The Brief
Each year, JDRF hosts a gala for their sponsors and community members to get together and raise money towards the fight against type one diabetes. JDRF raises money for T1D research through a live and silent auction. This year's USO themed gala was virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic changing the event scene for 2020. The night was a huge success with a live auctioneer, videos from the Governor of New Hampshire, and an outstanding grand total of $200,000 raised for T1D.
Quick Stats
Client: Brian Shankey - JDRF
Event: JDRF - One Hope Gala - 2020
Attendees: 100
When: June 18th, 2020
Timeline & Locations:
Thursday June 18th - Virtual Event with a live host and auctioneer - The DoubleTree in Manchester, NH
Event Details
Social Media Plan
With COVID causing many businesses to furlough employees, JDRF no longer had anyone to manage their social media platforms which was the main method of raising awareness for the upcoming gala. Our team stepped in and helped our client by creating a “social media road map,” that outlined every post, caption, and platform for each day during the five weeks leading up to the event. Not only did we take charge of social media, but we assisted with any technical and software questions that our client needed. Our team truly showed our core value of Jack be nimble, in balancing all of these responsibilities.
Stage Design
The theme being USO, we wanted to tie in the red, white, and blue in a sophisticated way. Using hex pearls for the up lighting we displayed a deep blue on four brick walls spaced out on either side of the stage. We placed flat bunting around the stage with a blue carpet to tie in the colors. An 6 x 10 foot American flag was centered between two TV’s to be the focal point of the stage design. Moving gobo patterns added another layer to the design to help elevate the gala.
Virtual
The virtual gala went extremely well and was a huge success for the organization. The event used zoom as their video platform and live streamed on Facebook. The gala was hosted by our client and an auctioneer. Our team planned out a virtual timeline of the entire night, when each pre-recorded video would play and when to turn back to the live gala with JDRF’s hosts.
Solution
We have built a great relationship with JDRF, from producing their past galas to taking their 2020 gala virtual. This foundation was extremely important because it allowed the client to trust us, and take on the full responsibility of making this virtual gala a success. In a time of uncertainty it was crucial for us to take the stress off the client and assure them that even going virtual, their gala would be a great turnout. With no prior experience in virtual gala’s for their team, the JDRF crew relied heavily on our abilities and were very impressed with what we were able to produce.
Our team conducted multiple meetings in preparation for the event as well as many video calls to make sure everyone knew what the timeline would consist of. With not being able to meet in person, and taking precautions, meetings and video check ins were important to ensure everyone involved was on the same page. On the day of the event our team was prepared with social distancing, masks, cleaning supplies, and making sure everyone who was on site felt safe. This virtual event was a huge stepping stone and learning curve for our team but was a great addition to showcase in the events we have been able to produce.