How to host the BEST virtual holiday party

image of author Sara Natividade

Sara Natividade

2022.11.21

5 min read

virtual-holiday-party-guide

The holidays are a time of joy and togetherness. And what better way to celebrate than to get everyone together - no matter where in the world they may be - than a virtual holiday party?! Virtual parties are a great opportunity to build a sense of community and create relationships that will last a lifetime. To make sure that your virtual holiday party is as fun as possible, we decided to put together a small guide with our best tips and tricks. Trust us, we take our online parties pretty seriously.

What exactly do you need to host a virtual holiday party?

1. A group of friends or colleagues

2. Date, time, and location (software)

3. As structure and “itinerary”

4. Holiday-themed activities

Tips for every virtual party

⏱️ It can be tricky to decide how long any event should be. But we find that the sweet spot is around 60 minutes. It will allow you to host an engaging experience that fits within most people’s schedules.

✔️ Structure is a plus. Many virtual events don’t go well because they lack some degree of structure. So make sure you've prepared and have a rough outline for how you want your event to go. It doesn’t need to be anything too fancy, it just needs to guide people and the activities.

💻 Choose the right software. Different in-person events have different venues, and so do virtual events. Just because you use certain video conferencing software for work doesn’t mean that you should use the same one for your online parties. Actually, you should deliberately seek out separate locations for the two - that way, parties don’t feel like everyday work.

🎁 Sharing is caring - so why not gift something meaningful to your colleagues? It can be a little treat sent by mail or an e-gift. A gift card for people to spend on books, activities, or shows is perfect.

📷 Take photos! Yes, you should take photos at virtual events too. These are great for the internal culture and social media channels. You can even have some kind of virtual holiday photo booth with backgrounds and filters.

🎼 Holiday playlists are the bomb… or any playlist, really! Instead of simply choosing a playlist that someone created, invite your colleagues to collaborate and create a team playlist. Everyone should be invited to add a couple of songs that they like that fit the occasion. This is great because it allows people to get to know each other a bit better and also gives everyone the chance to contribute a bit to the party.

Bonus: two virtual holiday party games

Virtual icebreakers… Holiday edition.

The mood for any event is set right at the beginning. If your event starts half-paced, it will be challenging to bring spirits up again. Follow our advice and try to start all your virtual events with some icebreakers. The ultimate goal of these activities is to encourage participation, make people feel more comfortable around each other, and boost engagement.

💡 Tip: If you are hosting a virtual holiday party for a smaller group, simply share the prompt/question and have everyone reply to it. If your group is rather large, try to divide it into different Meeting Spots and groups. This way people will be more comfortable speaking and you will make sure that everyone is listened to.

Most Likely To

If you have never played this game, it is an exercise where you make your group decide which teammate is the most likely to do X action. For example, who is the most likely to cry during holiday-themed movies? Or the most likely to ruin the holiday roast or dessert?

This game is quite fun and casual and it allows everyone to know each other a bit better as it sparks great conversations.

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About author

image of author Sara Natividade

Sara Natividade

Sara knows some things about marketing, has 3 cats, loves to go for hikes and organize things by color!

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