Contents
- Hey, Welcome Back!
- Featured Guest
- You Might Have Missed…
Virtual tarot readings, cocktail crafting, and a DJ - Laïla knows how to throw a party in cyberspace! This week, Andrew hears from the queen of remote team events on mastering the art of connection.
Hey, Welcome Back!
How do you host irresistible events for distributed teams?
The average virtual team event is usually dull, dry and lasts longer than a month of Monday’s stacked together. And company offsites? They can be just as savage.
Luckily Laïla von Alvensleben is here to tell us how to do them right!
Ranked among 2024’s Top 50 Remote Enablers, Laïla is the former Head of New Ways of Working at Mural, and has mastered the art of uniting teams across distances. Now, as a remote work consultant, she helps global companies revolutionize how distributed teams connect and collaborate.
She's been championing flexible work since 2014, speaking on the biggest remote work stages and winning major awards for her virtual retreats.
Oh, AND she was a top 150 Remote Influencer in 2023.
🚀 Laïla knows what it takes to create team events people actually want to attend.
During the early days of lockdown Laïla turned her birthday into a multi-room virtual house party…and it was a massive hit. She took that format to Mural and it sparked innovation.
Guided Zoom experiences opened up what was possible for remote teams.
Virtual events weren’t boring – we’d just been doing them wrong.
The pandemic invited fresh ways to connect people who were miles apart from each other. And gave them a solid reason to show up!
But as the pandemic faded, old habits returned. Distributed teams stopped showing up for virtual events, content to just watch the recordings later.
Remote teams:
🚨 Suffered from Zoom Fatigue – big time!
🚨 Struggled with lack of engagement due to repetitive events
🚨 Felt starved of in-person interaction post-pandemic
Fast forward to 2024: Enter a new crop of problems for remote leaders everywhere!
After all, distributed teams still have to meet.
Laïla went from multi-day virtual festivals where hundreds of people would connect and share, to reviving company offsites and grappling with the logistics of making them effective and worthwhile.
“There needs to be more creativity on how to get people to do things in person. Just ask people, what do they want now? What would they enjoy? You know, we don't have to force virtual events down their throat.”
- Laïla von Alvensleben, 2024
In episode 70, Laïla and I unpack the realities of hosting engaging virtual and offsite events for distributed teams. To boost connection, collaboration and business impact.
You don’t have to keep planning the same events no-one on your team wants to attend. Laïla shares her hot takes on why most virtual events today are flops - and what we can do to bring back the magic.
From empowering participants with real choices to mixing up the format and even incorporating IRL meetups where possible, she’s got a few tricks up her sleeve that might just save your next event. (Thank goodness!)
🤩 Ready to find remote meetups exciting again?
📽️ This Week on Episode 70:
💥 Unlock Laila’s 3 hot takes to plan unforgettable virtual events
💻 Discover how to create interactive, multi-room virtual experiences that rock
😎 See how empowering attendees with choices will make or break your event
🤝 Learn why mixing virtual & in-person meetups boosts team morale
✈️ Get ideas for affordable offsite meetups to tackle team challenges head-on
A huge thank you to Laïla von Alvensleben for sharing her invaluable expertise on the show. Clearly there’s no excuse for dull, repetitive meetups in 2024!
So, is your next distributed team event destined to flop or fly?
It’s up to you.
But one thing’s for sure: after watching this episode, you’ll never look at a Zoom room the same way again. So many possibilities – so little time!
🔥 Enjoy!
To stronger teams -
Andrew
Featured Guest
Laïla von Alvensleben is a trailblazer in the remote work revolution, pushing the boundaries of how teams connect and collaborate from anywhere on the planet.
As a remote work consultant and the ex-Head of New Ways of Working at Mural, she’s known for turning virtual events into immersive experiences that rival in-person gatherings. Laïla's work is proof that creativity and technology will transform the way we build culture in distributed teams.
Fluent in four languages and based in Switzerland, she’s a true global citizen, challenging outdated norms and championing the future of work with an innovative spirit. An award-winning virtual event planner, Top 150 Remote Influencer (2023) and Top 50 Remote Enabler (2024) – she’s a remote leader to watch.
Find her on LinkedIn, and on her business website.
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🚨 Need extraordinary global tech talent? Here they are.
🎥 Out of Office is looking for expert guests! Apply here!
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