VISIONS - Part 1 - The Digital Experience

10.06.22

Team IVC

InVision's Company Offsite VISIONS Part 1: The Digital Experience

Our people are center stage.

Every year, InVision Communications employees from across the country gather for VISIONS, our annual company offsite. VISIONS is a special time to create for ourselves what we typically create for our clients—a fully-integrated strategic event experience where we learn, share, bond, and celebrate each other and the exciting work we’ve done throughout the year. As the COVID-19 pandemic persisted, it became apparent our usual 3-day, in-person offsite would need to be transformed to prioritize the safety of our staff. We pivoted the program into two separate parts: the first, a fully virtual celebratory experience launched during the winter holidays, and the second, an optional face-to-face experience several months later where we brought the theme of celebration and camaraderie to life in a more personal and intimate way.

VISIONS kicked off during the height of the holiday season as an engaging virtual experience—one that uplifted and inspired our teams in surprising ways. As an agency that specializes in audience engagement and brand experiences for Fortune 500 companies, we knew that VISIONS had to go beyond the expected by creating an exciting, interactive and memorable experience. Our solution was a Saturday Night Live-inspired Holiday Special to celebrate a successful year with our 150+ employees.

The show blended pre-recorded and live broadcast segments, frequent virtual set changes, interactive features that created a true feedback loop, and themed custom afterglow breakout rooms to drive engagement, celebrate achievements and facilitate deeper connections.

The variety of content turned the spotlight onto many of our talented staff—surprising and delighting employees along the journey in a truly memorable way. From musicians to dancers, to acting and puppies, every minute of the experience was filled with unexpected moments, many of which had the audience elated, as exemplified by the “laughing” and “clapping” emojis that filled the screens.

Surprise and delight (at home)

Prior to virtual VISIONS, mystery boxes were sent to everyone’s home filled with supplies and ingredients for a cookie decorating and a mixology segment to celebrate the festivities together. Both activities were done live, led by InVision employees hosting in their own comedic ways. A standout moment that had the chat fired up featured two employees performing a comedy routine inspired by SNL’s popular Delicious Dish Schweddy Balls skit. The chat and wave of emojis was nonstop throughout the whole show – truly engaging the audience in every minute of the broadcast.

Recognition

A highlight of our annual celebration is recognizing milestone achievements—those who have reached 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 years at the company. Each honoree was treated with personalized moments to truly recognize these individuals in a unique and fun way, including a Jib Jab-inspired dance, a spoof of the well-known Serial Podcast, our own version of Adam Sandler’s The Hannukah Song, and a custom, live game show where all attendees were contestants.

Breakouts

After the official program ended, employees had the option to explore all or some of the 15 custom-themed “social” breakout rooms to facilitate deeper connections among their peers. The rooms varied from organic networking to connecting with leadership, to party activities and interactive games.

Part 1 of VISIONS fulfilled the goal of connecting InVision staff digitally to celebrate company moments and milestones, meanwhile having fun together through at-home activities directed online. Our efforts to create a memorable experience even earned us Telly Award in the Virtual Events and Experiences category.

Read on for part 2 to see how we brought such themes “to life” as we gathered in person just weeks later.