Virtual Events Can Be as Special as the "Real Thing" 

BY JIM CASSIDY

With the pandemic preventing large in-person gatherings, many organizations have opted to host virtual events, from conferences to trade shows. Some event organizers approach these online forums with reluctance, seeing them as inferior substitutes for the energy and interaction of an in-person event.

I discovered recently that this need not be the case.

I was invited to work on MIT's first-ever online commencement by my event production colleagues, Peter Agoos of Agoos D-zines and Andrew Zamore of Andrew Zamore Worldwide. Rather than settling for a scaled-back online webcast with a succession of talking heads, the MIT events team decided to fill the virtual commencement with as much creative, rich, meaningful, community-generated, and heartfelt content as possible.

The result wasn't just a glorified Zoom conference. Rather, it was a remarkably intimate global online gathering that was as moving (perhaps even more so?) than a traditional live commencement. A graduating senior offered a touching reflection on departing his collegiate home during the pandemic. An MIT grad student rapper delivered a one-of-a-kind hip-hop tribute. Scores of MIT musicians and singers performed uplifting compositions by faculty members. There was a drone flyover of the MIT campus, a thoughtful address by Admiral William McRaven, moments of wit and whimsy, and even a tribute from MIT grad Chris Cassidy delivered via video from the International Space Station.

MIT's online commencement was a hit with graduates and their families – because it was filled with rich, meaningful content tailored to the more private viewing experience of a webcast.

There was no processional on the spring grass of Killian Court. No selfies with parents and classmates. Not even any caps and gowns. But because the MIT team put so much thought and effort into the final product, it was definitely worthy of the occasion.