It’s always a nice thought to try and bring all of your remote employees together for one big party. However, the reality is that travel expenses are pricey, and your turnout might be slim. Besides the practical concerns, you will still face the risk of canceling last minute due to stopping an outbreak from spreading across your team. This may seem like a good idea to you, but you have no idea where to start. That’s okay! This blog post has plenty of ideas for you.
What’s The Goal?
Take some time to consider thinking about what you want your employees to walk away with. Is it strictly to be social? Or do you want them to gain team training, bonding, or development? There’s no wrong answer. Start by deciding your goal for the virtual party and it will help sculpt the rest of your plans.
Plan A Day
Just like any typical face-to-face gathering, you’ll need to choose a date and time that works best for everyone. The challenge you face with planning a remote party is that you’ll need to consider time zones. If you have employees that work within different time zones, take the time to make sure everyone can attend at the most convenient hour.
Choose Your Platform
Just as if you were to book a venue for your event, you’ll need to select a platform to host your virtual party on. We have a lot of options in 2021, so take your time to figure out what suits your team the best. Maybe you already have an established platform your team uses regularly for meetings. If that application can host the amount of people attending comfortably, it can be the easiest option to stick with that one! Otherwise, you’ll need to pick one that works for you.
Create An Agenda
It’s really important to have a game plan! Pick a schedule and stick to it! There can be time allotted for anything you think that would add extra fun, but make sure to include it in the agenda. What was intended to be an hour long event, can end up being two easily if you don’t plan accordingly. Make sure to have plenty of game/activity options to keep everyone engaged. You don’t want anyone to mentally “check-out” before the party is over.
Send a Detailed Invite
In order to keep your event as classy and snazzy as possible, create a detailed invite that includes all of the information needed to enjoy the party. Don’t cheap out and use a free e-vite service! Go all out! Make it appealing and obvious that you want them to be there. Nobody will feel enticed to come to a party with a cheesy, boring invitation. Make the details clear and obvious so its easy to join the virtual experience.
Planning for employee holidays has become a recurring challenge over the last year, but it’s not impossible! Don’t overlook the holiday celebrations because it seems harder. Tap into the world we live in today and create the best virtual party there is out there!