A community that refused to quit.
▶ Watch · MAN v FAT Community Awards
In short —
When lockdown closed pitches across the UK, MAN v FAT's community moved online. To honour the year, they put on their first-ever virtual awards ceremony — with celebrity cameos and 200+ guests dressed for the occasion.
The programme
MAN v FAT is a weight-loss programme for men, designed to encourage men across the UK to enjoy informal competitive physical exercise without embarrassment, make new friends, and lose weight. Originally based around football, during successive lockdowns in 2020 the community was adapted to challenge virtual teams in nutrition contests, exercise challenges, and a collective effort to run the equivalent distance of going around the world.
First-ever awards
Recognising achievements externally for the first time.
Celebrity cameos
Sven-Göran Eriksson and Neil Ruddock presenting categories.
League seating
Members seated by team — networking flowed naturally.
Sponsor reach
Brands accessed a new audience and grew awareness.
Why hold an awards?
Thrive Tribe, the organisers and owners of the MAN v FAT brand, wanted to host an awards ceremony to mark the weight-loss achievements of the community and celebrate their successes — something that hadn't been done for their external clients before.
After researching virtual award ceremonies, Thrive Tribe realised the only platform that offered the experience they wanted was the Awards Room, powered by Evessio. Several demonstrations later, they were sold. Sponsors were keen to come on board too — the format offered them a way to reach new audiences and grow brand awareness.
Built-in community engagement.
MAN v FAT seated attendees on tables according to their league — where they'd actually know each other — and much of the evening's humour came from the inventive names the various teams had given themselves.
The ceremony
Over 200 guests attended the awards from across the UK, for a two-hour ceremony. Nominees were alerted in advance if they had been shortlisted and invited to a one-way WhatsApp group managed by the MAN v FAT HQ team.
During the ceremony, nominees for the next category would be invited to enter a "green room" using StreamYard. 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 had pre-recorded videos for their categories, and celebrities provided cameos.
"Everyone was incredibly enthusiastic and positive about attending our first virtual event awards ceremony. Seeing other teams and players was great motivation for the men who have worked so hard to achieve their personal targets each week."
Emma Adkins · Employee Experience Manager, Thrive TribeStraight from the room
Reflections from the community and team.
Seeing other teams and players was great motivation for the men who've worked so hard.
Many attendees had dressed up — the night had the feel of a real occasion.
Sven-Göran Eriksson presenting Coach of the Year was a moment people will talk about for years.
Bringing the teams together has been incredibly inspiring for everyone involved.
Inspiration in lockdown
Find out more about MAN v FAT at manvfat.com.
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