Being away from your loved ones should not be a reason to cancel or postpone a party. You can still celebrate from afar and connect with all your friends through a virtual party. Despite the lack of physical interactions, you still need to plan appropriately and select the right streaming tools for your online event. Below are five handy tips for hosting virtual parties that will keep your guests engaged.
1. Prepare a guest list.
Like any other party, a virtual party begins by creating a guest list of all your colleagues, friends, and family you intend to invite to your party. maximize attendance by expanding your guest list to an extra There will be a limit on the number of people you can invite to your virtual party depending on which face timing and video conferencing application you choose. However, it’s advisable to keep your guest list compact; the more guests you have on facetime, the more bugs you encounter with your facetime apps.
2. Select an appropriate time.
Timing can make or break a virtual party. Despite many people working from home, you still need to agree on a convenient time for everybody in attendance.
Follow the tips below when setting a date for your virtual party.
Avoid scheduling virtual parties on essential holidays, vacation times, or busy workdays. Timing significantly affects the attendance of virtual parties.
If you have attendees set to join in from different countries and time zones, it’s essential to pick a time that works for all your attendees. None of your attendees should feel sidelined during the planning phase.
3. Choose a good facetime and video conference app.
Choosing a virtual platform is equivalent to choosing a venue for an in-person party. Choose a platform that delivers the best possible user experience to your attendees. It’s worth noting that video conferencing apps will have varying limits on the number of attendees.
For example, Zoom can support over a hundred online attendees compared to Google Meet’s 25 participant limit. Besides Zoom and Google Meet, Skype, Facebook Messenger, Facetime, and Netflix are other popular sites for hosting virtual parties. Most of these apps offer free and paid versions depending on user needs.
Look out for the features below when choosing a virtual party app:
Consider how good the app is at identifying those talking or playing music. Consider apps with good video quality. When choosing the paid version of an app, consider how these additional features or filters affect the overall attendee experience. Most free versions work perfectly for small parties with 20 attendees and below.
4. Pick a fun theme and keep the hype alive.
Make your virtual party all the more exciting by picking an interesting and engaging theme. If it’s an office party, remember to choose a theme and entertainment that aligns with your company culture. The theme usually dictates the virtual party’s proceedings, from invitation to entertainment and dress-ups.
Entertain and engage your guests by organizing an online performance from someone within or outside the guest list. Having virtual comedians perform can be an excellent experience for everyone. Clean comedians can engage any audience, from kids to corporate and religious gatherings. A quick search online can help you find clean comedians for hire and other live entertainment for your event.
5. Provide food and drinks
If possible, consider including food and drinks in your party plan. Even though your guests may be worlds apart, you can still celebrate a meal together as part of your party agenda.
Tips on providing food and drinks for your virtual party guests:
If all your guests are in the same city or region, you can order meals through delivery services in your locality. If that’s not possible, send your guests gift coupons to redeem for food and drinks.
Instead of a full-blown meal, send your attendees a box of wine and chocolates.
If you are partying with close friends and family, you can suggest a cook-a-long under the guidance of an expert chef.
Conclusion
Like in-person parties, virtual parties are suitable for all parties, from birthdays and anniversaries to corporate events. Lastly, remember to send a calendar invitation to all your attendees at least a week or two in advance. Check out the link below for more tips on how to keep your audience hooked for your online party.