Sitting back, relaxing and doing things that one never had a chance to do. Is all about retirement.
A retirement party envisioned is all about getting the family and friends that have been through all years of service, standing as a strong part of every small aspect of our lives.
Unfortunately or fortunately, this year we were not able to organise a retirement as envisioned but went to a complete 360 degree shift of having a get together virtual.
Sounds Weird right?
Was it as bad as it seems to sound? Well, of course not. It got the better of the best from technology and all the loving souls who had spent the time with us.
How did we plan it?
First things first
Décor, be it inside home, was much needed and we decided to go all old school for this.
We sat down and brought out the old stencil and watercolour for this, drew and threw a splash of colour that went up the wall with a series of rice lights.
Moved around the seating arrangements around the living area making room for what we called the camera and video playing devices to be set.
Details Matter
Even though it was a virtual event, and even though we knew we would be seen as the size of tile – the background and the small details set the ambience and feel at home ease for the event.
We made sure that at least there was a small bunch of roses and a glass bowl (our house aquarium) was kept to maintain the ambience.
We had also put up a projector screen which doubled as the entire backdrop, where we had photos scrolling bringing back a flash of memories all through the session.
Lights on!
What most people think of when it comes to online sessions is that our regular tube lights or LED lights will suffice showing our faces clear and bright. That is the one single point which elevates any simple at home event into an elegant or a grand event if you will.
For our session, we had in place a chandelier in the centre of the hall, two small warm lights at one side of the room closer to the camera and rice lights which gave the warm feeling of the room.
Camera & Action
The idea was to set up a TV monitor as the video screen and a DSLR to shoot us and also a laptop’s webcam for the backup (in case the DSLR runs out of battery).
A Bluetooth speaker doubling as a mic for us to hear and speak crystal clear. A laptop controls the actions on the video screen for us (TV Monitor). Another laptop was connected to the projector to run photos in background.
And We are ready to Roll!
Let me tell you a small truth here, the virtual event initially seemed a very daunting task, but trust me it was an event which went on for four and half hours and we were able to hold about 70% of the participants until the end of the session.
A heartfelt conversation with such a big group (56 participants) was the best we’ve had so far in the long work from home era.
Stay Home ! Stay Safe!
Nigazhvu 