Virtual Engagement Toolkit

Virtual Happy Hours How-To Guide

In an era of social distancing people are looking for opportunities to connect. Virtual Happy Hours give people a much-needed outlet to socialize.

Step 1: Identify a host or host committee:

One person or multiple people can host an event. Consider recruiting a host committee that can help promote the event personally to their friend networks.

Hosts should be prepared to facilitate conversation, especially if many of the attendees do not know each other.

Step 2: Create an event theme

A themed event will help generate interest in the event can also provide an initial conversation topic for event attendees. Some potential event themes/activities include:

• Ask attendees to wear something Brown related or bring props to display

• Select a beverage theme

• Select a zoom background theme

Step 3: Determine a date and time that would work best for your audience:

You know your communities best. Are weekend afternoons popular for engagement, or are you better off selecting a weeknight? If you’re encouraging people to have their children attend/join in, you should factor that in when choosing your time.

Step 4: Decide on technology

There are a number of video conferencing options out there, including:

Cisco WebEx, Zoom, FreeConferenceCall.com, GoToMeeting

Step 5: Create a BRAVO event page and advertise

Create your BRAVO event page so that guests can register to attend online. Then, start inviting people with scheduled emails!

Step 6: Get social

Make sure to advertise across your group’s social media platforms. Use appropriate hashtags to spread the word about your event and to encourage people to join in on the fun by registering for the next event. Hashtag possibilities include: #EverTrue, #BrownReunion, #BrownAtHome, #BrunoniansAtHome, and #Brown(insert last two digits of class year here)