends they foresee for 2021 and beyond.

Investing the time and money required to pull off a large-scale event can send stakeholders running for the hills, or smaller bottom lines. Don’t be discouraged. Securing stakeholder buy-in can be a cakewalk given the proper preparation, fully baked ideas, and the fundamental fixings for a perfect event plan mixing.

We all faced more than our fair share of twists and turns thanks to the pandemic. For the Bay Alarm Company, the challenge was how to pull off their annual awards celebration in the virtual realm. In order to ensure the same heart and soul was poured into the virtual event, Bay Alarm partnered with Kennedy Events.

Are you planning an event for the fall season? Look to book now. Live events were canceled left and right as COVID clutched the world. Now clients are eager to get back to live events as venues are being inundated with requests and those calendars are filling up quickly. With new health and safety regulations to consider, here are just a few tips that will guide you to successful venue selection while keeping those contracts in check.

As the light at the end of the tunnel—live, in-person events—resurfaces as a viable option, the question remains: How have the expectations of audiences and attendees shifted with the seasons spent in lockdown? Kennedy Events is sharing the trends that will influence event planning through the rest of 2021 and beyond.

Have you been wondering how to keep audiences engaged through a screen? KE Creative Director and Senior Producer Marianne Jackson recently sat down with mentalist and illusionist Wayne Hoffman to chat about the adaptation of his live show format to entertaining virtual event attendees. Wayne has more than a few tricks up his sleeve. Watch this video to see the magic unfold.