How to Host a Virtual Company Holiday Party
This holiday season may be different for many organizations than it has in the past, but that doesn’t mean that the holidays need to be disregarded all together. One thing is for certain, and that is that your team has worked diligently all year and deserves to be valued and there is no better time to do so than during the holidays.
Here are some tips to host a successful virtual holiday party:
- Pick a theme
Create a formal invitation reflecting the theme of your virtual party, which will help your team to get excited. Additionally, encourage virtual backgrounds to set the mood and be more festive!
- Make a Holiday Playlist
Every great party needs music, including virtual ones! Set the tone for this year’s holiday party by creating a holiday playlist on a platform such as Spotify so that the whole team can collaborate and add in their favorite holiday tunes.
- Virtual Card Exchange
E-cards can be fun and interactive for the entire team! Encourage employees to utilize free websites to create and send virtual holiday cards to one another. You can even create a friendly competition for who can create the funniest, or most creative e-card.
- Virtual Holiday Photo Booth
While you may not be able to take a traditional company holiday picture, you can certainly take a fun group photo on a video call. Encourage your team to have holiday props on hand that they can hold up or wear, and then screenshot the call when everyone is ready.
- Incorporate Entertainment
There are plenty of virtual games that can be incorporated to make the party feel much more interactive. Consider ideas such as cookie decorating wars, where you can send your employees each their own decorating kits. You may also want to consider a simpler, mess free option, such as “Name that Tune: Holiday Edition”, or even an ugly sweater contest!
- Allow time to reconnect and chat
If your team has been working remotely for an extended period of time, they may have not had a chance to reconnect on a more personal level. Make sure there is time set aside to share laughs, engage, and catch up..
- Don’t forget to toast to your team on a job well done!
End the call by toasting your team and thanking them for all over their hard work after what may have been a challenging year. For many of us, there is nothing more rewarding than feeling valued and appreciated!
Overall, planning a holiday party in general takes a great deal of work, and virtual parties may present a whole new range of obstacles. Don’t let that deter you; with a little research, you could end up with a fun, interactive event that your team will remember in years to come.
