When PayPal wanted to host a global virtual around-the-world celebration and gathering for their employees, they reached out to us with this objective during the height of the Pandemic, we began creating “The All Together Gathering”. This global gathering took place from December 10th – 11th, 2020 and was a virtual and immersive event which connected employees with their colleagues to enjoy unique experiences created exclusively for PayPal employees across the world.

This global gathering occurred across eight time-zone-specific programmes, 24 hours, 52 cities and 13 countries. Beginning in China, travelling through EMEA before reaching Ireland and the UK, across the pond into the Americas, then to the easterly offices in Australia and Manila before reaching India.

Over 72 hours of content was programmed and produced, including music, dance, spectacle, magic and more, all beamed directly into employees’ homes. These employee engagement experiences took place on Vstage, the bespoke virtual and immersive solution which showcased all the programme options across multiple stages, had something for everyone that connected employees to other employees, cultures and entertainment from places they may have never been able to visit. Each employee was also sent a gift from a small PayPal-powered business local from their area/region.

Multi-space Platform including:
The Main stage
The Main Stage of the PayPal All Together Gathering was the central focus of the night. With large acts and performers from across the globe, this exclusive platform provided global outreach like never before! The Main Stage provided the central entertainment hub for the All Together Gathering, including local leadership talks before dancing and singing the night away with the headline acts!
Activities Space
The activities stage was an interactive zone which included everything from cooking demonstrations, origami tutorials and dance workshops to cocktail masterclasses, circus skills and pinata making. There was something fun and exciting for the whole PayPal family to enjoy.
Dancefloor
For those missing having a boogie in a nightclub, the dancefloor stage had that nightclub experience brought straight to your home! Employees danced the night away with feel good, party anthems tunes and brought their cameras up onto the dancefloor so they could be seen strutting their stuff.
Mingle Space
Employees were able to join the mingle function on the platform and meet someone new from PayPal from across the world where they could share stories, dance moves, and jokes.
Photobooth
Ready, set, pose! The photobooth allowed employees to snap some silly selfies, try on different filters and interact with others on the Photobooth function.
Wall of Wishes
We created a virtual Wall of Wishes for employees to share as a community where they could share a written and/or video note on the wall with their hopes for 2021. The first 2,500 employees who shared their wish on the Wall of Wishes received a $20 PayPal Gives credit in their account to donate as they choose.
Shopping Link
A platform where employees could shop and support some global local vendors.
Comments and chat
Available for employees to interact across all spaces and stages.

Effectiveness & Results
PayPal described this as “A moment in time for our Global Community”. An incredible 24 hours where all PayPal employees from all over the world came together for one night as one team, one office. The event also supported hundreds of artists, performers and local businesses worldwide when they truly needed support and gave employees a further outlet to take part in and voice their support for local and global artists. Employees got to witness multiple events worldwide and reunite and connect with their friends and counterparts across the 54 PayPal offices.

Outcome

The outcome of this engagement experience was an incredible 24 hours where all PayPal employees from all over the world came together for one night as one team. A gathering like no other to celebrate all of the PayPal employees who had worked so hard during a challenging year. Debrief and Feedback meetings were held with all PayPal site engagement leaders following a company-wide survey. Feedback confirmed a high level of employee satisfaction and enjoyment of the event, with an overall acceptance that “it exceeded expectations”.

Testimonials: