Idea: How to throw a (virtual) end-of-season party.

The spread of COVID-19 has left millions of people with no place to go or, on the west coast, stuck inside under direct order.

Yet the content being produced by people at home in self-quarantine has been amazing. The TP Memes, community fundraisers, online happy hours, and live streaming videos from musicians demonstrates just how embedded social media has become in our daily lives as an outlet and source of community.

Here’s an example of popular Instagram @jerryoftheday sharing a video of a skier dressed in full gear pretending to wipe-out while “sending it” from his living room.

LOGE Camps hosting an open mic night is another example. They’ve expanded this to include a trivia night and craft workshops.

Traditionally, end-of-season parties and spring events highlight the season and offer a chance to celebrate as a community. It feels strange to have things end so abruptly. So, what would an end of season party look like if it were hosted online?

Bringing it Together

This event could be a welcome distraction as well as an opportunity to show your appreciation to loyal pass holders and valued guests. Here’s a list of ideas to think about in your planning.

• Hosts to include members of the resort team and special guests
• Prizes and contests for ticket packs, vids, hats, 20/21 season pass!
• Musician performance (dance party)
• Judge backyard tricks, best costume, share epic stories of this past winter, season highlights
• End-of-season clearance on rentals & shop items (shop tour)
• Coordinate a virtual end-of-season gear swap
• Invite sponsors and guest speakers such as athletes and local businesses, discuss community events, fundraisers, sales, etc.

The reality is most resorts have reduced staff and resources are limited, so keep it simple and keep it fun.

What You’ll Need

Things you’ll need to host an end-of-season party online might include:

• A charismatic host or team members
• Event admin & moderators
• Webcams, computers with cams, phones
• An email invite with very detailed event instructions
• Prizes & content winner selection criteria
• Guest speakers, musicians, and others from your community

You’ll also need the right video platform. Zoom is one of the most popular and easiest to use or you may want to consider Instagram Live stream. It took a global pandemic for people to start using this, but it works well for presenting continuously and allows guests to join via split screen, while followers comment and submit questions.

Google/YouTube’s event marketing teams also shared some great advice as they are reevaluating in this unique moment.

A Few Examples

I’ve compiled a list of examples for additional inspiration below.

Retail
Revolvr Men’s Shop: They live streamed a Spring apparel “fashion show” and virtual shop tours while offering a 20% online discount on the website. This was on Instagram live and followers interacted directly with people in the shop.

Restaurant/Brewpub
10 Barrel Brewing hosted an online happy hour. This was an interesting event that included games and prizes such as:

• In-house scavenger hunt: first person to find; pair of Uggs, Cheese grater, toilet paper, etc. (wins a t-shirt)
• live music from a local artist
• Introduce your dog/ cat / baby
• Share a story about quarantine

Lodging
LOGE Camps began hosting trivia nights, local music, and group crafting as a way to stay connected and entertained.

Sports
A few local gyms and personal trainers have started streaming workout sessions and classes.

Mountain Biking
Local bike shop hosts a streaming event on Spring bike tune-up and maintenance. Talked about and review new bikes, discuss route planning rides and a possible Starve group or competition.

Restaurant
Have your chef present a cooking class online, tour the kitchen, award one guest a free meal delivery, talk about your new online menu.

That’s all I’ve got for now. I hope this gave you some ideas. Have fun and good luck!