Event Showcase | Possibly THE Best Virtual Event of the Year

It’s a big call – there were plenty of contenders for this acclaim in the past 12-months – but when we saw a snapshot of what freelance Event Producer, Alana Edwards created for her client, Atlassian we were blown away.

The level of detail and heart that was so evidently put into creating the inaugural Atlassian Global Holiday Party is nothing short of amazing. And, it wasn’t without its challenges either – this certainly wasn’t a small or easy event to tackle.

Join us as we take a look at some of the highlights of this exceptional virtual event and the challenges that Alana overcame to produce, what we think is, possibly the best virtual event of the past year….

THE DETAILS

Event: Atlassian Global Holiday Party

Date: 22nd January 2021 (the same event was broadcast twice to accommodate various time zones)

Location:
– Pre-recorded sessions were done in both Sydney & Melbourne
– On-the-day production was in Melbourne (with Alana managing remotely from Sydney due to the boarders being closed)
– Attendees tuned in from over 26 countries worldwide

Brief: Convert the Company’s annual “cocktail style” in-person event to a virtual experience delivered globally (the first of its kind ever done).
It was important for the event to be more than a “viewing” experience and Alana was challenged to design an event that allowed Atlassians to not only get excited about the event, but be involved pre, during and post via interactive elements.
Time frame: just under 5 months from brief to execution.

***

THE HIGHLIGHTS

What immediately drew our attention to this event was the colour, the playful graphics and the level of detail. The event literally pops off the screen!

Prior to the event, each Atlassian was sent a personalised package. This cleverly crafted parcel contained all the elements that would help them engage with the event.

Contents included:
• A pop out card with QR code to activate customised interactive social filters
A cute animated Care Bear photo filter + an interactive rocket ship game filter (a fun digital interactive component).

• A scratchie card
To be scratched during the live event when promoted by the host. Hundreds of winners worldwide were then able to select customised t-shirts from the event icons and have a t-shirt made to their size and colour preference, delivered to their home. (They partnered with an ethical fashion company in Cambodia, Dorsu for this component.)

• A “surprise box”
A flat-packed box which everyone opened when prompted by the host for a simultaneous confetti explosion experience on and off screen (WOW!). It also had enclosed a flat packed cube which automatically sprung into shape when the box was opened, allowing Atlassians to access a QR code which, when scanned, opened a digital virtual custom portal. Once the portal appeared, Atlassians were able to “walk through” the portal and enjoy a 3D – 360° degree experience of watching a highlights reel of the performers from the event.

• A custom bandana
This was made from recycled plastic bottles and was the party dress up item (a keepsake).

• Customised speaker
This allowed attendees to experience surround sound during the event (a keepsake).

• Door hanger with dry erase pen
Side 1 | “COME ON IN PARTY IN PROGRESS!” for Atlassians to hang on their doors during the Holiday Party event.
Side 2 | Tick box options for home office use, e.g. On a Zoom Meeting, On the Phone, etc (a keepsake + interactive pre-event component)

• Stickers (keepsake)

>>All items that were not a keepsake were purposefully made from paper so they could be recycled and ensure a minimal waste footprint. When designing the package there was a conscious decision to be mindful of the eco-life cycle of all contents.

Of course, the brilliance of this event was not just the awesome “goody bag”, the pre-event production, performances and on-the-day broadcast made tuning-in a truly amazing experience. The level of detail continued – highlights included:

• Highly produced pre-recorded artist performances
Recordings were personalised with artists speaking to Atlassians during the performances.

• Live broadcast
With interchangeable and animated studio backgrounds

• Customised digital platform
With interactive elements for the event to broadcast online from
Image below include:
– Lobby (prior to event commencing)
– Studio A (used for the event)
– Chat function with emojis
– Celebration Wall function with photo sharing, comments and replies

• Message the studio live
Giving Atlassians the ability to send messages directly to the studio and have these appear behind Tim Campbell (host) on stage. This allowed Tim to ‘interact’ with Atlassians and respond to comments, pledges, shout outs, etc.

• Personalised addresses from Founders, Scott & Mike

• Atlassian commissioned song
A Broadway team in the USA created a song specifically for Atlassians about Atlassians and the year that was 2020. This included lyrics, music composition and recording. Tim then performed this live in the studio as part of the broadcast.

• Post-event Atlassians were sent a digital package
Which included custom zoom backgrounds from the event, an event Spotify playlist link, downloadable and printable event designed cut outs and QR codes to access the social filters and highlights reel. There was also an entire recording of the event to watch again or for those who may have missed the live delivery.

THE CHALLENGES

• Time
With only 5 months to orchestrate such a large, detailed event, you can bet Alana didn’t get a lot of sleep. Good thing for a large part of that time social activities in the country were on pause!

• Delivery
You try arranging thousands of packages to be delivered to over 26 different countries within a similar time frame, during a pandemic and while abiding by strict and variable custom rules and regulations.

• One-person-band
Alana is a Freelance Event Producer – not a business. She works solo – along with a crew of amazing vendors and suppliers which she invites along to the party with her. This makes her extremely busy, solely accountable and also extremely talented. Perhaps this is why you can feel so much heart in the end result?

• COVID-19
No doubt the biggest challenge for all event planners this past year – COVID-19. However, it was a circuit breaker lockdown in Victoria, which closed the boarders between NSW and VIC, that threw an unexpected short lead challenge Alana’s way. The solution was to have an entire remote studio set up in Sydney to allow her to have ‘eyes and ears’ in the studio in Melbourne and be able to produce the show remotely.

FINAL NOTE…

We’ve covered a lot here, but as you can see there was a lot of detail in this event! This event went above and beyond the typical “virtual event” experience and created something that transcended from the screen to the room of the attendees in unique and clever ways.

But enough from us, here’s a few words from those involved….

A huge thank you for making this dream a reality in such a short time frame and with such heart. Such a privilege to work with you on this creation. What you managed to pull off was extraordinary!
Verity Bell – Global Employee Experience Lead, Atlassian (Client)

What an honour to work on an event that not only possessed copious amounts of research and brand awareness, but was elevated with creativity, heart and soul. Top this off with a dream client. Event experiences don’t get much better. Congratulations and thank you!
Tim Campbell – Host

**If you would like to connect with Alana Edwards head to her Linkedin profile or follow her on Instagram.

Suppliers involved:

Customised digital platform build | Woohah Productions

Live Broadcast studio in Melbourne | Studio 45

Live Host | Tim Campbell

Performers | Hayden James & Nat Dunn

Performers | Mansionair

Performer | Mo’Ju

Filming & production for pre-recorded performances | Mushroom Creative

Party packages, contents & deliveries | Bravo

Custom Atlassian song – lyric and music compliation | Virtual Broadway

Design | B&M Creative

Ethical fashio provider for winner’s prizes (t-shirts) | Dorsu

QR codes with virtual portal and social filters | Aurora

Have you produced a showcase-worthy event and want to share it with our community? Get in touch!

Header images: ©Andrew J Morley | @_andrew_j_morley_