Established in 1939, The Monday Morning Quarterback Club is one of the most distinguished and charitable clubs in the state. Since its inception, the Monday Morning Quarterback Club has donated over $30 million to philanthropies focusing on children’s medical well-being. For eleven weeks in the fall, the club gathers for weekly meetings featuring prominent figures from the world of sports. They pride themselves in gathering each week and increasing their giving every year, which has led to their tagline, “The Team That Never Lost A Game.”
Amid a global pandemic with limited in-person gatherings, finding a way to gather 600+ members safely together in one space was not plausible, and the financial strain on the economy compromised their mission to raise funds. The Quarterback Club was determined to still give to children in need, so they reached out to Knight Eady for help in pivoting to virtual gatherings for their weekly meetings.
Our team stepped up the virtual meeting experience with a professional camera and audio for guests. Participants in the meeting had the option to safely gather in person or connect remotely. Additionally, this format helped open doors for speakers who would typically be limited by the need to travel to an in-person meeting. Jim Nantz, Arthur Blank, Eli Manning, Mack Brown, Marty Smith, Nick Saban and many more were able to remotely join the meetings to speak in a time when the pandemic was keeping them at home or with their respective teams only. To help replicate the experience of in-person Q&A, we created opportunities for viewers to submit questions live to hear these special guests discuss topics important to them – all while protecting the guests’ privacy, who expect a degree of confidentiality to these exclusive meetings. Our team was able to create an experience that was easy to participate in but exclusive to the club members.
Each meeting appeared seamless to attendees and most participants, but behind the scenes, our team worked as a virtual production crew, directing from Charlotte and running technical operations from Birmingham. The weekly work consisted of coordinating guests joining from across the country, inserting special videos of weekly club business, layering in graphics, and most importantly, providing off-camera feedback and direction to moderators and speakers.
In a world of ‘Zoom fatigue’ and endless conference calls, we received numerous messages from corporate business leaders within the Quarterback Club membership that this was by far the best virtual experience. It provided a fun break from the pandemic grind. They looked forward to the discussion and commented that it felt completely different from a typical corporate group virtual meeting.
During the fall, a small group of club members was able to experience socially distanced visitations to many of the nonprofits that are benefactors of the club’s giving, including Kid One, Smile-A-Mile, Ronald McDonald House and Mitchell’s Place. To allow all members to see the work the club has provided these organizations, our team created recap videos for each visit to truly hear and understand the impact the club is making.
In a year where we are working and socializing apart, live streaming has allowed us to find a sense of normalcy in connecting with our friends, family and peers. Live streaming and virtual broadcasts have allowed us to attend meetings, watch graduations, weddings and more. At Knight Eady, live streaming has become a valuable asset to our team in staying true to our goal of fostering incredible moments through event production, strategy and creative to build authentic relationships between brands and fans, and in this case, between a tremendous civic club and its incredible membership.
