Livestreaming Is A Mindset.

Six days a week, I walk through a glass door at my local Orangetheory Fitness, give a fist bump to a mic'd-up coach, and am welcomed by orange-and-black walls stenciled with phrases like, 'The Body Achieves What The Mind Believes,' 'If It Doesn't Challenge You It Doesn't Change You,' and 'Remember Why You Started.'

To me, and tens of thousands of other members, Orangetheory isn't a gym -- it's a mindset.

For event organizers in 2026 -- livestreaming is a mindset.

Hear me out.

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Six years ago next week, on March 11, 2020, event organizers had to basically crumple up every plan they had and somehow start all over. The threat of COVID-19 canceled almost every single in-person event for months and months to come -- forcing an even greater need for community connection and support, but in an all new fashion. The en masse 'pivot to virtual' era had arrived -- and livestreaming professionals like me helped transform the industry to its socially distanced, Zoom-powered phase.

Suddenly, people who'd never considered livestreaming their events before now had no choice. In-person galas and celebrations -- many of which had been around for decades -- immediately became watch-from-home programming. This sudden shift, even for pros like me who benefited from additional business, was rather miserable.

I've been livestreaming from in-person events since before the pandemic, including the Give for Good Louisville in-person celebration from 4th Street Live back in 2018.

All everyone could think about, through 2020 ... and 2021 ... and 2022 ... and even into 2023 ... was 'when is this over?' While virtual events do have their place, event organizers dreamt of the day that in-person gatherings could not only return but, largely, replace these forced livestream amalgamations.

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In 2026, livestreaming may no longer be a pandemic-required pivot ...

Instead, livestreaming is a mindset.

Before 2020, livestreaming might've been considered a luxury. From spring 2020 to 2023/2024-ish, livestreaming was essentially a mandated requirement.

But now, livestreaming is a mindset.

Choosing to livestream from your event is an acknowledgement that your event deserves a broader, global audience.

Choosing to livestream from your event is a recognition that the stories you're sharing have more staying power than the one day they are told.

Choosing to livestream from your event is an admission that your brand wants to grow its footprint.

And choosing to livestream from your event is a bold statement that the lessons of virtual communication and digital community connection that you've learned since the start of the pandemic are not for naught.

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As 'The Giving Day Guy,' I've partnered with community-based giving day events since 2016/2017 to amplify and multiply fundraising messages around the country. But in the last few years, I've expanded the portfolio to support other incredible in-person events:

-- In 2023, with Baseball America, I flew to Seattle to livestream almost six hours of 'Prospect Pad Live,' where Baseball America staff teamed with Emmy Award-winning host Jenn Brown to interview dozens of future MLB superstars, like Jackson Chourio, Jackson Holliday and Jacob Misiorowski. Photography of the ad hoc stage, and quotes from the interviews, fed into a two-full-page spread in the magazine's August 2023 edition.

Core life experience unlocked: Produce a livestreamed interview with one of my favorite Chicago Cubs of all time, Pete Crow-Armstrong.

-- In 2025, with Metro United Way, I flew to Louisville to set up shop at Progress Park, a spectacular resort and event venue, to livestream from United Spirits, the nonprofit's signature fall in-person fundraising event. Staged at twilight, using rustic-looking outdoor furniture in front of a forest and lake with a flowing fountain, the livestream added a dynamic online component to the in-person bourbon-and-appetizers attendee experience.

-- Next weekend, I'll be in Isle of Palms, SC with Make-A-Wish South Carolina to livestream the 'Blue Carpet' from Wish Night, the organization's headline annual fundraising event. Tickets for the event are nearly impossible to come by, as tables in the ballroom are always filled beyond capacity -- so adding a pre-main-stage livestreamed gala is the perfect way to expand attendance and attention without moving to a larger, more expensive venue.

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As I look to build out my event production calendar for 2026, I'm hoping to connect with event organizers with a forward-thinking, growth mindset: how can we take all the lessons we've learned -- from before, during and now after the pandemic -- to best tell our stories, serve our community and benefit our people?

Now 10 full years into my career as a livestream producer, there are two incredibly important lessons that I keep in mind in every client relationship:

1) How can I make the planning process feel as smooth and unintrusive as possible for my clients? Event organizers are perpetually busy people, with accelerating sets of responsibilities as the event date draws closer. How can I efficiently minimize my asks of the event organizers while ensuring that our production fits exactly what they're looking for?

2) How can I craft an experience that benefits both the audience watching at home AND the attendees of the event itself? In the past couple of years I have purchased additional equipment, including a small speaker, to make the experience of watching the livestream happen in-person feel just as exciting as watching from home. The goal is for attendees of your event to feel like they're part of something even bigger and more special than the event that they paid their time and money to attend -- so what can we manifest virtually that both respects and adds to the experience of being there (and in many cases, creates FOMO for a viewer to want to be part of it all next year)?

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Livestreaming is a mindset, and for a seasoned livestream producer like me, it's a mindset that is constantly evolving. Having lived through the COVID-19 pandemic era, my job now is to apply lessons from everything we've learned together to create a great experience for all involved: the staff, the sponsors, the attendees, the beneficiaries (especially, next weekend, the Wish Kids) -- and the viewers at home.

If you've got an event in 2026 that deserves a forward-thinking livestream component, let's talk! Email me at chrisstrub [ at ] gmail [ dot ] com, or reach out on social media. I'd love to work with you to learn about your event's growth goals and objectives and think about how we can work together to enhance the experience for everyone on board.

Chris Strub is The Giving Day Guy, and the first person to livestream in all 50 states.