Volume One: Digital Event Commandments

For the past three months, I’ve engaged in a dynamic internal dialogue that led me to the conclusion that connecting remains paramount—which is why I took on the challenge of becoming a certified PCMA Digital Event Strategist (DES). As we prepare to provide stellar digital event services to our former and prospective clients, below are the three Digitial Event Commandments that guide our approach and thinking when designing these events:

1. Digital events are not a solution, they are a tool. Digital events will not completely replace the magic of in-person event experiences, but they can provide relief from social distance isolation. When you attend a digital event it serves as a reminder that all of us should connect with, learn from, advocate for, and become active participants in the world. Connections are core to being human.

2. Digital events require strategy. Not that long ago, I hosted a panel discussion on race, allyship, and the events industry via Zoom. This 90-minute discussion required weeks of planning including field interviews, developing a lesson plan, and panel prep meetings. After the event, we received positive reviews not because of the Zoom platform but because our audience knew we valued their time and overall experience.

3. Digital event roles and responsibilities matter. We all know that placing people in roles that they are not trained for has negative consequences. Also, within digital events, role assignments are more important because for many there is a significant learning curve. Always define clear roles and responsibilities that play off your internal team’s strengths. At minimum, I recommend tapping someone to serve as a tech administrator during your event.

These initial digital commandments are a preview into a larger ecosystem that involves strategy and technology; but at the center of all events is the human experience. While a digital event can’t provide a hug, or a place to exchange a printed business card, or result in raves about how fun the themed reception was, they can console a world that has been isolated for far too long, provide a resource to navigate the impact of COVID in our lives, launch a social movement such as Black Lives Matter, and, most importantly, make people feel good.

Moments that create good feelings, digital or in-person, are the moments I live to plan for.