CAAE Virtual Meet-Up Recap, September 2020: From Venue To Virtual

On September 24, a CAAE Virtual Meet-up on transitioning large-scale alumni events was hosted and moderated by Jorge Ancona, Assistant Vice Chancellor, Alumni Engagement at the University of California, Riverside. He was joined by Amy Kim, Assistant Director of Event Management & Protocol at the University of California, Riverside; David Lindquist, Assistant Vice President and Director of Regional Engagement for Duke Alumni Association; and Sarah Martin, Senior Associate Director of University Events at Johns Hopkins University. 

The conversation covered from Commencement to Convocation, to Alumni Awards Programs, Homecoming and Reunions, and the various ways the panelists are approaching large-scale events on their campuses. 

Takeaways included lessons learned from transitioning from in-person to virtual events:

• Just because you can invite everyone, should you? Keep in mind your goals for the program and who your target audience is.
• Not all virtual platforms are created equal, consider what it is that you need and what is the best platform to deliver that content.
• Don’t simply take an existing event and try to replicate it online.
• Are you charging for events? Why or why not? How do you determine the price-point?

Click here to view the recorded session.