Parties and get-togethers have always been an integral part of the corporate world since they promote a healthy work culture at the office. But with covid taking over, the concept of in-person parties has taken a back seat.
But don’t worry!
Virtual holiday parties are becoming popular these days, and we suggest you host one for your workplace also. Figuring out how? Relax! Like always, Dreamcast has got your back.
Here is a detailed blog that will guide you through the ideas and steps to hosting a memorable virtual holiday party for work.
How do you host a fun virtual holiday party for work?
Let us go through the entire process of hosting a virtual holiday party for colleagues and employees:
Pick an appropriate date
To start with, pick the right date for your virtual holiday party. Opt for the one that is convenient for everyone attending the party. While you are going through the calendars, make sure you pick a date that falls on any of the weekdays. There is a reason behind stating this. According to some research, corporate parties hosted on Monday or Friday have maximum audience engagement. It also becomes important as your employees might have other prior commitments also, especially on the weekends.
Also, while selecting the time for your party, consider different time zones ( If you work for an MNC or have remote employees based in other countries or distant locations in the same country).
Look for a suitable platform
After picking the right date, look for the best virtual event solution for your holiday party. Play it smart by comparing two-three available options and choosing the best option. However, don’t compromise when it comes to the quality of the platform.
A few factors that you need to look for in a virtual holiday party platform are:
- Security
- Seamless Navigation
- Customization
- Audience Engagement Tools
- Networking Tools
Select a unique theme
Make your virtual party interesting by selecting a theme. It’s high time you ditch all those regular Hollywood-Bollywood themes and think out of the box. Design your platform as per the theme and ask your teammates to dress up that way. A unique theme will bring your party together and give your employees a reason to look forward to. To ensure all your employees take the theme seriously, announce some awards for the best dressed and funny punishments for those who don’t show up accordingly.
Send out creative invitations
Though you can always send the regular meeting links to your employees, how about doing something off-beat this time. Get all creative with your party invites and make them eye-striking. Add a dash of personal touch to the invite; maybe a common joke that runs in your company? To make it more interesting, you can compile a video of clips from previous parties. And what if you personally invite your employees to the party? You can make a video invite and send it to your employees. We’re sure the employees will love this gesture of their boss!
Drop-in reminders
Though nobody forgets a party, we still advise you to drop in reminders a few days before the party. These reminders will help you keep the excitement of the attendees intact. If you are planning on adding a surprise factor to the party, you can drop hints through these reminders. Also, attach some guidelines for your employees to join the party. It won’t only keep your employees on their toes but also make things less chaotic.
Make Use of Audience Engagement Tools
As discussed above, it is advisable to opt for a platform that provides audience engagement tools. These tools allow two-way communication in a virtual event, giving it a closer-to-real feel. Also, the audience engagement tools will keep your attendees hooked to the virtual party. Along with it, these tools will allow the employees to interact with their office peers.
Here are a few audiences interacting and networking tools that will make the party more lively for everyone-
- Audio and Video Chats
- Live Polls
- Live Comments
- Networking Tables
- AI Matchmaking
Stick to the Clock and Agenda
Seeing all your employees on a single platform will surely give you an urge to work, but you need to control. It is a party, and your employees are expecting to have fun. Keep the party vibes flowing by not bringing up anything related to work. Take off your bossy exterior for a day and get involved with your employees. It will help them to feel more relaxed and enjoy the party more. Also, ignore the ticking clock; schedule a fixed timing for your party, and don’t extend it.
Ask for attendees’ Feedback
You might have done it quite a few times with your clients, but this time, do it for your employees. Once the event is over, ask for your attendees’ feedback. You can send out feedback forms to them as soon as the party gets over. Various efficient virtual event platforms can make the job easier for you. These platforms automatically send out feedback forms to all the registered emails as the event finishes.
Collecting feedback from the participants will help you analyze the event and improve the upcoming events accordingly.
What do you do at a virtual office party?
Here is a list of some unique team building online activities that you can incorporate into your plannings and make it a memorable experience:
Gala Night
It is one of the most unique and ‘oh-so-glam’ ideas to boost audience engagement at your virtual holiday party. Dedicate a night to get off your work mode and reminisce about the bond that you share with your office peers. Get into your party shoes, dance, sing, raise a toast to your office mates and achievements, and have a blast at the virtual holiday party.
Virtual Award Show
Office parties are an excellent platform to appreciate your employees for their dedication to their work commitments. And what if you make the most of it by incorporating this idea into your virtual holiday party. Host a virtual award show and give your employees their much-deserving appreciation.
Movie Party
We bet this is the coziest yet the most interesting idea to up your virtual party game. Get in your warm blankets, get a bucket of popcorn and enjoy a movie with your peers from work. If you are confused with which movie to choose, host a live poll and invite suggestions from your employees. Also, if you don’t want to experiment, you can always watch an old classic and share peals of laughter with your employees.
Virtual Town Hall Meeting
Yes, virtual parties are about fun and enjoyment; getting a quick recap of your work won’t hurt anyone. You can start while discussing work for some time and then get into the party mode. And, let us bust the most prevalent myth about town hall meetings; they are not always boring, and you don’t need to discuss work the whole time. You can always incorporate various ideas to make it interesting and lively.
Virtual Dance Party
We bet you haven’t heard of any party without dance and music, so haven’t we! Parties are all about grooving to some hit numbers and enjoying to the fullest. Get in your party shoes and let yourself loose. Don’t worry about the screen! Who says you cannot dance with your people while staying apart? You can curate a playlist and share moves with your colleagues. To make it more interesting, you can keep the playlist open and share it with your employees to add the songs of their choice to it.
Costume Contest
Add vibrant colors to your party by hosting a virtual costume contest. This unique team building activity for corporate events will help you make your party a lot of fun and engaging. Though you can always select a theme, we suggest you make it easier for the employees by keeping it open. It will allow them to put their best efforts within reach. This idea won’t only allow your colleagues to do something different but also give everyone a reason to smile.
Open Mic
How about bringing the artistic side of your employees to the table with a virtual open mic session? It is a unique idea that will not only make your holiday party fun and engaging but also allow your multi-talented employees to showcase their talents to everyone. Announce exciting prizes for the exceptional performances and hoot for your employees; it will encourage them to participate.
Karaoke Session
It doesn’t matter what the medium of hosting the party is; it will always remain incomplete without good music. What if we say you can give it a twist of modification by hosting a karaoke session. Curate an exciting playlist, add some great party hits and host a karaoke session. Don’t worry, one doesn’t need to be a good singer for this, but if they are, reward them with a prize.
Wine Tasting
Get into the feel of a real party by hosting a wine tasting session. Send out the kit to all your employees beforehand, and on a primary day, invite a professional who will help you prepare the drinks and guide you through the process. Raise a toast to your colleagues, your bond, and the party, of course!
Cheers! It’s wine o’clock.
Craft Competition
Unleash the inner craftsperson of your employees and host a craft competition. You can ask them to create handmade cards and send them out to their work-best friend. It won’t only make the party engaging, but sending out personalized cards will also strengthen your team spirit.
Breakout Rooms
How about not keeping any particular theme in mind and simply creating virtual breakout rooms? You can either distribute people according to their teams or allow them to select a space of their choice. However, since the idea behind hosting these activities is to deepen the bonds between colleagues, we suggest you assign random virtual rooms to your employees. You can also allocate a leader to each team to manage all the room’s activities.
Take a trip down the memory lane:
Since times have been challenging for everyone, we suggest a captivating idea that will compel you to be proud of yourself and pat your backs. First, compile all the year’s highlights in a video and present them during the party. Then, make it enjoyable by adding good music to it. It won’t only make everyone nostalgic but also allow you to see how far you have come and get motivated.
Team Rituals
Parties are meant to make promises. Say Who? We! If you are hosting the holiday party at the year-end, you can make it memorable by setting team rituals and resolutions. Relax, it doesn’t have to be serious; just a simple routine like a team lunch once in two-three months will do.
Play Virtual Games
We can host exciting parties without any games, said no organizer ever. Virtual games can give you plenty of reasons to enjoy and deepen team bonds. To make it easier for you, here are some fun virtual game ideas:
- Murder Mystery: Everybody must have played detective games in their childhood. Allow your employees to relive their golden days and be Sherlock Holmes for a day. Include a Murder Mystery game in your celebrations. Divided into teams, the participants will solve a murder mystery based on clues and use their problem-solving skills. Whichever team solves it first will be the winner.
- Guess the Person: Here is another amazing idea to make your virtual party fun, play Guess the person with your attendees. The rules of the game are simple; there will be a moderator who will collect one personal fact from everyone and then compile everything in a single sheet. During the game, the one who makes the maximum correct guesses wins.
- Never Have I Ever: It is a fun game to play virtually and make your employees spill out some secrets. Keep the game light and fun by including some questions related to the workplace.
- Pictionary: We are sure you already know about this game; Pictionary is a classic team building virtual game that can make your party unforgettable. Do you know what would be the best part? When the participants are horrible at drawing. It will surely give everyone reasons to burst into laughter.
- Name that Tune: The rules are simple; a tune would be played, and the first who guesses the song right wins.
- Virtual Tambola: Now, this is something a party is always incomplete without. Also known as Indian Bingo, Tambola is one of the best ways to induce fun and liveliness in your virtual holiday party.
We hope this blog has helped you get some insights into the ideas you can use to make your virtual Christmas and New Year Party Celebration an outstanding one. Execute your plans in the best way possible by joining hands with Dreamcast today.
Happy Holidays!
