Events and gatherings are transforming in the era of physical distancing. Here’s what you need to know.
Why It Matters
COVID-19 has put in-person seminars, charity dinners, and other in-person gatherings on ice. The risks of crowds and travel are here to stay. Over the following Special Report, Future of Good will dive into the growing demand for digital events — and explain how the sector will need to reconsider key activities like programming and fundraising.
When COVID-19 restrictions halted life across Canada, Tehsin Jaffer and her team were faced with a monumental task. Plan Canada’s senior manager of youth engagement had to shift the organization’s Youth Summit, a gathering of 50 young leaders from across the country in Toronto, to an entirely online event. In two months.
“It was daunting at first,” Jaffer says. “But I think one of the benefits of being in the charitable sector is that we’ve become used to having roadblocks and figuring out ways to work around it.” Instead of holding icebreaker exercises at an Ontario campground, organizers blasted ‘Cha Cha Slide’ at the end of a video call, allowing everyone to dance along in front of their cameras. Virtual workshops replaced in-person gatherings – and hefty airline ticket prices. Better still, Jaffer says the Youth Digital Summit saw its attendance
Join a community of 2000+ impact-oriented professionals like you. Get full access to this story and all Future of Good content, including tickets to our digital events and networking, with a membership.
Already have an account? Sign in.
