The MAN v FAT Community was originally based around football, but during successive lockdowns in 2020, it was adapted to challenge virtual teams to compete in various contests including nutrition and exercise challenges, along with a collective effort to run the equivalent distance of going around the world.

Thrive Tribe, the organisers and owners of the MAN v FAT brand, wanted to host an awards ceremony to mark the weight loss achievement of the community and celebrate their successes, something that had not been done for their external clients before. After researching virtual award ceremonies, Thrive Tribe realised that the only platform that offered them the virtual experience they were looking for was the Awards Room, powered by Evessio, and after several demonstrations of the platform, they were sold on the software. Sponsors were also keen to get on board as it offered them an opportunity to reach new audiences and further their brand awareness.

Over 200 guests attended the awards from across the UK, for the two-hour ceremony. The nominees were alerted before-hand if they had been shortlisted and invited to join a one-way WhatsApp group, which was managed by the MAN v FAT HQ team.

During the course of the ceremony, the nominees for the next category would be invited to enter a ‘green room’ using StreamYard and, after the winner was announced, they ‘joined’ the ceremony live in front of all the attendees and could make an acceptance speech if they wished. Some nominees had pre-recorded videos for a particular category, and celebrities were also asked to provide cameos as the categories were announced. These included Sven-Goran Eriksson, who announced the ‘MAN v FAT Coach of the Year’ category and former West Ham and Liverpool player Neil Ruddock, who announced the ‘MAN v FAT Community Hero’ accolade.

The managing director of MAN v FAT hosted the evening and, with plenty of live public speaking behind him, held the audience’s attention throughout, in the company of MAN v FAT’s Head of Football.

Many of the attendees were dressed up for the occasion, and engagement was built with the host asking chat questions, such as ‘Who was the best England manager?’ and generally sparking debate amongst the attendees. As guests were attending from teams across the country, MAN v FAT seated them on tables according to their league, where they would know one another, and much entertainment was had at the ingenious names the various teams gave themselves. Trophies were sent out to the winners the following day.

Feedback was overwhelmingly positive for this first event of its kind. Emma Adkins, employee experience manager at Thrive Tribe commented: “Everyone was incredibly enthusiastic and positive about attending our first virtual event awards ceremony.

“Having fun playing football each week has helped so many men achieve their weight loss goals and turned their lives around, and even when this had not been possible due to lockdown, the virtual teams have still achieved so much that we wanted to recognise and reward. Seeing other teams and players was great motivation for the men who have worked so hard to achieve their personal targets each week.

“The Awards Room was the only platform that offered us what we were looking for and we are thrilled to have delivered an amazing event that offered so much inspiration and encouragement for both the community and the challenge during this difficult lockdown period. Being able to bring the teams together has been incredibly inspiring for everyone involved.”

Find out more about MAN v FAT here.