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Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy - Networking Opportunity!

  • 1.  Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy - Networking Opportunity!

    Cvent Staff
    Posted 09-23-2020 15:30
    Edited by Lauren Donaghue 09-23-2020 15:31

    Hi all!

    Our Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy sessions have finally kicked off and will be hosted Tuesdays at 3PM and Thursdays at 2PM ET through October 20th.  We had great conversation in our first round of huddles in August and are looking forward to having additional networking sessions in the coming weeks. We wanted to share these insights with the Community and give the opportunity to continue the conversation. We hope these Higher Ed Huddles along with the open forum discussions allow you to connect with one another and learn from your industry peers.

     

    To help us focus on Higher Education engagement in this new world, we would like to hear from you. Copy the question below, click reply, paste the questions and provide your responses.

     

    1. Have you executed a virtual or hybrid event? If yes, please explain the type of event and the strategy you took to take it virtual.
    2. What is the most creative and engaging experience you have provided to students/Alumni virtually?
    3. With the school year kicking off, share one "win" that you have had with this pivot to virtual!

     

    Now that you have attended a huddle, if you have any other additional thoughts or questions please reply on this discussion to ask the Higher Ed Community. We encourage you to continue to network and further discuss your Virtual Event Strategy.

     

    If you would like to sign up for a Higher Ed Huddle, register now for an upcoming session. We look forward to seeing you there! #HigherEd


    #ManagingVirtualEvents

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    Lauren Donaghue
    Client Success Manager
    Cvent
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy - Networking Opportunity!

    Posted 10-01-2020 12:31

    We have executed fully virtual and virtual/live hybrid events. Our events are often training and professional learning for educators. The challenge has been to prevent Zoom fatigue for live virtual events and to prevent overcommitment by registrants. We focused on several fully virtual courses that give instructions to participants to be able to train their internal team. We also focused on fully virtual courses with downloadable materials, pre-recorded viewable video content, and a staff-led Q&A forum for clarity and networking.

    The most creative experience will be out upcoming and nearly complete fully virtual conferences for educators across the U.S. We will have exhibitors, networking 'halls', keynote speakers, and live, course-based, pre-recorded, and downloadable materials all combined for concurrent breakout sessions.

    Our current 'win' is the massive positive response to our self-paced training courses where we educate one key participant to assist their entire leadership team for their upcoming virtual review meetings. We have posted nearly 20 course sessions for registrants with an 40-80 person capacity per course session, and we are having to open new sessions on a bi-weekly  basis because the courses are filling. Not only are people registering, but they are attending at a 94-97% rate per session.



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    Amanda Adams
    Mid-Atlantic Territory Client Services Coordinator
    Cognia, Inc.
    ------------------------------



  • 3.  RE: Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy - Networking Opportunity!

    Posted 10-28-2020 06:17
    1. Have you executed a virtual or hybrid event? If yes, please explain the type of event and the strategy you took to take it virtual.
      Not yet but we are planning one in the works
    2. What is the most creative and engaging experience you have provided to students/Alumni virtually?
      Trying to plan various engaging virtual team unity events its harder than expected. We're brainstorming things like pet show and tell and games.
    3. With the school year kicking off, share one "win" that you have had with this pivot to virtual!
      More people are willing to attend virtual events so our numbers have increased


    ------------------------------
    Coy Rushton
    Graphic Designer
    Primary Residential Mortgage
    ------------------------------



  • 4.  RE: Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy - Networking Opportunity!

    Posted 10-01-2020 15:14
    For your virtual events, what you recommend as far as staffing for the event as a whole or for a session?

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    Eva Roig
    Implementation Specialist Cvent/EMS
    The Commons Learning Center at The University of Texas at Austin
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  • 5.  RE: Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy - Networking Opportunity!

    Posted 10-12-2020 18:05
    We are not technically in Higher Education but we do work very closely with all the Texas Schools of Architecture and they are involved in our conference.  

    1. Have you executed a virtual or hybrid event? If yes, please explain the type of event and the strategy you took to take it virtual. 
    Our virtual event officially starts on October 28th! Switching to virtual was painful - we had to keep it very hush hush for way too long and it caused a lot of confusion between staff, speakers and other stakeholders. If we did it again, I'd opt to be much more transparent with everyone - Turns out, everyone else was having the same kind of internal conversations internally as we were and had we all opened up about it, we could have pooled our resources! 

    2. What is the most creative and engaging experience you have provided to students/Alumni virtually?
    For our virtual conference, we have had 4 of the 8 Texas Schools of Architecture sign up to host an alumni event during our conference. Each event has been setup through Cvent as a session and we are sharing the attendee lists with the alumni planning committees for each school. The events they are hosting all vary a little. One school is sending out party packs to each person who signs up, another is inviting some attendees to attend an in person happy hour during the same time as the virtual event (this one makes me SO nervous!) Whilst another has a "House Party" setup where guests will see a birds-eye-view image of a house with no roof and they can click the different rooms of the house for different experiences: Kitchen = drinks and casual chats, Library = alumni come together to discuss literature or study in general, Drawing Room = Architectural Talk, Garage = Classic car talk. This should be a fun networking session and people can move around the house as they please.    


    3. With the school year kicking off, share one "win" that you have had with this pivot to virtual!
    More people are able to attend our events than would normally. The schools are able to reach more people to invite as they can use their own alumni lists instead of relying on our conference registration lists like they would for an in-person meeting.

    ------------------------------
    Sharna Pascolo
    Program Director
    Texas Society of Architects
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  • 6.  RE: Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy - Networking Opportunity!

    User Group Member
    Posted 01-26-2021 16:59
    Great topic Lauren!

    1. Have you executed a virtual or hybrid event? If yes, please explain the type of event and the strategy you took to take it virtual.  Yes, at George Mason we are more virtual than not.  Our strategy is really just "ensuring we are keeping the Mason community safe."  That being said our biggest event was a Graduation Celebration. This was a across campus collaboration.  We used a variety of software to implement.  1st: Programs - we sent out a survey in Dynamic Forms to gather addresses to mail programs to those who wanted them; 2nd: Our GMU TV and other departments provided recordings for us for the celebration, 3rd. Zoom to record those we could not get to campus; 4th: Our website to broadcast, 5th: Marching Orders for our students.  All five of these worked in collaboration to make our event a success. No registrations as it truly was supposed to be an opportunity for all. Some colleges and schools held private zoom parties as well.  
    2. What is the most creative and engaging experience you have provided to students/Alumni virtually?  I think the most engaging we've had is our Mason Holidays at Home Virtual Holiday Party for Faculty Staff. We created a website and offered opportunities for everyone - from Zoom participation activities (A Live Dance Party, Live Trivia), to prerecorded activities (Cooking Demos and a Painting Demo - even a concert!), to a On-you-Own experience (Scavenger Hunt, Photo Submission, Recipe Exchange).  All of these allowed our faculty and staff to participate safely but allowed us to connect.
    3. With the school year kicking off, share one "win" that you have had with this pivot to virtual!  I think our big win is just that we've made everything work while our budgets are being tightly monitored.  

     



    ------------------------------
    Lesley Irminger
    University Events and Office of Communication Events Coordinator
    George Mason - Office Of University Events
    ------------------------------



  • 7.  RE: Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy - Networking Opportunity!

    Posted 08-30-2021 13:42
    Hi Lesley,
    While I was in college in CA, George Mason's publications and discussions were a huge support to me in my major. I am a big fan of George Mason's commitment to global learning.  Years ago you all used to offer brown-bag lunch discussions on Fridays.  Do you still do that and if so, are they virtual now? I would love to be able to join.

    ------------------------------
    Robin Lewison
    Regis University
    Denver, Colorado
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  • 8.  RE: Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy - Networking Opportunity!

    Posted 03-10-2021 11:52
      1. Have you executed a virtual or hybrid event?
        1. Yes
        2. If yes, please explain the type of event and the strategy you took to take it virtual. Global Sales Kick off.
          1. Strategy was to create content that would excite and engage a global sales team.​ We​ ​kept the event to 3 hours a day so it does not get boring and you lose engagement. We did the yearly awards and gave away lots of prizes for engagement.
      2. What is the most creative and engaging experience you have provided to students/Alumni virtually?
        1. Not in the education sector
      3. With the school year kicking off, share one "win" that you have had with this pivot to virtual!
        1. Sorry not in the education sector
      --

     



    ------------------------------
    Scott Sward
    Global Travel and Events Manager
    Viewpoint, Inc.
    ------------------------------



  • 9.  RE: Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy - Networking Opportunity!

    User Group Member
    Posted 08-03-2021 13:48
    1. Have you executed a virtual or hybrid event? If yes, please explain the type of event and the strategy you took to take it virtual.
    Yes, many different types.  HCP Education, Sales Kick off Meetings, Product Webinars
    1. What is the most creative and engaging experience you have provided to students/Alumni virtually?
    No in Ed
    1. With the school year kicking off, share one "win" that you have had with this pivot to virtual!''
    Not in Ed

    ------------------------------
    Amy Lum
    Senior System and Tools Specialist
    Boston Scientific Corporation
    ------------------------------



  • 10.  RE: Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy - Networking Opportunity!

    Posted 08-24-2021 23:56
    Edited by Chere Brooks 08-24-2021 23:58
    • Have you executed a virtual or hybrid event? If yes, please explain the type of event and the strategy you took to take it virtual. Yes to virtual, No hybrid yet.
    • What is the most creative and engaging experience you have provided to students/Alumni virtually? Walking tour of local neighborhood 
    • With the school year kicking off, share one "win" that you have had with this pivot to virtual! Students are motivated to finish work early and accelerate their graduation date. 


    ------------------------------
    Chere Brooks
    Learning Events Manager
    Habitat For Humanity International, Inc.
    ------------------------------



  • 11.  RE: Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy - Networking Opportunity!

    Posted 08-25-2021 15:29
    • Have you executed a virtual or hybrid event? If yes, please explain the type of event and the strategy you took to take it virtual.
    Yes - we were planning on having our in-person annual event in the fall of 2020 and had to quickly shift into a 100% virtual format. Thankfully, we already had fairly engaged audience and were able to achieve fairly high registration numbers. We also utilized the Engagement Score feature in the Cvent Attendee Hub that allowed us to reward those who were active in their online participation.

    ------------------------------
    Jordan Atherton
    Manager, Events and Engagement
    Avantax Wealth Management, Inc
    ------------------------------



  • 12.  RE: Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy - Networking Opportunity!

    Posted 08-27-2021 10:52
    Do we have new dates for Higher Ed Huddles for 2021?

    ------------------------------
    Eva Roig
    Implementation Specialist EMS/Cvent Program Coordinator
    The Commons Learning Center at The University of Texas at Austin
    ------------------------------



  • 13.  RE: Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy - Networking Opportunity!

    Posted 08-30-2021 11:45
    Hi Eva! Great timing, the team is in the planning stages for the rest of the year and into 2022. @Lauren Donaghue or @Sydney McNabb will follow up on this thread when they have more information to share. :)

    Best,

    Danni ​​​

    ------------------------------
    Danni Czark
    Senior Associate, Online Community Marketing
    Cvent
    ------------------------------



  • 14.  RE: Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy - Networking Opportunity!

    Posted 08-30-2021 13:37
    1. Have you executed a virtual or hybrid event? If yes, please explain the type of event and the strategy you took to take it virtual.
    Our department, Instructional Design & Technology, at Regis University, provides many online workshops each month to support Faculty enhance their approach to online teaching.  I use Cvent for the Workshop registration process.

    2. What is the most creative and engaging experience you have provided to students/Alumni virtually?
    I am not sure I would call our workshops exciting, but they certainly are helpful to faculty, introducing them to various tools encouraging student engagement.
    OUR WORKSHOP TITLES
    Addressing Academic Integrity Through Assessment Design
    Asynchronous Learning Strategies in an Online Environment  
    Employing Respondus Monitor and LockDown Browser to Address Academic Integrity Issues
    Increasing Engagement with VoiceThread
    Increasing Engagement with VoiceThread - Advanced Workshop
    Online Faculty Engagement
    Teaching in Mixed- Mode
    Teaching with a Mobile Audio/Visual Kit (Swivil/Zoom)
    Teaching with Zoom
    Unpacking the Regis Characteristics of High-Quality Online Courses 
    Using Rubrics to Evaluate Assignments 
    Video Creation and Sharing Workshop
    WorldClass Tool Series:
    WorldClass Assignment Tool
    WorldClass Discussion Tool
    WorldClass Grades Tool
    WorldClass Managing and Organizing Content
    WorldClass Other Tools
    WorldClass Quiz and Respondus Tool

    3. With the school year kicking off, share one "win" that you have had with this pivot to virtual!
    Our new Provost is thrilled with the results.

    ------------------------------
    Robin Lewison
    Regis University
    Denver, Colorado
    ------------------------------



  • 15.  RE: Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy - Networking Opportunity!

    Posted 09-09-2021 18:09
    1. Have you executed a virtual or hybrid event? If yes, please explain the type of event and the strategy you took to take it virtual.
      Yes we have hosted a virtual conference week in which we used the app to set very specific times for which the video is available for viewing to really ensure that no one slips through the cracks and/or shares the content with their entire office in a physical setting. The the on-demand recoardings were added and removed manually to sessions in the app during a specific time frame.

    2. What is the most creative and engaging experience you have provided to students/Alumni virtually?
      The the on-demand recoardings were added and removed manually to sessions in the app during a specific time frame.
    3. With the school year kicking off, share one "win" that you have had with this pivot to virtual!
      Reaching a larger audience


    ------------------------------
    Chelsea Benge Ostoich
    Events Software Specialist
    cbenge@leadingre.com
    LeadingRE
    ------------------------------



  • 16.  RE: Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy - Networking Opportunity!

    Posted 09-17-2021 09:28
    I have created lots of hybrid events, although I haven't hosted any. What I would suggest is to make sure from the start if your event is going to be virtual, in person or hybrid, as changing between the settings can create issues on the backend. You should also make sure to create different registration types and paths for the virtual and in person attendees, and different invitation lists assigned to them, so you can send them the specific information for their registration. At the moment, you can't import the virtual sessions meeting links, there's a bug in the backend and you'll have to do it manually, so take that into consideration as a large event might end up requiring more than one planner working on it just to set up the sessions. You should also make sure to enable visibility limitations for all your Health & Safety protocols, as virtual attendees are not required to follow them.

    ------------------------------
    Luciana Cis
    Analyst
    Proquire LLC
    ------------------------------



  • 17.  RE: Higher Ed Huddles: Virtual Event Strategy - Networking Opportunity!

    User Group Member
    Posted 11-01-2021 17:35
    Greetings! Elissa Adair here I serve as Program Evaluator for Lines for Life in Portland, Oregon.
    We are a regional non-profit focused on preventing suicide and substance abuse and improving mental wellness.
    I am eager to be part of a "posse" of cvent users hosting educational events, ideally with built-in assessments and certifications.

    We have hosted a virtual conference (of about 200 individuals) and a series of two-day online trainings.
    We will likely host hybrid in future.

    We have the pedal to the metal using event surveys and are pushing what is possible in order to monitor our impact and better understand our community. The virtual platform makes data collection so much easier than hard copy forms. That is our biggest win is how much more info we can get to our sponsors to improve for next time.

    Our most creative use is turning exhibit booths into drop-in safe spaces for one-to-one counselling and support and scheduled wellness sessions (meditation, visualization,etc.).

    If you are creating event evaluation reports that feel kind of "academic" or dare I say publishable in journals! but still real world usable -- I would love to connect with you to share tips and tricks.

    Elissa
    Elissa Schuler Adair, PhD
    Program Evaluator, Lines for Life

    ------------------------------
    Elissa Adair
    Program Evaluator
    Lines for Life
    ------------------------------