How to Create Transformative Online Events

Over the course of 2020 we all migrated online and we’re still there, working, schooling and gathering in digital spaces. This is the new normal, especially for the event space. 

At the very beginning of 2020 a global pandemic was the last thing on anyone’s mind, let alone mine, but I knew I wanted to make the experience of my in-person women’s running retreats (Rise.Run.Retreat.) more accessible. I’d heard from so many fans and followers that they desperately wanted to attend, but finances, busy families, travel or jobs stood in the way.

I saw these women and wanted to make a space for them: I wanted them to have access to the same connection, information, and inspiration that are the hallmark of Rise.Run.Retreat. And that’s when I began building the framework for our Virtual Running Retreat. 

The challenge: how do you duplicate the feeling of an in-person event online? In September of 2019, it felt as if I was the only one tackling this kind of question, now that question is ubiquitous. Teachers, event hosts, families, friends, and businesses are now all trying to figure this out. 

So exactly how do you create a memorable and transformative online experience? After successfully leading 200+ women through our Virtual Running Retreat experience, I have a few words of advice:

Lead with Intention

Whether you’re hosting a happy hour with friends, a virtual birthday party, leading a business meeting or have moved your in-person event online, it is critical that you lead with intention. Begin with the end in mind by asking yourself how you want everyone to feel during and after the online event. As the host, your responsibility is to lead your participants through an experience that evokes this feeling. At Rise.Run.Retreat. our intention is that everyone who attends one of our in-person or virtual events, feels seen, heard and loved. This simple intention shifts the way we listen, the way we communicate and facilitates the connections we make. In her book, “The Art of Gathering” Priya Parker says, “Connection doesn’t happen on its own. You have to design your gatherings for the kinds of connections you want to create.” This applies equally to online gatherings as it does to the in-person gatherings Parker references. If you want to create meaning, you have to first start with intention.

Model Vulnerability

If our intention at Rise.Run.Retreat. is that our participants feel seen, then we must also be willing to be seen and being seen means being vulnerable. The foundation of real, meaningful connection is vulnerability, without an honest opening of ourselves the possibility for authentic relationships disappears. When hosting an online event vulnerability becomes all-the-more critical; it is too easy to hide behind a screen, to fall into ingrained patterns of double-tapping and responding in emojis. To foster deeper conversations, as the leader, you must first model vulnerability. In most cases, all it takes is one person who is willing to open up, to truly been seen, for the entire group to feel safe and willing to share themselves. 

Define Your Space

When hosting live events you have the attention that comes with physical presence: your guests are in the space you’ve created and therefore are looking to you for direction as you guide them through the experience. The same is not true of online events, your event is just another sound in the already noisy world of your participant. Instead of inviting them into your physical space, they have accepted you into theirs and as a result, you’re competing for their attention. To flip the script, focus on creating a distinctive ‘space’ online. This ‘space’ is defined by your connection points with your guests: email, chat rooms, video calls etc. As you connect, be hyper-clear in all your communication, reinforcing links, access points, and the schedule so that the space you have created online is clearly defined and easily accessible. 

Bookend Your Event with Ceremony

Just as with in-person events, beginnings and endings are critical. They mark the entry point into the experience and define the exit point as well. Usher your guests into your online experience through an opening ceremony, bringing people together through live video is an ideal way to establish that first connection. This opening ceremony is the perfect place to, as the leader, model vulnerability and invite it in others. Create anticipation for subsequent activities and give specific calls to action that encourage communication. To wrap up your experience, create a closing ceremony that allows participants or guests to share their thoughts and feelings, ask specific questions and be comfortable with the silence that often follows. Finally, give your participants a way to maintain contact and communication after the online event has ended. If you’ve done your job and facilitated a memorable and transformative online event, then there is a high probability that the members of your new community will want to keep in touch. 

It’s possible to create memorable online experiences, it simply requires a heightened sensitivity to every aspect of your event and an understanding of how your participants are experiencing what you have created. Put yourselves in their shoes and you’ll find that whatever it is you create has the power to transform both you and your guests.

Are you looking to start your own retreat? Now is the time to begin planning your event. We will emerge from the pandemic starving for real and authentic connection and if your retreat is in place you’ll have the ability to serve your community in a way that they are desperately wanting.

I’m hosting a workshop on April 29th at 7pm EST (cost $57) as I teach you How to Create a Transformative and Profitable Retreat. In the workshop you’ll learn all about the workflow of planning your retreat, how to avoid common mistakes, what you need to do to create a tribe of loyal followers who will flock to your events, plus I’ll share my formula for pricing your retreats so that you’ll always be profitable.

-Sarah