MANAGEMENT
15 Resident Event Ideas to Stay Connected During Covid-19 by Stephanie Burns, CAPS, CAM, NALP As we all have adjusted to the new normal of social distancing, it can be challenging to connect with and engage our residents. But with change comes opportunity! Social distancing does not have to mean social isolation. We just need to find new and intentional ways to stay connected.
setup with social distancing and proper safety protocols, or you could do a contactless drive-thru pickup.
I have put together a list of some fun ways I have seen resident events evolve during this pandemic. Hopefully you can find one to take back and use at your community:
6. Craft Happy at Home Workshops
1. Netflix Watch Party Invite residents to join you in a Netflix party and have a chat room where residents can talk about the movie. www.netflixparty.com
2. Virtual Live Workouts and Fun DIY Classes with Torch Fitness/Valet Living Residents can enjoy 8 live workouts each week as well as other fun virtual DIY and cooking classes. Programming changes monthly and Valet Living sends you a media kit as well as a schedule with the Zoom links for residents to register.
3. Community Potluck Cookbook Invite residents to submit recipes for their favorite dinner. Then compile the recipes into a community cookbook and share the recipes in Dropbox or Google Drive.
4. Farmer’s Market Partner with local area farmers to set up right in your community. This could be a traditional farmers market
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5. Food Truck Pop Ups Reach out to local food trucks and host a weekly or biweekly food truck night at your community.
Virtual workshops, where craft kits are delivered directly to the resident, are hosted when you want to schedule them, and RSVPS are collected through an EventBrite link. www.CraftHappyCo.com
7. Virtual Mixology Class with Fancy Sips Choose which drinks you want your residents to make and let Fancy Sips take care of the rest. They put together a shopping list and recipe cards to send to residents. They also provide a media kit and custom RSVP link to a private zoom class. www.FancySips.com
8. Virtual Paint & Sip with Dabble Studios Invite residents to a virtual paint & sip night with Dabble Studios via Zoom Meeting. Residents can provide their own drinks and appetizers, or you can add on to the art kits provided by Dabble Studio. They deliver the kits to your leasing office and then you drop off at the resident’s door the day of the event. www.dabbleevents.com
9. Grab & Go Events Whether it’s a food truck or a station set up at your entrance, this is a fun contactless way to feed your continued on p. 20 residents. 13
