2020 has forever changed the way we think about human connection. While we’ve been forced to spend time apart from each other physically – celebrations, events and milestones have still remained a cornerstone of our culture. It’s been the creativity of our community and relentless commitment to celebration that has transformed virtual events into something much more.
In this Meetup Live event, Meetup’s CEO, David Siegel, alongside Victor Cho, CEO of Evite, discussed the creative ways people have come together this year and the power of connectedness.
Main Takeaways:
- Many of us have experienced a wake up call in seeing the power of face-to-face connection. If we consider historical events such as WWI, the Spanish Flu, and other hardships of the time, they’re followed by the Roaring 20’s, where parties and celebrations became the way in which people interacted in much deeper and consistent ways. A result of the challenges they faced in that time, there was a desperate need to connect with others and do things, and we see this again in 2020. During times of struggle, we seek connection.
- There appears to be a desperation to move back to in-person events as people strive for face-to-face interactions. While we can’t exactly replicate in-person events online, virtual is better than nothing, and can actually be beneficial in their own way.
- We’re fundamentally wired to be social creatures. We can’t be fully fulfilled without that social function at play. Both Meetup’s and Evite’s work are about bringing people together and building connections.
Top Q&A Questions:
- Do you have any specific ideas on fun activities for events?
- Victor: My advice would be to not overthink it. Don’t feel like you need to construct a reason for an event to be valuable, you just need to get over the hurdle of making it happen. Create an environment where people feel safe, then you’ll see magic happen.
- David: The bar is low — people want the interaction. So, schedule something. It doesn’t have to be this super creative experience, it just needs to be about getting people together and connecting. We might’ve been bored playing catch in the backyard a year ago, but today it’s so exciting to just do something, anything, with people!
- With the holidays coming up, how can we balance celebrating and safety?
- Victor: I wish I had a better crystal ball and could tell you what’s going to happen. These upcoming holidays are harder to be outdoors, so we’re asking how we can safely gather indoors, and if we can at all. We think of the concept of pods, where you find your small circle of people that you feel safe around. There’s not enough discussion around the power of preventative quarantine. For my family, to have Grandma over for Thanksgiving, we’ll all quarantine, get tested, and we’ll all feel more comfortable being together physically. Pre-event testing is an option now.
- Do you think your platforms are opening up more opportunities for individuals with disabilities?
- David: Accessibility is incredibly important. When it comes to gathering, everyone should have an opportunity to do so in the easiest way possible. There’s a silver lining to all of this in that the accessibility of an online event opens up the world for many more opportunities for celebrating, connecting, and learning. We need to make sure that both of our technologies are very strong (from an app, web, and accessibility standpoint), but I just want to say that for those that have physical disabilities, those that are in more remote locations, there are positive opportunities related to this.
- Any ideas for virtual events or safe in-person events?
- David: Scavenger hunts and virtual game nights have been fun. Think of fun, and interactive, virtual activities that can help to build connections.
- Victor: I typically have 2 windows open on my computer, where I’ll play games with friends with a video chat open. It’s much more personal when you have the video chat as well. As for in-person, we’ve seen parades this year, where instead a typical party, people get in their cars and celebrate in a parade. With my family, we’ve loved watching movies on a projector outside.
Last modified on June 23, 2021
