Our Pivot to Virtual Mitzvah Celebrations: Q&A With Xtreme Event Group
This time last year, most families never would have fathomed throwing a Zoom mitzvah celebration for their child.
Many professionals within the live events industry thought the worst of the pandemic would be over in a few weeks or months and people would be back to having large gatherings by the summer of 2020. Of course, that’s not how things played out.
Based on the needs of our clients, Xtreme Event Group made a quick, strategic pivot to virtual mitzvah celebrations. That shift paid off in a big way: Our business not only survived, but grew in 2020, and the virtual format has allowed us to expand our reach beyond our home state of New Jersey to serve clients around the world.
In this Q&A, our founders Scott Present and MJ Navara discuss the changes we made to become a premiere global entertainment company and where we plan to go from here.
MJ Navara and Scott Present, founders of Xtreme Event Group
In the first few months of the pandemic, you made a quick and successful pivot to virtual events. What kind of growth have you experienced to date?
MJ: Being entertainers with a tremendous amount of experience in audio and visual production in a pre-pandemic world, the transition to virtual events was pretty seamless. As word started to spread about the unique virtual mitzvah experience we were providing, we saw a dramatic increase in clients looking for creative ways to still celebrate their child during this pandemic.
Scott: We’ve now surpassed 150 virtual mitzvahs attracting clients all over the globe, spanning four different continents. With minimal live events happening in NJ, our first quarter of 2021 is projected to be the company’s best Q1 in its history.
What was the transition like, going from a hyperlocal entertainment company to working virtual events all over the world?
MJ: We spent much of the month of April 2020 speaking to our clients, truly brainstorming and trying to understand what families were looking for. Our passion and desire to deliver remarkable mitzvah entertainment never changed, and we quickly realized that clients all over the world really just wanted the same thing during this time.
Scott: We are so incredibly thankful to be able to help families all over their world celebrate their child becoming a mitzvah. Over the last 10 months, we’ve learned so much. I'm extraordinarily proud that we figured out how to successfully create an organic and engaging experience that truly allows guests to feel a part of the celebration (as close to “in real life” as possible) and creates a true sense of community.
The Virtual Simcha™ by Xtreme Event Group is an all-inclusive, interactive and engaging experience for your family and friends that gets as close to live and in-person as possible.
What has been the biggest advantage of doing mostly virtual events?
Scott: It’s been incredible to be able to witness the impact we had had on so many families. We’ve seen many families at first saddened and disappointed by their need to cancel or rethink a live, in-person celebration for their child.
A virtual event can be more remarkable than one can ever even imagine. Families can invite family and friends all over the world to participate (when it may normally be unrealistic for them to attend in person). We bring joy, positivity, celebration to each and every event allowing the love to truly radiate through the screen!
MJ: As a company, we can now easily take our passion to other markets outside of New Jersey. In a relatively short amount of time, we built a solid reputation in major markets throughout the United States and Canada and have forged strong relationships with temples, event planners, vendors, venues, and clients alike.
What has your biggest challenge been?
Scott: With virtual events, you rely on so many independent factors that are beyond anyone’s control. We’ve helped our clients navigate through all of the bumps, hurdles, and obstacles that this pandemic has thrown in their way.
MJ: As you can imagine, life throws curveballs (well beyond anyone’s control), and we’ve seen it all during this pandemic. From severe weather causing widespread power and internet outages to family members get sick or contracting COVID-19, we’ve put in place systems, processes, and best practices to ensure a remarkable and seamless experience for all of the amazing families we work with.
Virtual events like Zoom mitzvahs are here to stay for now, but what do you envision for your business as the world returns to in-person events post-COVID?
Scott: Hybrid events are the future. There is really no reason why family and friends halfway around the world can't feel engaged or part of a virtual experience happening in tandem with a live event.
MJ: We constantly talk about what the mitzvah entertainment industry will look like over the next five years. One thing that we know won't change is society’s desire to connect.
As human beings, it’s our innate nature to want to hug, hold and embrace, so I don’t think virtual will ever truly replace a live and in-person experience. However, I think everyone now is much more comfortable with technology. Future live events will absolutely incorporate some form of a virtual component that didn’t exist pre-pandemic.
Ready to plan your child’s Zoom bar or bat mitzvah? Get in touch with us to learn more about The Virtual Simcha™ package we offer.
