A successful pivot to a fully virtual gala

True Patriot Love’s 12^th Annual Tribute Gala was scheduled to take place in November 2020. But with planning getting underway during the first wave of COVID-19 and uncertainty around the pandemic’s future looming large, we knew we needed to plan for all possible scenarios.

From the very beginning, we planned a creative hybrid format that would see the event take place both in person and virtually at the same time, to account for COVID-19 restrictions and different comfort levels. But as the event drew closer, the second wave of the pandemic started to take off –– and we had to act fast.

Just eight weeks before the event date, we pivoted to a fully virtual format. All speakers were pre-recorded, including our powerful mission moment featuring Lance Corporal (Ret’d) Cassidy Little, and a highly produced virtual presentation kept guests feeling engaged and inspired. In the end, an incredible 85% of paid guests tuned in and a total of $180,000 was raised during the event –– in addition to $650,000 raised through tickets and sponsorships.