This might not have been the year you thought of partying with your co-workers through a screen, but here we are! Each digital marketing agency might approach their holiday parties and team-building activities differently, but one thing is for sure: everything can be done virtually now.
What are the steps in planning an online holiday party? How do we expect our audience to behave? What activities should we incorporate?
All these questions can be answered with just a handful of tips on how to host your first virtual office party for the holidays.
- Secret Santa Spreadsheet
- Interact to beat the doldrums
- Food is your friend
- Power up, dress up!
- Be inclusive
- Plan ahead
- Virtual gift-giving
- The goal in mind
- Secret Santa Spreadsheet
The main issue with planning events is the logistics involved, this is where a spreadsheet comes in handy. Spreadsheets make it easier to coordinate a Secret Santa with your coworkers. It lists down their interests and can also be used to randomly generate their respective secret Santas. Of course, mailing the gifts is part of the process too, then the big reveal would have to come in a Zoom meeting. No matter how fun an event might be, everything still needs planning in order to stay on track.
- Interact with your team
COVID-19 has changed the way we use technology at work, and it has churned out more and more inactivity in the past months so our social interaction might have lessened as well. For a successful virtual event to take place, creativity is to be expected. One of these is for Secret Santas to mail their gifts and for their receivers to open them during a live virtual meeting. Get creative!
- Food is your friend
Remember, that food is a staple regardless of the event, whether it's a virtual or face-to-face.
People flock where there is food, it's that simple. You might also want include drinks while you're at it to spice things up.
- Power up, dress up!
In order to get yourself in that festive spirit, it is best to look the part. Holiday parties are usually a way (or an excuse) for us to dress up, and it shouldn’t be any less true with a virtual party. Encourage your workmates to dress up.
- Be inclusive
It is hard to feel included when you’re staring at a screen trying to relate. Make sure to get everyone involved and giddy about events, raffling some prizes might be a good way to do that without the audience exerting too much effort.
- Plan ahead
Give people ample time to prepare for your virtual party. The end of the year is usually jam-packed with things to do or things to buy for the holidays, also it is best to plan in advance so that everyone can attend.
- Virtual gift-giving
This might be a new concept but it’s basically giving someone or your team a physical gift. This ups the excitement for everyone involved. Not everything has to be grand, and little gifts can mean a lot in this scarce time.
- The Goal in mind
It is important to have the end goal in mind. Do you want to have fun? Do you want to get to know each other a little better? Do you want to beat out the stress? Holiday parties are meant to be an effective way of deepening relationships in the workplace. The holidays bring out the best in people, and what better way to embrace a fun mental change during the pandemic is to celebrate it with people you want to get to know better. Zoom has breakout rooms where a handful of people can be admitted where they can share bits of themselves and have interactive trivia games for everyone to enjoy. These can be great icebreakers for you and your workmates.
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