As much as possible, let's try to "forget" or at least put aside our traditional event and team-building organizing experience, because our goal is not to somehow transfer a traditional event into the online space, but to achieve our goals by making the best use of the tools available in the online space. (What can remain from tradition, however, is the most accurate definition of the event's purpose - why? - and its desired outcomes - what?)
Let's look at the most important differences compared to traditional offline events.
1) No need to fill up time.
If the participants are working from home, our event can easily include several-hour breaks, planned in advance, during which there is no program for the entire team or part of it. No one will be bored during this time; depending on the length of the break, our participants will drink a coffee, feed their cat or child, shovel snow, wash dishes, or even watch a few episodes of their favorite series.
2) Not everyone needs to attend the event at the same time.
Let's assume that in the offline space, we would have organized a 100-person presentation with 3-4 prominent speakers, where the presentations followed one another. Instead, the online space allows participants to meet the speaker in smaller groups, at different times, even on different days. This solution provides a more intensive experience for the participants, and it does not place a greater burden on the speaker (or cost us more) because they also save time on travel to and from the venue, and they can easily fit the presentations into their other commitments, from home.
3) Many littles make a mickle.
If, instead of large events, we organize shorter events with fewer participants at a time, organizing is easier, feedback will be more frequent, potential errors can be corrected more effectively, and our event can be developed agilely even during its course. Online platforms also allow several hundred participants to be present at once, but we recommend organizing such meetings rarely and only for a short time; meaningful work should consist of small-group and short-duration events, of which more can be organized for the same cost. Let's not forget that an online platform still relatively well conveys the "atmosphere" of a small group, but above 15 people, the atmosphere of a large group will be increasingly less perceptible; there is no applause, no mass display of emotions; these do not translate well into the online space. Large-group sessions should be short (maximum 45 minutes) and to the point; we can use pre-planned surveys and feedback, but do not expect a "mass atmosphere." Small-group sessions should also be planned to be short (maximum 2-3 hours), and opportunities for meeting should be offered more frequently.
4) Don't put too much into one event!
Less is often more. Think from the perspective of home office participants; they have enough worries and tasks besides their work, e.g., online schooling. A cool, hour-long game is worth more than trying to force multiple activities into a 2-3 hour program. If your goal is for everyone to find an activity they genuinely enjoy, then put the other games and programs on a different week; this way, you'll also have another opportunity to gauge the team's current mood and situation.
5) Participant engagement and interactivity are even more important.
Even at traditional events, there is always a risk that some participants will "hide" a bit, withdrawing into the background. Online, in a home office setting, you might not even know if they are present at all. The solution: choose a more engaging, interactive program/game than you would in an offline setting, and organize smaller-group programs than you would otherwise.
6) Avoid "dumbed-down" or re-engineered programs!
Today, almost every provider has responded to the new environment, but many simply aim to somehow adapt their previous programs to work in an online format. The result is often unfortunately weak. Online team-building and online events are an entirely new genre; look for partners and programs that fully exploit the unique opportunities of this new genre, instead of building on forced solutions.