With the constant uncertainty around working in the office or working from home, many CEOs, directors and team leaders are leaning towards making the decision to stick to working remotely for the time being – to provide team members with some stability. And working from home shouldn’t change replicating team spirit or camaraderie from your living room.
At AVVA Experience, we understand that in order to get the best out of your team you have to create the happiest work environment. It’s so much harder in practice than it is in theory. If you and your staff are looking for a much needed serotonin boost, engagement and creativity, we have compiled a list of reasons it’s important for remote teams to take part in virtual team building experiences.
1. Flexibility and Inclusivity
Team members care how much you care about them and one of the best ways that you can show this is by treating them to virtual experiences. Virtual experiences offer employees more flexibility and the ability to maintain a better work-life balance, which benefits companies in the long run. It also allows for more inclusivity in the workplace.
Many companies are hybrid and holding physical events makes it more challenging for those working remotely to join in on the festivities. Especially for teams working remotely on an international scale– with virtual experiences you don’t have to worry about flying across the globe, finding a nanny and dealing with changes in schedules. You don’t need to wait till a certain time in the day to participate in a virtual experience. You simply give everyone license to jump on a call from their home, with their own drinks and plan a night of fun! Quizzes, games, challenges…oh my!
2. Communication and Creative Thinking
Virtual experiences can open lines of communication. It’s crucial to have an open line of communication in the workplace when it comes to collaborating with your team, especially remotely. After all, if you cannot communicate with your colleagues, then how do you work together?
With AVVA’s virtual experiences, you and your colleagues can mix things up from within so that everyone experiences different ways of thinking. This helps to give your employees a fresh perspective on whatever projects they might be working on. Virtual experiences allow for creative thinking by having teams in place that are made up of a wide range of skill levels and disciplines– encouraging creativity in the virtual workplace.
3. Boosting Morale and Positive Company Culture
Boosting collaboration and creativity in your workforce is certainly more difficult when you and your team are working from home. With virtual experiences you can foster a more positive company culture within your organization–boosting morale and creating an enjoyable work environment.
Companies with strong positive morale typically have strong and positive employees which in turn relates to productivity. According to a study from Bristol University, it showed that including a company wellness program lead to:
- 21% boost in concentration
- 22% more likely to hit deadlines
- 41% more motivated to work
Morale and positive culture is the glue that holds an organization together. It’s a reflection of how healthy company culture is, how well employees are supported, and how engaged they are. It reveals the workplace mood. When morale is running high, teams can accomplish anything. With virtual experiences you can keep your staff engaged, creative, and productive.
Luckily, AVVA Experience has a vast abundance of virtual team-building experiences that you can plan for your remote team!
Escape Rooms and Murder Mysteries
In this ultimate escape room as you and your teammates will escape from your cell in the notorious Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. Work out how to break out of your cell, slip past the guards and cross the San Francisco Bay before you’re discovered.
This online theatrical extravaganza is where you and your team will solve a murder by digging for clues through watching live interactions between the characters and getting their hands dirty, interrogating the shady suspects themselves.
Cocktail and Wine Experiences
This is a really fun and interactive masterclass where you’ll be creating the perfect cocktails! This is the perfect experience for getting all your team together.
- Customisable International Virtual Wine Tasting (UK)
This is an interactive virtual wine tasting where you and your colleagues will be guided through the world of wine in a tasting that’s suitable for beginners & experienced wine aficionado’s.
Creative Experiences
Enjoy a fun and relaxing private painting class where your team will be handed all the tools to paint.
This workshop is an alternative way for your team to enjoy the stress relieving benefits of mindfulness while experience the world of origami and learn all about this fascinating art from the expert.
International Women’s History Month is celebrated in March. It is designed to acknowledge and honour the contributions women have made to history and modern society.
However, it’s crucial to celebrate women in and out of the month of March. Therefore, in this blog, we’ve shared 13 strategies that you can implement to celebrate the women in your organization.
Let’s dive in!
How to support and celebrate women in your workplace during Women’s History Month (and beyond)
1. Celebrate the women in your team
International Women’s History Month is the perfect time to appreciate the contributions of the women in your team.
Here’s the thing. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture.
You can do something as simple as calling them out on your team-wide meeting or company slack channel. You can send cheers or kudos virtually or just acknowledge their work before a meeting.
Studies have shown that managers across different organizations agree that recognizing your employees’ contributions is an excellent way to make them feel valued and improve the retention rate.
2. Support women-owned businesses
One of the best ways for organizations to celebrate International Women’s History month is by supporting women-owned businesses and encouraging other people to do the same.
There are around 11.6 million businesses owned by women in the US, and this number keeps rising every year. However, these women-owned companies only make up 31% of the total businesses in the country.
Here are some ways your organization can support women-led businesses:
- Collaborate. The most obvious course of supporting female-owned companies is giving them your business.
- Invest. Women have limited access to capital worldwide. Sometimes, investing in women-led businesses can be the difference between sinking and staying afloat. It can make it easier for them to provide high-quality products and services, employ skilled workers, and market themselves. Your organization should also incorporate gender-lens investing strategies. This primarily involves investing in products and services that help empower women on a social and economic level.
- Donate. If you can’t contribute financially, you should consider donating your products, services, or even your expertise. You can provide your products or services for free to certain entities during Women’s History Month. Furthermore, if you have a well-established business, you can offer mentorship to women entrepreneurs starting their journey. These are valuable tools for small companies led by women who are just starting out.
- Build sustainable partnerships. Instead of sourcing raw materials or products from big companies, you should consider partnering with local businesses owned by women and supporting your own community.
3. Celebrate the history and achievements of women in your company, industry, and community
Every business has a fascinating and meaningful backstory, and women are usually a part of it. By highlighting the history and accomplishments of women in your company, industry, or community, you’re encouraging people from your organization to learn more about these trailblazers.
There are several ways you can celebrate these women by sharing their stories and contributions via email, the company newsletter, the official website, or even your slack channel.
4. Celebrate the history and achievements of women of colour
According to research by Catalyst, people of colour make up nearly 40% of the population in the United States. However, even with this increase in diversity, the presence of women of colour is still relatively low.
While the contributions of white activists are actively recognized, women of colour are usually overlooked.
When you highlight their history and achievements, it makes your workplace more diverse and inclusive and helps normalize their experiences.
5. Encourage people to donate and support women’s organizations
Volunteering and donating time, money, and other resources to NGOs and other women’s organizations is an excellent way to have a direct impact on the lives of women.
The easiest way to do this is to get in touch with a local women’s shelter and find out the different ways your organization can help these communities. Another way is organizing a social campaign in your own organization and encouraging your employees to donate and support these women’s organizations.
6. Provide professional mentorship to support women
The pandemic has had a negative impact on people’s mental health worldwide. Therefore, it’s crucial to invest in coaching and training programs to help employees work through their mental health issues.
However, that isn’t all. In addition to the stress and anxiety due to the pandemic, many women are losing their jobs because of a lack of skills and technologies to work remotely or to train for a new job role.
Studies have reflected that work breaks women experience after an outbreak is more irreconcilable than men. Therefore, it’s vital to prioritize upskilling and resilience training that will help empower women to keep their jobs and climb up the corporate ladder.
7. Create a dedicated space for women in your company to connect and share their experiences
Organizations that prioritize coaching, mentoring, and community building for female professionals create a robust network among their employees and pave the way for future leaders.
The steps you take towards empowering women employees will help them feel valued and motivate them to strive for success.
8. Encourage and host women-centric activities
Team building activities allow employees to enjoy some downtime and build deeper relationships with their coworkers. Encouraging employees to participate in such activities fosters personal and professional development.
It helps businesses broaden their strategies to show how much they value their female employees.
This International Women’s History Month, you can conduct women-centric virtual experiences to open dialogue and help your team understand the struggles female professionals face in the corporate world.
Here are several virtual team-building experiences that you can conduct to bring together your team over women-centric topics.
This interactive quiz primarily focuses on the history and achievements of trailblazing women from all over the world. It’s funny and engaging and is an excellent way to enlighten your employees about the struggles and accomplishments of women.
This is a creative and relaxing canvas painting session where your team will be handed all the tools to paint female artists who have helped paint the world’s visual history.
Musical bingo is an exciting twist over the traditional bingo game. It’s an excellent team-building activity for big teams where participants can jam to the greatest female artists of all time. Along with a bit of competitiveness, your team will lip-sync, dance, and have a ball during this virtual experience.
- Celebrate Women In Comedy With A Virtual Stand Up By A Star Female Comedian (UK)
Comedy has been a boys club. It’s 2022, and female comedians still struggle with setbacks and under-representation in this industry.
However, the comedy landscape has evolved a lot over the years and has become more diverse and inclusive.
This International Women’s History Month, you can host a virtual stand up show by star female comedians like Jo Caulfield, Sara Barron, and Tiff Stevenson!
Other than these experiences, you can choose from experiences like How Your Company Should Celebrate International Women’s History Month (US & UK) or Wine Tasting By A Female Sommelier (US & UK).
9. Support female leadership across the organization
Women are under-represented in leadership positions all over the world. This lack of women in decision-making roles reflects the failure of businesses to recognize the need for gender diversity.
The voices and interests of women should be reflected in the company’s decisions and policies.
Gender equality and diversity have a significant impact on businesses and the overall economy of the nation.
However, aside from the financial aspect, including both men and women in the decision-making process has numerous other benefits.
A gender-diverse leadership panel has a broad range of perspectives, boosts creativity and innovation, creates a diverse pool of talent, reduces conflicts, and improves decision-making.
It has been seen that a gender-diverse panel makes more sustainable decisions.
Furthermore, the company’s brand image is strengthened with a gender-balanced leadership committee.
The female leadership style also adds more to the organization in terms of diversity.
Women are widely known to better deal with complicated relationships. They pay more attention to the needs of their team members and are inclined towards preventing and resolving conflicts.
Female leaders willingly share their ideas and opinions with their coworkers and proactively reach out to individuals to provide feedback to help them improve themselves.
10. Help women empower other women in your company
Give female leaders the freedom and ability to build a close-knit network within the company to empower other women in the organization.
According to reports by Harvard Business Review, female employees who have a close circle of female contacts have a higher probability of landing executive positions that hold greater authority and offer higher compensation.
An active female community will help women be more open about their professional and personal goals.
They’ll get the space to celebrate their accomplishments and cheer each other on. This particularly helps fight imposter syndrome and ensures the company retains skilled employees.
They’ll gain access to specialized resources and knowledge that will aid them in improving their skills and becoming successful.
Final thoughts
International Women’s Month is all about acknowledging the courage and contributions of women worldwide who have broken down barriers and fought for what they believed in.
The month empowers and celebrates women and their efforts to make this world a better place for the future generation.
This month is an excellent time for business leaders to take action to protect and empower women in their workplace.
There are numerous ways for businesses to celebrate International Women’s History Month.
You can use the strategies listed in this blog to make your organization a more welcoming space for women.
Distributed teams don’t find many occasions to simply socialise with their coworkers. This makes it difficult for them to build relationships that create trust, collaboration and build loyalty too.
While you may not be able to get your team together in a room, you can leverage virtual team-building experiences to bring your team together.
In this blog, we’ll share a list of virtual team-building activities that you can plan for your remote team!
Best virtual team-building activities to try
Food and Drinks
1. Cocktail Making Masterclass
A well-made cocktail has elements that reflect a good team. It’s social, casual, and interactive.
A virtual cocktail-making masterclass will engage your entire team with its carefree atmosphere.
Avva’s expert mixologist will share several tips and tricks of the trade, from how to muddle, shake, and stir them right.
With all the skills you’ll learn, your team will go on to try and out-mix each other to make the most delicious cocktail!
Passion Star Martini, Classic Mojito, Apple & Elderflower Martini, Salted Caramel Espresso Martini — your team can choose to mix whatever they fancy!
Of course, we also provide some fantastic non-alcoholic cocktail options. All you have to do is ask!
Along with the infusion of virtual team-building and a hefty measure of entertainment, you can spice things up with a bit of zesty recipe competition and create your own unique cocktail.
Doesn’t this sound like the perfect un-corporate event for your remote team?
2. Virtual Wine Tasting
Virtual wine tastings are an excellent way to bring remote teams together. There has never been a better chance to have your team enjoy the many wine regions from the comfort of their home!
It’s an enjoyable experience with a bit of learning along the way.
Our expert wine sommelier will walk your team through the world of wine that has been aged to perfection and poured into your wine glass.
They will guide you through an interactive wine tasting, teach you everything about the winemaking process, and help you discover the subtleties of different flavor profiles.
A few of your team members may feel intimidated by wine, but there’s nothing to worry about!
Our expert wine sommelier knows exactly how to adapt to the virtual experience and ensure nobody feels left out.
But that’s not all.
You can add a fun twist to your team-building experience by including a blind wine to the dynamic.
In the “Blind Tasting Break Out Challenge,” you can divide your team into small groups and use breakout rooms where guests can try to figure out the blind wine.
Interactive Experiences for larger groups
1. Escape rooms (US & UK)
If you’re looking for a fun team-building activity to shake off the lockdown blues and help your remote team connect with each other effectively, virtual escape rooms may be the answer you’re looking for.
Virtual escape rooms, also called escape games or puzzle rooms, are themed challenges where participants have to work together to solve clues, finish tasks, and work through a variety of puzzles within the given time limit (usually between 45 minutes to an hour).
It’s an excellent way to build deeper bonds, solve problems together, and test your team’s mental fortitude in an enjoyable manner.
Even though the scenarios they face are fictitious, the skills they gain will significantly impact their ability to function as a team.
They can help boost your remote team’s communication skills in communication, problem-solving, project management, decision making, and dealing with complicated challenges.
Avva’s Ultimate Escape from Alcatraz Prison is a fun virtual experience specifically designed for corporate groups!
Your team will have 60 minutes to break out by uncovering hidden clues and solving a series of puzzles.
2. Murder mystery
It’s time to gather your remote team and work to crack the case of a deadly crime!
People love murder mysteries — maybe it’s the competition, the fun of interacting with their coworkers outside a professional setting, the race to the top, or the excitement as they unfold the mystery.
Virtual murder mysteries are highly interactive virtual team-building experiences that will make your team laugh hysterically while learning useful soft skills like communication, collaboration, creative thinking, and problem-solving.
The bottom line is: Teamwork is the only way to catch the murderer!
Your team has to race against the clock to find the culprit by solving complex puzzles and uncovering clues.
Whether your team members fancy themselves as the next Sherlock Holmes or Nancy Drew, everyone will find something they enjoy.
The team has to work together to solve the mystery by investigating the crime scene, questioning the suspects in real-time, and piecing together the evidence while our performers will have them roaring with laughter.
We offer a wide range of themed mysteries you can choose from for your team-building experience. Regardless of the mystery theme you choose, we can guarantee that your team is in for a night of excitement with a twist!
3. Magic Show
Hosting a Magic and Mind-reading show is one of the most engaging virtual team-building activities for your remote team.
You can involve your entire team in one call and have a fun, immersive experience that will have everyone wide-eyed by the end of the show.
With a world-class magician like Paul Fowler, who has worked with A-list corporates like Apple and Google, we promise you a virtual experience your team will never forget.
From the introverts to the skeptics, Paul will have everyone at the edge of their seats shouting, “What on earth is happening!”
We understand that Zoom fatigue is a real thing. Therefore, this isn’t just going to be a show where you simply sit back and stare at a screen watching the same old card tricks.
Paul will create a magical experience involving the team members as active participants while performing his tricks.
Throughout the show, he will make your heads spin your heads spin with his illusions and mind-reading tricks even though you are literally 1000 miles away.
The tricks that work in real life are very different from ones that work on camera.
Paul has performed virtual shows in over 30 different countries of varied sizes and has thousands of hours of experience performing magic online for various ages.
Who knows, maybe you’ll even learn a trick or two to wow your friends and family during the next dinner gathering?
4. Virtual Bingo
Bingo is an all-time classic, and it’s not just for old grandmas!
Have you heard about the newer virtual team-building bingo? It adds a little twist to the usual numbered-bingo experience.
The virtual bingo experience has several activities included in the space for numbers. The host will pick out random statements, and the participants can cross them off their Bingo board.
We’ve made it even more fun by having Charlie Hides, the Drag Queen YouTube sensation who has rocked the virtual bingo world, host our show!
This fun and light-hearted virtual experience might just be the perfect thing for your team.
After all, is there anything more gratifying than yelling “Bingo!”?
Themed Experiences
007 Cocktails and Casino Themed Party (US & UK)
Killer spy by the day, and washing it down with a down every night. Honestly, doesn’t everyone dream of being like James Bond?
Now, we’re sorry that we can’t promise you the fancy weapons, but we can arm your team with everything they’ll need to make their own 007 cocktails!
We all know how the spy likes his drink, “a Vodka Martine, shaken not stirred.” Is that what made him such a brilliant spy?
Well, you can definitely try your luck after we teach you how to make some of the spy’s favorite cocktails.
Isn’t it the perfect way for your team to Bond after a long week? *wink wink*
Casino Night (US & UK)
Have your entire team pull out their suits and gowns and try their luck — without losing anything!
With Avva’s Casino Night, your team will experience the excitement of a casino with none of the risks.
For participants who are not familiar with casino nights, our professional croupiers will teach you the ins and outs of the game and even share a few tips to beat the house!
You can choose between exciting games like Blackjack, Texas Hold Em’ Poker, and Three-Card Poker.
We will divide your team into small breakout rooms where they’ll bet their chips and try to climb the leader board. Players with the most chips at the end of the game will be crowned the ultimate winner of the night.
While casino nights are a brilliant way for your team to enjoy a night, you can also make the experience count by adding a fundraising element to your virtual casino night experience.
How this works is that if your guests have run out of the money they were given in the beginning, they can purchase extra chips to get back into the race. This money will be donated to a charity of your choice.
Now, are you ready to try your luck at our tables?
Cocktail Party with Jazz Show (US & UK)
This is another fun cocktail mixing masterclass with a private jazz show!
If your remote team loves the 1920s, this Great Gatsby-inspired virtual experience is perfect for you.
An expert mixologist will help your team create three exquisite 1920’s inspired drinks. Of course, non-alcoholic packages will be delivered to members who choose not to drink.
We’re sure your team will enjoy sipping on their delicious cocktails while enjoying a live show by world-famous artists who have performed at venues like Royal Albert Hall and Lincoln Center!
Internationally celebrated holidays
International Women’s History Month
Women have fought for equal rights for ages, but it’s good to see that we have made significant progress in the last century or so. It’s essential to recognize their struggle to get where they are today and celebrate their accomplishments.
Women’s History Month is a global event that is just around the corner — the month of March.
Of course, women deserve to be celebrated every single day of the year, but this month holds a special meaning and is the perfect opportunity to understand how far we’ve come and reflect on the struggles they still face.
This month calls for a dedicated virtual experience that celebrates women worldwide (and the ones in your office, of course) and recognizes their accomplishments in history, culture, and society.
Standup has predominantly been a male-dominated industry; however, the comedy landscape has never been so diverse and inclusive!
You can choose from big names in the industry like Sara Barron, Jo Caulfield, and Tiff Stevenson and simply get ready to sit back and laugh your heart out!
This virtual experience honors the achievements and importance of trailblazing women throughout history who strived to create a world where their future generations can experience the rights they never had.
The quiz is designed to take a deep dive into the past while celebrating the bright future we can look forward to.
In addition to these, Avva offers several other fun virtual team-building experiences like Canvas Painting, Musical Bingo, and Caricature Challenge to celebrate Women’s History Month!
LGBTQ+ History Month
The queer community deserves a lot more than just rainbow-colored flags to promote the company during Pride month.
LGBTQ+ History Month is celebrated in February, highlighting the history and accomplishments of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people.
By choosing a virtual experience to celebrate the queer community, you’re providing an excellent chance for your team to open an unbiased conversation and learn more about the achievements and struggles the community still faces.
This is the first step towards building an LGBTQ+ inclusive workspace.
From Virtual Bingo with Charlie Hides to LGBTQ+ Trivia Quiz, there are several virtual experiences you can choose from!
Winter Olympics
Winter Olympics has been a blast, and you can surround yourself with the same charged atmosphere by hosting an Olympics-themed virtual team-building experience!
Doesn’t matter how young or old you are; everyone is guaranteed to have a great time playing, cheering (and of course, betting) on their favorite player.
From snowboarding to skiing, participants can compete against each other in different Virtual Olympic Themed Races.
You can also choose to treat your remote team to an evening of luxury and self-indulgence on the ski slopes with an Alpine-themed virtual cocktail party!
Final thoughts
Whilst it can be challenging to really bring a remote team together, that doesn’t mean they can’t get there with some proactive efforts from your side!
You can take advantage of Avva’s virtual team-building experiences to get your team to build a stronger connection.
LGBTQ+ history month is a month-long celebration that honours the achievement of the queer community and their influence on the world.
While the entire world has been growing more accepting of this community, it’s obvious that we still have a long way to go.
We’ve all seen businesses marketing their brand and products under the rainbow flag during Pride month.
But what about the rest of the year?
Furthermore, glorifying their commitment to the community in front of the world has no meaning if they don’t work towards improving their company’s internal dynamic. We’re by no means perfect here at Avva but we’re certainly trying very hard to make ours an inclusive workplace.
In this post, we’ll share six actionable strategies that you can implement to build an LGBTQ-inclusive workplace this February and ensure your commitment to the community lasts a lot longer than a month.
However, before we get into that, let’s take a look at the benefits of creating a workplace that supports LGBTQ+ employees.
Benefits of LGBTQ inclusion at the workplace
1. Safer employees
LGBTQ+ employees deal with unique challenges that your other employees may not commonly experience or even understand.
It’s not uncommon to hear about people from the LGBTQ+ community being fired without reason or being harassed physically or mentally.
When organizations take proactive measures to create an LGBTQ-inclusive workplace, it makes your queer employees feel safe.
Providing LGBTQ+ training and having policies in place to support these employees sends across a positive message and reduces the chance of people being discriminated against or harassed on the basis of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
2. Deeper relationships
A toxic work culture forces LGBTQ+ employees to hide behind a mask and avoid personal conversations at the workplace (sometimes even outright lie).
This instills a sense of mistrust amongst employees, which significantly affects the way your company functions.
How will people give their 100% when they are constantly worrying about censoring themselves?
When people don’t feel the need to hide a part of themselves, they are more open with their team members, which helps build stronger and deeper relationships.
3. Reduced stress
Human beings are social creatures. If people have to lie or don’t feel comfortable talking about their gender identity or sexual orientation, it naturally gives rise to stress. This can directly impact their performance and productivity.
Giving people the freedom to be open about their identity gives the rumour-mill fewer topics to gossip and speculate about.
4. Attracts more talent
LGBTQ+ candidates do their research before they join any company. They review your company’s values, policies, and past actions to see if it will be a welcoming space.
According to the Washington Post, one in every six Gen Z adults is part of the LGBTQ+ community. With the current global talent shortage, alienating this group isn’t a smart decision.
Strategies to promote LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace
1. Put it in writing!
If you want people to know that you’re committed to tackling all forms of prejudice in your workplace, it’s critical to have LGBTQ+ policies in place that outline your position and the expectations you have of your employees.
If you already have policies that cater to the LGBTQ+ community, it may be worth reviewing and updating them.
While you may have anti-discrimination and harassment policies in place, it helps if they specifically mention gender identity, sexual orientation, and gender expression as forbidden grounds of discrimination.
You can even go one step further and provide examples of what is considered homophobic, biphobic, or transphobic discrimination.
Additionally, making your policies inclusive for LGBTQ+ employees is essential. For example, you need to take care while drafting policies on parental leave, adoption, and more.
2. Increase empathy and awareness
The first step towards helping your team build an empathetic mindset is providing gender training.
Here’s the thing. Whether you choose to provide LGBTQ+ training or not, your team is diverse. It’s your responsibility to make sure your entire team feels respected, valued, and included.
By offering training opportunities, you’re leveraging a powerful way to ensure your employees understand the LGBTQ+ community. With the right training, your company’s values and policies will be understood and followed across the organization.
Here are a few things that your LGBTQ+ training should include:
- It should make employees aware of the anti-discrimination and anti-harassment policies your company has in place.
- Educate them about how they can be mindful of their language.
- Educate them about how the company will support employees who have been subjected to discrimination or harassment.
3. Cultivate compassion
Not everyone is on the same page about their knowledge of the LGBTQ+ community.
Some of your employees may be extremely passionate about understanding everything they can about gender identity and sexuality. Others may find it confusing and not even know the difference between gender and biological sex.
For example, imagine if someone calls out your colleague’s old name after transitioning. This can be extremely harmful to your colleague’s mental health, especially when done with ill-intent.
However, it’s also possible that they may have done it in a split second of thoughtlessness, or maybe even naivety.
Instead of calling them out on their mistake, call them in. This will give them the opportunity to learn from their mistakes without experiencing a public backlash.
This compassion encourages people to improve their behavior and move past their ignorance.
4. Make it fun!
Building awareness about the LGBTQ+ community in the workplace doesn’t always have to entail training sessions.
I’m sure you’ll agree that people learn a lot more when they’re having fun than when they’re asked to sit through an hour-long seminar.
People are across the spectrum when it comes to their knowledge and experience about the issues surrounding the LGBTQ+ community. Therefore, it’s crucial to start a genuine conversation between your employees.
The best way to spark a conversation about LGBTQ+ is to host an LGBTQ-themed experience. Virtual experiences create an atmosphere where your team must work together, learn from one another, and rely on each other to achieve a goal.
These emotions surrounding a virtual experience can help your LGBTQ+ inclusivity efforts by creating an environment that is supportive and enthusiastic about learning more about the queer community.
Here are a few LGBTQ-themed virtual experiences that can help you spark these emotions and start a real conversation.
LGBTQ+ Trivia Quiz
(UK or US)
Avva’s LGBTQ+ History Drag Bingo & Trivia Extravaganza is a hilarious and fun-filled virtual experience hosted by the legendary Drag Queen Charlie Hides!
Charlie was one of the 14 queens who competed in the 9th season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, and she was the oldest contestant ever to compete on the show.
She hosts the #1 virtual bingo worldwide, and in Avva’s unique Bingo game, numbers are replaced with gay icons, well-known queer artists, activists, and historical figures. The game also touches upon significant moments in queer history and culture.
You can have the Queen of Bingo host a fun-filled (and informative) virtual experience and celebrate LGBTQ+ history month with your entire team!
Virtual Pride Casino Night With An Incredible Drag Queen
(UK or US)
Another excellent LGBTQ-themed virtual experience is Avva’s Virtual Pride Casino Night hosted by the gorgeous and hilarious drag queen Amber Dextris.
This virtual experience will unleash your team’s competitive side, and Amber will have them wiping tears of hysteria with her jokes.
Be ready for outrageous antics and cheeky banter during this “Rated 18” Drag act with our sassy drag queen Amber Dextris!
If you’re looking to celebrate LGBTQ+ history month with your entire company with hundreds of employees, look no further!
Your entire team will be divided into small breakout rooms where they’ll play for fun casino chips and attempt to climb the leaderboard and be crowned the ultimate winner of the night.
You also have the option of adding fundraising to your virtual casino night experience. When your attendees have used the chips they were allotted at the beginning of the event, they can donate to a charity of their choice and get back into the race.
Another excellent opportunity to show your support for the queer community, isn’t it?
5. Use gender-neutral language
Though it’s been a while since most Western governments have put in place anti-discrimination laws to protect LGBTQ+ employees, we still have a long way to go.
The prime example is how much of our everyday language alienates people who don’t identify themselves as either female or male.
From the standard “ladies and gentlemen” greeting to the “Mr, Miss, Mrs and Ms” in official documents, it’s no wonder we fall remarkably short in this situation.
If you want to make LGBTQ+ employees feel more included, it’s time to take note of the type of language you use.
Instead of using he or she, use they in your official documents. They is a gender-neutral pronoun. This simple change can help people who don’t identify themselves as a man or a woman still feel represented within the company’s policies.
Additionally, if you have a dress code for your organization, review those policies, too.
Don’t dictate what dress code is appropriate for men and women. Instead, emphasize dressing up in a way that meets the professional standards.
Read through all your company policies with gendered language that fuels stereotypes at the forefront of your mind.
6. Your benefits package needs to be relevant to all employees
To ensure that your benefits package is LGBTQ+ inclusive, you have to step into their shoes and understand their specific needs. For example, this could be related to aspects like healthcare, parental leave or pensions and retirement planning.
Some businesses that strive to create inclusive workspaces might even cover transition-related medical expenses (including surgeries for gender affirmation).
7. Support Employee Support Groups
Voluntary employee-led support groups like Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), Affinity Groups (AGs), and Business Resource Groups (BRGs) comprise employees who share a common identity, interest, or life experience.
The ultimate objective of these support groups is to foster a sense of belonging, community, diversity, and inclusion within their organization.
They provide a safe space for individuals to meet others who share their interests, support one another, talk about LGBTQ+ issues like sexual orientations and gender identity, and take steps to stop homophobia, transphobia, biophobia, and other issues that plague the corporate industry.
8. Support gender transition in the workplace
These days, people are generally accepting of people identifying themselves as lesbian, gay, or bisexual. However, this acceptance doesn’t always extend to people who undergo gender transition in the company.
This specific community is still discriminated against, instilling a sense of isolation and fear within these employees.
To build a gender-inclusive workspace, it’s crucial to help employees who are transitioning by offering benefits packages that cover their transition-related healthcare bills.
Have documented processes and supported guidelines to help transgender employees. Furthermore, take measures to ensure that everyone in your company is aware of the system you have in place.
Let’s take a step back and understand gender transition.
By definition, gender transition is the process that some trans individuals go through to align with the gender they internally identify with.
This transition may include a change in their name and dressing style for some. For others, this may entail hormone replacement therapy or undergoing surgery.
Transitioning is a personal process, and there is no single concrete way. Therefore, the company needs to draft policies that cater to the entire trans-community.
When businesses have such guidelines in place, it shows employees that this is a subject that the company takes seriously and encourages them to feel safe about their decision to undergo transition.
Summary
People expect businesses to follow suit as the modern world grows more accepting and understanding of the LGBTQ+ community.
They admire and trust companies that don’t just leverage pride month to market their products, but also show their support by building an LGBTQ-inclusive workplace.
While there is still a long way to go, you can implement the strategies outlined in this blog to support LGBTQ+ employees within your company for the benefit of all.
Team Building with Virtual Yoga
In today’s remote work lifestyle, workplace stress comes along as a package deal. Sure, it has opened up excellent opportunities for people, and most of us enjoy our jobs a lot more. However, the health issues associated with sitting long hours at a desk leaning on our laptop are quite severe.
It’s not uncommon for remote employees to live a sedentary lifestyle with little to no physical activity.
If you’re managing a remote team, it’s your responsibility to take steps to neutralize these stressful aspects of work for your team members.
The best way to do this is by organizing virtual health and well-being experiences like yoga.
What is an online yoga session?
Sharing the same mental space and energy together is a magical experience. Virtual yoga sessions are the best way for remote teams to experience this sense of unity during the pandemic.
By definition, an online yoga session allows coworkers to come together on a virtual platform and perform yoga under the guidance of experienced yoga instructors.
How effectively can we do online yoga sessions at home?
Attending a yoga session at home isn’t a whole lot different than attending a yoga session in the studio (except it may come with a whole lot of additional perks, which we’ll talk about later).
Who can attend online yoga sessions?
Yoga is an ancient wellness practice that can be traced to 5,000 years in the past. It’s a form of exercise that involves full-body stretching and breathing exercises. But is it for everyone?
Absolutely, yes!
It’s a gentle form of exercise that can be adapted for anyone and everyone irrespective of their fitness level, experience, strength, or age. It focuses more on mental strength than physical flexibility.
Benefits of attending online yoga sessions
1. Flexibility
If you have a distributed workforce, it’s nearly impossible to get people together physically for a team-building session. By organizing a virtual yoga session, you can work around your team’s busy schedule and different time zones and find a time that fits everyone.
Even better, organize the yoga session during their work hours, so they don’t feel resentful about having to take time out of their personal life to attend a virtual experience that’s supposed to be fun.
2. More choices
Unlike finding a yoga instructor within a 10-mile radius of your office, you have a plethora of choices available to you when you choose virtual yoga.
From choosing instructors who you may have otherwise never gotten the chance to collaborate with in “real life” to different yoga styles, you’re spoiled for choices.
3. Absolute Comfort
Half the battle with trying something new or challenging is our ego. We’re often scared about embarrassing ourselves, especially in front of our coworkers.
Or maybe some of your team members find it challenging to focus in a room full of people.
Online yoga sessions offer a sense of familiarity and comfort because you can do them from your own house while having the support of an experienced yoga instructor to guide you every step of the way.
Avoiding the pitfalls of online yoga sessions
1. Bad Wifi
Having a bad network connection can break the flow of the online yoga session. Or you could face other technical issues that can thwart your good intentions.
The best solution for ensuring even members with an unreliable internet connection can follow the online yoga session without frustrating breaks is to use Zoom. Zoom allows members to reduce the quality of the video while experiencing a lousy network so that they don’t experience a break during a call.
As for other technical issues, you can either have a dedicated tech expert to handle such matters during the session or hire an agency like Avva, who can take care of all the technical aspects of your virtual experience so that all you need to do is enjoy.
2. Surrounding distractions
It’s easy to get distracted while attending a yoga session at home because maybe your family wants to ask you something, or someone is at the door, or you get an urgent call, or maybe your pet or kids decide to join in!
Well, it does make things fun when your pet or kids decide to join in, so we’re not sure we’ll count that as a disadvantage.
Yoga myths
1. Yoga is only for flexible people
No, you don’t need to be flexible to get started with Yoga. In fact, yoga can help you become flexible.
Sure, it might be a little difficult to bend your torso or touch your toes in the beginning, but this is precisely what yoga helps you achieve.
2. You need to be young
Yoga is for everyone, irrespective of their gender and age. You can start practicing yoga at any age, given you have an experienced instructor to guide you through it.
In fact, there are people over the age of 60 who can perform complex yoga asanas with ease. While it does take time and effort to get to that level, it proves that yoga is not just for young people.
3. Meditation is difficult
This myth is deeply rooted in this image people have in their minds about meditation being reserved only for saints and spiritual adepts.
In reality, meditation can be super fun and easy to learn, especially when you receive guidance from an experienced and knowledgeable instructor.
Meditation can be as simple as focusing on your breathing and repeating a mantra over and over again.
People find meditation difficult because they try very hard to clear their thoughts and concentrate, and when they can’t see the results they were promised, they quit.
Learning meditation from an experienced teacher will help you understand whether or not you’re doing things right and ensure you actually enjoy the process.
Why virtual yoga sessions are great for team building
1. Reduction in stress
There’s good stress, and there’s bad stress. A fair amount of stress can help employees perform better; however, too much stress can cause them to lose their capacity to be creative and make intelligent decisions.
The COVID19 pandemic has increased this stress and anxiety level among employees. With a majority of people working from home, back and neck aches have become extremely common because their home workspace setup isn’t as ergonomic as their office.
Furthermore, Zoom fatigue is a real thing.
These environmental stressors can have a massive impact on your remote employees’ productivity, performance, and focus.
With online yoga sessions, you can give your team a mental break. It’s an excellent opportunity for them to unplug and clear their minds through a relaxing wellness program from the comfort of their home.
It gives them the chance to recharge, feel more refreshed and return to work with a peaceful and confident mindset.
These quick virtual yoga sessions can have a considerable impact on your team’s physical and mental well-being, and they’re not very difficult to organize!
2. Boost in confidence
Attending an online yoga session in a comfortable and non-threatening situation helps boost self-confidence and the confidence they have in their coworkers.
It’s easy to build a bond when team members constantly motivate each other as they try out different poses and celebrate their achievements together at the end of the session.
3. Increase in trust
Virtual experiences like virtual yoga sessions can play a massive role in helping remote team members get to know each other outside the work environment.
This increase in trust will encourage them to be more open about learning from one another and strive to achieve goals faster. They will no longer hesitate to reach out to their coworkers for their help and expertise.
When your team members can trust and count on one another, they gain an increased sense of freedom which will help them achieve better results.
4. Sense of unity
The sense of unity your members feel after an online yoga session will make them more invested in each other and reflect positively on how they function together as a team.
Virtual experiences like these help remote employees build a deeper and stronger connection with each other as real people with real lives, instead of just voices behind a computer screen.
It brings them closer as a team and makes them more comfortable collaborating with each other.
5. Shared virtual experience
Whether physical or virtual, shared experiences create long-lasting memories that people will reminisce about forever. Organizing a fun yoga session will give remote employees a chance to connect personally with each other; this will ensure that they remember the session for years to come!
While materialistic gifts can give employees a momentary spike in dopamine, shared virtual experiences will have them smiling in nostalgia every time they remember it.
Not only will it increase the joy they feel in each other’s company, but it will also increase the loyalty they feel towards the organization, which will ensure they stick with your company for a long time.
6. Health awareness
It’s no doubt that the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown have created havoc with people’s health.
Organizing a virtual yoga session will not only help remote employees obtain a mental break but will also help them realize the state of their physical health.
One yoga session you organize for fun can make them more conscious about their physical well-being and maybe even push them into adopting virtual yoga as a part of their daily routine.
Best types of yoga sessions for remote teams
1. Bliss Yoga
Bliss Yoga is a technique that combines yoga with blissful beats and rhythm. Before you know it, you’ll be swaying to the music and effortlessly let go of all your work-life stress and emotional blockages.
The practice of Bliss Yoga is an excellent way to let go of your inhibitions and reach a greater sense of connection with your inner self. You’ll feel your body, breathing, heartbeat, feelings, and emotions flow together in wonderful harmony, allowing yourself a small break from the complications of life.
Whether you’re a beginner who has never tried yoga in your life or a pro who can work with complex asanas with ease and perfection, Bliss Yoga is for all skill levels.
After attending a Bliss Yoga session, you’re guaranteed to leave with a more positive and relaxed mind.
2. Meditative Yoga
Meditative Yoga is a type of yoga that deals with mental relaxation, concentration, and balance. When you’re practicing meditative yoga, the entire focus of your being is concentrated solely on your breath and thoughts.
When you become more aware of your breathing, it will directly impact your thought process and help you relax your mind completely.
Meditative Yoga is an excellent way to relax and rejuvenate.
However, achieving this level of mental peace can be difficult for people who haven’t tried it before.
By organizing a guided meditative yoga session, you can give your remote employees the help they need to overcome this challenge.
Experienced meditative yoga instructors know precisely how to help beginners focus on their breath and use their breath as a tool to get their mind and body in harmony.
These teachers will guide them through the entire process step-by-step and teach you new techniques that you can follow even after you’re done with the session.
It’s a powerful way for remote team members to relieve their stress, clear their thoughts, and cultivate peace of mind to deal with the challenges of life.
3. Desk Mobility Yoga
It’s no secret that working on your laptop the entire day (and poor posture) can be extremely damaging to your health.
As a desk jockey who spends the entire day working over a laptop from different spaces like the kitchen table or the bed, you can feel how badly it’s affecting your body, both internally and externally. From tightness in the legs and hips to the neck, shoulder, and back pain, the list seems endless.
Organizing a Desk Mobility Yoga session that will teach your remote team yoga postures that target these areas of tension can undo a lot of damage caused by sitting at the desk all day, every day.
Practicing yoga also has the added benefit of periodically relieving work-related stress and helping them maintain a peaceful mind.
If you’re unsure about organizing a successful online yoga session by yourself, AVVA can help!
We offer all three of these yoga types; depending on your remote team’s needs and goals, we can help you organize a Fun and Accessible Online Yoga Session! (UK or US)
Staff health and wellness is critical to any business’ success. Employee’s duties, stress level, and working environment affect their overall health and mood so it is critical for companies to prioritize improving the wellbeing of employees to ensure happiness in the workplace.
As more companies move towards remote and hybrid work environments, finding ways to connect with colleagues and teams is more important than ever. Health and wellness virtual experiences are great ways for teams to get together and connect from almost anywhere in the world, while improving happiness and wellbeing.
Do you and your colleagues need an energy boost to get through the rest of winter? Here are seven of our virtual health and wellness experiences designed to relax, relieve stress and enhance employees’ mood- perfect for your next team social!
1. Enjoy making your own luxury aromatherapy soy wax candles and learn the art of candle making with an online scented candle making masterclass (UK or US)
2. Learn or sharpen your yoga skills with a relaxing and fun online yoga session- suitable for every ability (UK or US)
3. Unleash your creativity and sharpen your drawing skills with a trained art teacher and portrait artist in a comical online caricature workshop (UK or US)
4. Refresh, relax, and rejuvenate with a virtual wellbeing workshop featuring your very own mindfulness coach (UK or US)
5. Go Green and learn how to create dessert themed succulent plants with a fun and relaxing online succulent terrarium workshop (UK or US)
6. Enjoy a private online painting workshop hosted by talented artists as your learn how to paint your own artistic masterpieces (UK or US)
7. Put your chefs hat on as you learn how to cook delicious pasta (UK) or artisan Margherita pizza and caesar salads (US)
Ready to plan your next team wellbeing social? Or want more details? Get in touch with our team to learn more!
All of us at Avva Experience want to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday! It’s been a tremendous year for us and we have all our amazing clients, partners and friends to thank for that.
In order to give our team a hard-earned break, our office will be closed from December 24th to January 2nd.
The Avva Team
The holiday season is fast approaching, which means it’s time for you to plan the best holiday party for your team. Just because your team can’t come together at a single place doesn’t mean the celebrations have to stop!
With companies building a global workforce, a virtual holiday party that fits everyone’s lifestyle is an excellent way to celebrate no matter where they’re located. After everything people have endured during the past 15 months, your team is looking for a reason to celebrate. Therefore, if you’re the one who has to plan for your team’s holiday party this year, we promise to help you organize a party that’ll ensure that your team remembers you for years to come!
If you’ve organized a holiday party in the past, you know it’s a challenging task, mainly because not everything goes according to your plan. Organizing a virtual holiday party is a different ballgame altogether.
We understand that if you have no experience organizing a successful virtual holiday party, it can be a little intimidating. Where exactly do you start?
Don’t worry, we’ll help you through the entire process and ensure your virtual holiday party ends with a bang.
Last Chance to Book Your Holiday Party
At Avva Experience, we’ve organized epic virtual experiences for big-name companies with global teams like Google, Tiktok, Amazon, and Goldman Sachs— some of them spanning over 24 hours of non-stop action!
This year, we can help you throw a memorable holiday party for your virtual team. Before it’s too late and you’ve to inevitably cancel your holiday party, here’s your chance to book your last-minute virtual holiday party experiences and events with us!
We have a massive collection of virtual experiences you can choose from for your festive celebration this year. Should you feel a little overwhelmed with the choices available, here’s a list of our best party packages.
Virtual Holiday Party Ideas
A Virtual 007 Cocktails & Casino Themed Evening (Click for US or UK)
We’ve all tried to imitate the “a Vodka Martine, shaken not stirred” Bond-style, haven’t we? While it’s the cocktail James Bond is best known for, it’s not the only one.
There are several drinks that this well-known spy has sipped during his adventures, and one thing can’t be disputed– he has an excellent taste in cocktails.
You learn to make the top three iconic James Bond-inspired cocktails in this virtual cocktail party!
Suit up to embrace your inner Bond and enjoy the cocktails you create during the virtual casino evening. This themed evening is a perfect way for your team to Bond this Christmas and celebrate the festivities together!
A Virtual Roaring 20’s Festive Cocktail Party with Private Jazz Show (Click for US or UK)
For this virtual holiday party, give your team the chance to experience a Great Gatsby 1920’s inspired party with cocktails and a private jazz show!
This virtual experience starts with a 60-minute cocktail-making masterclass. An expert mixologist will guide you through the entire process step-by-step and teach you how to make three exquisite 1920’s inspired cocktails!
Don’t worry; we’ll deliver a festive cocktail box directly to your team’s doorstep. A non-alcoholic package will be provided for those who choose not to drink.
Your team can then sip on their delicious cocktails while enjoying a live private Jazz show by world-famous musicians and vocalists.
P.S. These artists have performed at venues like the Royal Albert Hall and Lincoln Center!
A Virtual Back To The ’80’s Party (Click for US or UK)
Retro drinks from the ’80s is not a party to be missed! Cocktails, they don’t make them as they used to.
During this Back to the ’80’s cocktail party, you’ll travel back to a simpler time where we loved our cocktails bright, sweet, and even better if they had a sexual innuendo *wink*
This holiday party will make you feel warm and nostalgic.
During the cocktail masterclass, you’ll learn how to make three 80’s unique themed cocktails– Club Tropicana, the Sweet Treats Espresso Martini, and the Neon Cosmo.
Once you’ve created your delicious cocktails, you can enjoy the 1985 themed murder mystery experience. You can form teams and interrogate live suspects to solve the murder!
This is an excellent virtual holiday party for teams looking for something different this festive season.
Choose Your Own Festive Party Package (Click for US or UK)
If you’re not sure which of these virtual holiday party ideas suit your team members the best, have them choose what they want to attend!
Avva’s ‘Choose Your Own Festive Party Package’ gives your guests the freedom to choose what party they want to attend according to their own tastes.
From the 200+ experiences available– including games, drink tastings, shows, art and craft workshops, food masterclasses, & more– you can choose 2 to 6 experiences that your guests can pick from.
Book your holiday party with Avva Experience
When companies choose not to celebrate festivities due to social distancing and crowd-gathering norms, virtual holiday parties are an excellent way to celebrate the holiday with your team. Additionally, if you have a global team, everyone can participate no matter where they’re located.
If you’re looking to organize a last-minute virtual holiday party, you can take advantage of the virtual event experts at Avva to curate the perfect virtual experience for your team.
Send us an enquiry today through our website or by dropping an email so we can get the ball rolling as soon as possible.
The most festive time of the year is here! Online events have become part of the new working world and planning an epic holiday virtual party is much easier than it seems.
Over the past year we’ve organized 3,000+ virtual and hybrid experiences to date for businesses and offer 50+ holiday themed experiences. So here are our top seven tips for planning that perfect virtual holiday party:
1. MATCH YOUR GOALS AND AUDIENCE WITH THE RIGHT EXPERIENCE
What works best for one group, might be less effective for another. The first two questions we ask a client when booking virtual holiday experiences are “so what are your event objectives?” and “who is attending?”
Some experiences, like an ‘A Festive Wreath Making Workshop” (Click for US or UK) are better suited to an intimate 10-person client event, whilst others such as “Christmas at Drownton Abby Murder Mystery Experience” (Click for US or UK) are ideal for a 500+ person global holiday office party. A good understanding of your group’s preferences and what they are looking to get out of the experience will always lead to a successful virtual event.
2. MULTI EXPERIENCE EVENTS = HIGHER ATTENDANCE RATES
If you’re arranging an event for a larger group (50+), know that you can maximize attendance by booking multiple experiences (running at the same time) and letting your guests choose the one that’s right for them.
Our clients who book one of our Holiday Party Packages (Click for US or UK) improve attendance by 23% on average.
3. LEAD TIMES ARE STILL IMPORTANT
Many people think that because these experiences are hosted online, they take less time to plan than a physical event. This is a myth!
It’s true in some cases (the simplest events can take as little as 2 weeks to execute), but complex or customized experiences (think of gift deliveries to hundreds of attendees across 5 countries) can take multiple weeks to arrange.
Booking your holiday party sooner than later is ideal (and less stressful!)
4. BE MINDFUL WHEN IT COMES TO SHIPPING
During the holiday season, it’s important to be mindful of shipping times as it is the busiest time of the year.
We highly recommend picking an event company with international delivery expertise to ensure items are delivered seamlessly to all attendees. Through us, our experience suppliers have delivered event packs to well over 100 countries!
5. HAVE TECH SUPPORT ON-HAND
You want to avoid those awkward technical difficulties! Making sure someone is on-hand to help resolve any technical issues is key. We assign an Event Specialist or Technician to each of our virtual events to ensure all event tech runs smoothly.
This is crucial because it means our clients can relax knowing someone is on-hand to help resolve any issues. Our Event Specialists also take care of technical requirements like breakout rooms, ensuring that our event hosts can solely focus on providing exceptional experiences without any interruptions.
6. CUSTOMIZE THE FORMAT OF YOUR EVENT (IF YOU NEED TO)
Want to do a 10-minute presentation at the start of your “Murder Mystery Experience” (click for US or UK) with clients? Or perhaps you’re looking to do an awards ceremony alongside your “Cocktail Making Masterclass” (click for US or UK)?
One of the many benefits of virtual experiences is that they are so easily adaptable. Experiences shouldn’t just be replicated – each is unique and special to the people that were part of it. That’s why we offer flexible formats for 90% of our experiences, adapting them to each client’s needs.
7. USE ZOOM TO RUN YOUR EVENT
While many of our experiences can run on any* video conferencing software (e.g. Microsoft Teams, Webex, Hangouts), wherever possible we advise clients to run their event on Zoom.
Currently, no other readily available and affordable software offers the same visual or audio quality as Zoom or has the same breadth of features.
Other applications are catching up but until then Zoom should be your first choice if you want your guests to have the best experience possible.
*Experiences that require specific tech features can only run on Zoom.
So, has this helped you? There’s still time to book that virtual holiday party! Find out how Avva Experience can help plan incredible virtual holiday experiences that are guaranteed to spread that festive cheer!
ESG is suddenly the word on everyone’s lips; for any business, assessing and reducing their environmental impact is increasingly a top priority. Not only is it the right thing to do for our planet but companies that don’t play their part risk both regulatory reprisals as well as reputational damage.
Events might not be your first port of call when looking to reduce your environmental footprint but you’d be surprised about how much of an impact switching from physical to virtual can have.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF IN-PERSON EVENTS
In-person events can have a very significant environmental impact and whilst this will vary from event to event one study by Birmingham University estimated that a one day event could create up to 170kg of Co2 and 5 tonnes of waste.
This is primarily a result of:
- Travel emissions: It goes without saying that the travel required to get people to and from in-person events has a big environmental impact. This can be huge if long distance travel is required.
- Venue energy: From heating and lighting to running AV equipment this all sucks up a huge amount of energy
- Waste: Not only are large amounts of food wasted at events but think of all the printing, brochures, banners and stands that are created and often binned straight after
- Accommodation energy: If guests are travelling a distance it’s quite likely they’ll bed down for the night in local accommodation
THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF VIRTUAL EVENTS
Virtual events don’t come carbon free. The internet, event software and devices used to run these events all use up energy and if event packs are getting delivered this will contribute to CO2 emissions too.
But in most cases the environmental impact will be massively reduced when compared to a physical event. With no travel needed, venue energy used up and a significant reduction in waste that footprint should be a lot lighter.
To give an idea of the difference this can make, Cisco ran a virtual event in place of an in-person event for their Global Sales summit which they estimated saved them 84,400 tonnes of CO2 and 209,000lbs of waste.
And even events run at a smaller scale can have a far lower carbon footprint, take the 2020 Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council which saved an estimated 235,279KG of Carbon by going virtual (the amount of carbon held by approximately 300 acres of forest each year!).*
MAKING SURE YOUR VIRTUAL EVENT IS AS GREEN AS CAN BE
All of that being said, it’s certainly not time to put your feet up and give yourself a green pat on the back just for shifting to a virtual event instead of an in-person event.
You can still take steps to make your virtual event as green as possible:
- Use recyclable and environmentally friendly materials for any events packs that get sent out
- Check software providers’ sustainability credentials, some even use data centres that are powered solely by renewable energy sources
CONCLUSION
Of course, there will always be a need for in-person events and experiences but the environmental impact of them needs to have a very clear justification when virtual events have proven to be just as (if not more) effective than physical events with a far lower carbon footprint.
Making virtual events a part of your ESG strategy, it seems to us, is a bit of a no brainer.
*Estimations made by MeetGreen
