By Alejandra Helguero-Garcia

Zoom Fatigue is real and the honeymoon phase of joining virtual meetings has quickly turned
into more of a hassle for many. We sat down with world renowned event producer, Sarah
Shewey, CEO of Happily, who specializes in virtual events. She shared 4 simple ideas to keep clients engaged and coming back for more.

When you are not able to shake hands, cater lunch for an office or host a lunch and learn – how do you still foster and maintain relationships? Well, building relationships and conducting business remotely is the norm for us at Paragon Planners, and we are confident that our experience has proved to be an invaluable resource to our clients. Specifically, how we helped our clients transition from in-person meetings to virtual and phone meetings.

1. Keep it Interesting – Once you have people there, hold their attention to keep them there. Design content for the virtual experience.

a. Tip from the Pros: Break up content into smaller segments. Between content
sections, use interactive moments, like Q&A, polls, or prize drawings, to help attendees fully digest content without feeling overwhelmed. People are more likely to join again when they have real takeaways, it leaves a lasting impression.

2. Element of Surprise – What would the clients you are meeting with be genuinely excited
about?

a. Tip from the Pros: Hire a musician or band to give a live performance during, before or after a virtual conference. Think about having a Pianist play live as people join the meeting, during an intermission or as the attendees are dropping off. Offer clients to stay on after or come on earlier to enjoy the performance and utilize that opportunity to connect one on one with them in the chat!

3. Deal with Glitches in Real Time – We have all been on calls where the sound cuts out, or the screen freezes, and it can be really distracting and counterproductive.

a. Tip from the Pros: It is always a good idea to have someone on your team attend your meetings to watch for glitches and alert you if you are frozen. For example, a team mate can text in real time if you are frozen. You can be sure to address the glitch and repeat anything that was interrupted, creating a pleasant overall experience for attendees.

4. Engagement – What keeps people’s interest? Interaction. Get to know Zoom, and the many different ways that you can use it to your advantage.

a. Tip from the Pros: According to Gary Vee, Zoom is the new Kleenex or Xerox of
our generation. It is currently the best platform to host virtual events and
meetings, outside of Webex for webinars. Take advantage of all the resources by
taking polls, creating break off rooms, using the reaction buttons, changing the
virtual backgrounds, the raise hand feature, as well as the chat room. It may
seem silly and inconsequential, but it actually gives attendees something to do
and helps them stay focused because they know they have to pay attention in
order to participate.

Bring these elements to your next event and see how much more you enjoy it yourself! Create
experiences that your clients (and even friends) want to attend again and again.
Our team can set you up with ideas, show you the ins and outs of various platforms and even
drive attendance and coordinate the follow-up after the event. Take us up on our Good
Neighbor Package of 10 free hours to help make your next event amazing.