Celebrations like parties can occur for any reason, like birthdays, work anniversaries or baby and bridal showers! Within your company, you can celebrate both personal and professional milestones, which shows your employees you truly care about them. This guide will help you plan a great virtual party, no matter what the occasion is.
A virtual party is exactly that - it's a party that you host online! It’s a great way to host your team, family and friends and celebrate any achievements. During the pandemic, virtual parties seemed to be the only way for people to come together and celebrate. Any type of achievement can be celebrated with a virtual party; as long as you have your team, friends and family present, that is all that matters!
In order to plan a successful virtual party, following these tips can help. From choosing a theme to creating a guest list, your virtual party will go off without a hitch.
Depending on what type of virtual party you are hosting, your guest list should reflect that! For example, if you are choosing to host a virtual bridal shower for someone on your team, be sure to invite the people closest to the bride to be. You might not want to invite people from other departments that the bride doesn’t necessarily know. If it’s possible, try to find a virtual hosting platform that doesn’t have a guest limit - that way, you can host as many guests as possible without having to turn anybody away because the event is at capacity.
Virtual parties don’t necessarily need to have a theme, but a theme helps tie the event together! For example, themes can be done for the type of event you’re throwing. If you’re throwing a birthday party for someone on your team, try to think of a theme that the birthday person enjoys. If they are a big football fan, then throw a football themed party, complete with tailgating food and sports decorations. A great example of a themed party is throwing a party for the holidays - using the holidays like Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day or Cinco De Mayo will get everyone excited and into the spirit!
When it comes to choosing your virtual event platform for your party, you want to choose one that is easy to use for everyone! There may be people joining the virtual party that aren’t very tech savvy, and they will need an easy to navigate platform. Virtual event platforms like Hubilo are easy to use for everyone. Your virtual party should have access to video and live chats, so that everyone has the opportunity to see and hear one another.
Sending digital invitations to your virtual party is the best way to inform your guests, as the invitation has the ability to be added right to their calendar. You can create digital invitations with the theme of your party, which will only help tie everything together. Event organizers can also manage the RSVP list online, and they can also send out reminders in the days leading up to the event.
Food and drink are one of the most important parts of hosting a party. With virtual parties, it’s harder to eat, drink and mingle with other guests. However, with the use of virtual gift cards, you can send these gift cards to your guests so they can purchase food and drink for the party. By sending a gift card, like Uber Eats, for example, guests can purchase their favorite food and drink while they mingle with other guests.
With all of these virtual party planning tips, you can now begin to plan out your party. If you need any other organizational materials, you can create a party planning timeline to add every aspect of the planning process and a deadline for when it needs to be completed. Once everything on your timeline is checked off, it will be time to host your party.
Below are 35 ideas to use for your virtual party. There are ideas that will help get everyone engaged and will be sure that everyone has a great time. Some of these ideas are able to host many guests, while others can be small and intimate. These ideas will be perfect for any virtual party!
<span class="mid-size-title">1. Trivia Night</span>
Everybody loves a trivia night, no matter what skill level you may have! With the use of breakout rooms within your virtual hosting platform, you can have your group break up into teams. The trivia host can ask the questions, and teams can have a minute or two to decide on the answer. Teams who get the question correct wins a point, and whoever has the most points at the end wins! The winning team can win a prize, such as a gift card or even company swag.
<span class="mid-size-title">2. Decades Game</span>
Test your guests’ knowledge on the decades of the past with the decades game! Much like a trivia night, teams can split up into teams, or this game can be played individually. Select a decade that you want to ask questions about, like the 80s or the 90s. The questions you ask can be based around game show theme songs, popular songs or celebrities. Allow the guests to choose the category they wish to answer a question from, and they receive points if they get the question correct!
<span class="mid-size-title">3. Watch-Along Movie Party</span>
Getting together with your team or friends and family to watch a movie is a fun way to just be together. The movie can be a new release that everyone has been talking about or a timeless classic. By using a website like Teleparty, everyone can join the party and watch the movie at the same time. You can also send a gift card to every guest so they can purchase popcorn, candy and other movie theater snacks.
<span class="mid-size-title">4. Karaoke</span>
Karaoke allows your guests to relax, let their hair down and sing their favorite songs. Whether you have a great voice or not, everyone can grab the microphone and sing along. There are websites that have thousands of songs to choose from, and your guests can un-mute themselves on their virtual party platform so everyone can hear their rendition of their favorite song!
<span class="mid-size-title">5. Costume Contest</span>
As Halloween draws closer, you can begin to market the costume contest for your party! Inform your guests that there will be prizes for the best costume, and have a few different categories for people to choose, like most scary, most original and most creative. Costume contests allow your guests to be creative and step outside of their comfort zone or work together to dress up as a group, which can be both fun and creative for everyone!
<span class="mid-size-title">6. Scavenger Hunt</span>
Your virtual party can get your guests up and moving around their house, looking for items on the scavenger hunt list. The scavenger hunt can have a theme, and the items the guests look for can fit in with the theme. Set a timer for the time that the guests can search for the items, and when everyone reconvenes, the host can go through the list. Each guest can show the item as it's being said, and they can receive a point for each item; whoever has the most points at the end is the winner!
<span class="mid-size-title">7. Wine Tasting</span>
Wine tastings are a great way to gather everyone, especially for a sophisticated party! Your company can hire a wine expert to join the virtual party and discuss the wine while the guests sample the wines. You can send the wines directly to the front door of your guests, or they can be purchased with a gift card you send to your guests. This event is one that can be on the smaller side, so the conversation between the guests can be more personal and intimate.
<span class="mid-size-title">8. Virtual Escape Room</span>
Virtual escape rooms have been growing in popularity lately, and they are a fun way to bond with your guests. The team can work together to gather clues and information to try and escape the room. Be mindful of the timer, as you will want to get your team out before the timer ends.The themes for a virtual escape room can vary, so try and find out that everybody will enjoy!
<span class="mid-size-title">9. Virtual Games</span>
Playing games virtually is a fun way to gather everybody together, in a more relaxed atmosphere! Playing old school games like Pictionary or Scattergories allows your guests to have fun and laugh with everyone. These games can bring out the creative side of your guests, which you might not see sometimes within the workplace.
<span class="mid-size-title">10. Dinner Party</span>
Dinner parties can be casual or sophisticated, depending on the theme! For a virtual party, you can invite your guests to make their favorite dinner, and then everyone can eat together. Be sure to add a time for the dinner party to start, so that everyone can be eating at the same time.! If there are many people joining this party, you can use breakout rooms to have smaller groups, that way everybody has a chance to speak.
<span class="mid-size-title">11. Vacation Slideshow</span>
Vacation slideshows are a fun way to showcase the locations where your guests have gone on vacation recently. Guests can add their pictures to a slideshow, and they can explain about where they went and speak about the wonderful time they had. Who knows, maybe there is a guest who will want to get more information about a vacation destination to start planning their next trip from the slideshow!
<span class="mid-size-title">12. Cocktail Hour</span>
Cocktail hours gather your guests for a fun evening of trying cocktails and mocktails for those who don’t drink! Event organizers can send the cocktail ingredients right to the guests, along with the instructions on how to make it. If the cocktail hour is centered around a holiday, make the cocktail holiday themed! Once the cocktails are created, the guests can chat about the cocktail creation or any other topic that may come up.
<span class="mid-size-title">13. Classic Party Games</span>
Classic party games like charades, telephone and most likely are a fun way for your guests to relax and feel like they’re a kid again! Charades allow your guests to get creative as they try to act out the word, person or phrase. These are games that typically aren’t played at parties anymore, so, you can unlock some nostalgia by hosting them.
<span class="mid-size-title">14. Virtual Murder Mystery Party</span>
It may not be for everybody, but a virtual murder mystery party forces your team to work together to solve a mystery. There are websites that can host murder mystery parties and they handle all of the planning. There are all different themes to choose from, like a masquerade ball or on a runaway train. These parties can also host 40+ people, so you can have your entire team trying to solve the mystery.
<span class="mid-size-title">15. Virtual Comedy Night</span>
Everybody likes to laugh, so why not host a virtual comedy night? You can hire a comedian to join in on your virtual party and have them do a whole comedy set. This can last anywhere between an hour or two, and they can even crack some jokes about your company. A comedy night will let your guests relax and laugh with their colleagues.
<span class="mid-size-title">16. Take An Online Class</span>
There are all kinds of online classes your team can take! When you start an online class as a team, everyone starts at the same education level, so no one has to feel inferior to anyone else. The things you learn at the online class can be taken and used in your personal or professional life.
<span class="mid-size-title">17. Workout</span>
Workout classes are very popular nowadays, especially because there are so many types of workouts to do at all different levels. If you want to start off easy, a beginners class will cater to everyone, as everyone might not work out as much as others. This is a great way to not only get exercise, but it allows your guests to come together and have some great bonding time!
<span class="mid-size-title">18. Virtual Dance Party</span>
Play some music and get your colleagues up and moving! Ask your team what their favorite songs to dance to are, and add them all to a playlist. As each song plays, the person who chose that song can explain, while they dance, why it's their favorite song to dance to. This can give you an insight into what kind of music your colleagues like, which may be something you can bond over.
<span class="mid-size-title">19. Choreography Challenge</span>
Along with the virtual dance party, you can also have a choreography challenge! You can have one person displaying the dance moves, while the rest of the team follows suit. The instructor can put together a small number of dance moves, and then everyone can perform all together.
<span class="mid-size-title">20. Book Club</span>
Book clubs have been around forever, and they are picking back up in popularity! Each month, a group of participants can be assigned a new book. Once the month is over, they can all get together to discuss the book. Participants can discuss what they like and disliked about the book, and even discuss what the next book is going to be.
<span class="mid-size-title">21. Spooky Stories</span>
Around Halloween, create an event where the guests share spooky stories! The stories can be fiction or nonfiction, and you can try and scare your colleagues. These stories can be created by the guests, allowing them to show off their creativity. If you want to turn it into a game, you can give a prize to the person with the best spooky story!
<span class="mid-size-title">22. Get Crafty</span>
There are all kinds of crafts that you and your team can make as a team bonding session; think candles, soaps or wreaths! All of the materials can be sent right to the guest’s house and then you can host the event on a virtual event platform. The guests will have something that they made and are proud of and everybody will have a good time interacting with their colleagues.
<span class="mid-size-title">23. Costume Party</span>
Every Halloween event needs a costume party! Guests can wear their favorite costume, and possibly even win a prize. There can be a contest for the scariest costume, best group costume or best homemade costume. It allows guests to unleash their creativity to try and win the contest!
<span class="mid-size-title">24. Talent Show</span>
Talent shows aren’t just for children- hosting an adult talent show lets your guests showcase their talents while getting in touch with their inner child! From singing, dancing or magic shows, your guests will have a great time showing their hidden talents, which other people might not know about.
<span class="mid-size-title">25. Write A Short Story Together</span>
For creative minds, writing a short story together can create a story that reads really well. The participants can come together to brainstorm ideas for the story. Each person can take a small portion of the story to write, and once all of the pieces are completed, you can bring the story together. Everyone can read the piece they wrote out loud to see how well the story flows together.
<span class="mid-size-title">26. Share A Workshop</span>
Workshops can be held for anything and are easy to host as a team building exercise. If there is a person on your team that’s strong in a certain area, have them host the workshop. For example, if someone on your team is a strong creative writer, have them lead a creative writing workshop. Your guests can bounce ideas off of each other as they start the writing process.
<span class="mid-size-title">27. Play A Virtual Board Game</span>
Board games have made their way to the virtual scene! By getting together a group of guests to play some classic board games, you can have some fantastic team bonding! Classic board games like Monopoly, UNO and Settlers Of Catan are now able to be played virtually with all of your colleagues.
<span class="mid-size-title">28. Virtual Decade Party</span>
Much like the decades game, a decades party is a fun way for your guests to dress up for the decade that you choose! From the clothing, to the music to the way you talk, the decade party allows your guests to show off their creativity. You can wear bell bottoms for the 70s, leg warmers for the 80s and flannel shirts for the 90s. You can even have a prize for the best dressed and allow everybody to vote for their favorite!
<span class="mid-size-title">29. Closet Exchange</span>
Everybody has a time where they realize they need to clean out their closet. By hosting a virtual closet exchange, you can offer up your clothes you no longer want to other people on your team. You may also find pieces from other people’s closets that you may want or draw new style inspiration from others as you take a peek inside their closet.
<span class="mid-size-title">30. Make Face Masks Together</span>
Learn how to create face masks with the direction of the event host. Use colorful fabric and elastic to create a face mask that will keep you and others safe. There are some DIY instructions that you can follow, even if you don’t know how to sew.
<span class="mid-size-title">31. Virtual Fashion Show</span>
Showing off your most favorite clothing is a fun way to display your personal style! Allow your guests to put on their favorite jeans, shirts, pants and skirts, along with any accessories and jewelry. You can also share where you got your clothing in case anybody likes the pieces and wants it for themselves.
<span class="mid-size-title">32. Live Sports Viewing</span>
It seems like at any time of the year there are always sports games on. Hosting a sports viewing is a fun way for everyone to come together and cheer on a favorite team. Invite your guests to cook their favorite food to eat during the big game and even give the recipe to others. Everyone will have fun bonding and cheering on the team!
<span class="mid-size-title">33. Astrology Session</span>
If there is a person on your team who is heavily into astrology, they can host an event that explains the signs to everyone. They can monitor the horoscopes and tell everyonewhat’s in store for them in the future based on their star sign.
<span class="mid-size-title">34. Hire A Caricaturist</span>
A caricaturist is a fun way for people to get a keepsake from the event. People can get together in a group or they can sit solo while someone draws them and the surroundings. These drawings can be sent to the guests after the event is over and it will always be a reminder to them about the event.
<span class="mid-size-title">35. Seasonal Celebrations</span>
Everyone knows that there are parties during the holidays, and those parties are always a fun time for the guests. From Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day and Halloween, you can throw a party for each holiday and everyone can dress up and participate. The food, music and games can reflect whatever holiday you’re celebrating with your team!
If you’re not sure where to begin when planning your virtual party, use one of the ideas listed above! These ideas are sure to keep your guests engaged and will allow them to have a good time. Some of the ideas allow people to showcase their creativity and others allow the guests to come together through team bonding. Whichever ideas you choose for your virtual party, you can be sure everyone will have a fantastic time.
<span class="mid-size-title">Conclusion</span>
Virtual parties are the best way for your team, friends and family to gather together if they cannot gather in person. Just because you can’t gather together for whatever reason, doesn’t mean you can’t have a fun time with your friends. Using a virtual hosting platform like Hubilo takes all the guesswork out of planning a virtual party! They can help with video and sound issues, and they have the ability to have small breakout rooms and live chats if that’s something your virtual party calls for. Your team, friends and family will remember these events forever, thanks to all of the time and planning the event organizers put into it!
Hubilo is the webinar platform built for marketers that helps you 2X your pipeline. Founded in 2015, Hubilo's powerful engagement features, dedicated client experience team, and custom branding tools have helped create over 12K virtual events & webinars, creating hundreds of millions of minutes of high-engagement experiences and counting. Headquartered in Bengaluru and San Francisco, Hubilo's 200+ employees are dedicated to enabling webinars & virtual events that convert.
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