Virtual events play an important role in an organization's overall events strategy.

They are easily accessible and economic ways to increase frequency of events throughout the year, and allow for your community to engage with you in between any flagship onsite events.

We live in a digital world where everything can be done online. Virtual events are not just a product of the pandemic; they have their place and can be really advantageous to any organization. You can read more about when and why virtual events are awesome here, and you can check out some of the virtual events produced by Happily here.

If you are a smaller business or startup with limited resources, don’t worry. We have some free ways that you can glow up a simple virtual event produced in house.

1. Embed livestream on to your website

There is no need to create an entire microsite just for a straightforward event, if you already have an established website. By placing the stream on your website, it makes it much more of a branded experience. Use Vimeo or YouTube as your broadcast platform to easily generate some embedding code to add to a page on your website.

By dedicating a whole page to the event, you can create more of a branded experience for your audience, with your org’s graphic line. It will allow you to have a single place to direct your audience, as well as any accompanying information and links right at their fingertips.

2. Create a storyboard and general script for your event

The most important element of a virtual event is to keep your audience engaged. By giving some thought to the layout and the flow of your event, it will allow you to find ways to keep the momentum going. We recommend taking your audience on a ‘journey’ with an introduction, middle and a conclusion.

Think about it as a talk show, with lots of “coming up soon”, “stay tuned because next up we have…” or “we have so much exciting stuff for you tonight…”. This is also where we strongly suggest a written script to accompany your storyboard. It is not meant to be a script that you stick to word-for-word, but rather a way to stagger information and ensure that you are using language that will keep your audience engaged.

3. Use Zoom Immersive View to create a custom view

If you have a Zoom Business account that you are using for your event, you can take advantage of Zoom’s Immersive View. With it you will be able to place a custom banner as a background, creating a more branded experience.

We have all the info you need on how to do this over here.

4. Have a full dress rehearsal

In the days before the event, have a full read-through with all the staff, behind-the-scenes people, and any guest speakers. This will ensure that any hiccups in the program are caught, that any wrinkles can be ironed out, and so everyone knows what to expect when the event comes around. It will allow the end result to feel more polished and professional.

5. Use Canva to step up your graphic assets

By using a platform like Canva you will have all the resources you need to easily create polished and chic designs for social media, presentation slides, banners ect. that you need for your event. There is a paid version that you can upgrade your Canva account to, however, the free version will certainly give you what you need as well.

6. Shine from behind the camera

The production quality of any virtual event will improve 1000% if the speaker is looking their best on the screen. We are talking about amazing lighting, a well composed background, clear audio, strong internet and a high quality camera.

Some of these things you might want to invest a little money in, however, there are also free things you can do. We have a whole separate post on this, that you can read here.

How can technology make a daily urban commute super easy, way more economical, and, oh so much better for the environment?

Som Ray drops in to chat with Sarah Shewey, Happily CEO and Founder, about the future of e-bikes, how adopting biking for urban mobility can change the world and what the startup process is really like.

Plus, he introduces us to his startup, CLIP, a revolutionary device that will be a must-have for the urban commuter and anyone wondering how they can help the environment in their daily life.

Image: CLIP Co-founders Somnath Ray and Clément de Alcala

Som Ray is re-designing the e-bike experience

Having grown up in India, Som understands just how bad air pollution and urban congestion can get. When he found himself living in New York City he decided to start using biking as his primary mode of transport. Biking is awesome for a daily commute. It is way better for the environment than cars and they do wonders for easing traffic congestion. However, biking every day is not always easy. It can get real physically taxing and motivations can wax and wan, so that is where the pedal assist of an electric bike makes all the difference.

As a concept, the pedal assist of e-bikes makes the biking experience easier, quicker and ensures you don’t arrive at your destination all puffed and sweaty. However, e-bikes are not accessible to most people; they are expensive, they are heavy and their value means they often get stolen. Also, as Som points out, most of us already have a bike; personalized, wonderful bikes with diverse designs that reflect us. This is where CLIP comes in.

CLIP is a clean mobility startup that is creating a portable e-motor device to easily attach to any bike, instantly turning it into an e-bike. Founded in 2018 by Som Ray and Clément de Alcala, they want to democratize access to the benefits of an e-bike, and build an option much more low-cost, user-friendly and accessible. Plus, empower urban commuters and city dwellers to take on biking and significantly slash our impact on climate change.

Listen to Som on Happily Live with Sarah Shewey, CEO and Founder of Happily, and read on for more.

It’s Earth Month so here are some stats for you!

By switching to biking, NYC commuters would:

• save approx. 1.5M gallons of gasoline every year
• eliminate approx. 12,900 metric tonnes of Co2 emissions every year

The Co2 emissions of transport in NYC are:

• Gasoline Car = 251.0g Co2 per passenger km
• Bus = 28.0g Co2 per passenger km
• Tesla model 3 = 46.7g Co2 per passenger km
• Subway / Metro = 36.4g Co2 per passenger km
• CLIP & bike = 1.52g Co2 per passenger km

Image: CLIP prototype on urban bike

Hungry for more?

Here are links to resources and things mentioned in this Happily Live:

• For more info on CLIP
• A NYSP2I Case Study on the Greenhouse Gas Impact of CLIP’s E-Bike Technology
• 3 Ways to Create an Events Strategy that Saves the Planet
• More on Happily's commitment to the environment
• TEDxHappily Countdown Case Study