2020 has been a rather eventful year. So much has changed, with people having had to adapt to a new way of life that is majorly virtual.

While remote work and restrictions on social gatherings make the whole experience a little foreign and alien, it doesn’t necessarily mean you cannot throw a party which is as fun and engaging, as it is safe. In fact, in these times of virtual connectivity, celebrating the momentous occasions of one’s life & those of their loved ones becomes even more important.

You don’t have to limit your celebration to a plain and boring video call. There are lots of little things you can do to make your virtual party exciting and ensure everyone attending it has a great time. This is where virtual events come to your rescue. If you are planning on hosting a virtual party, here are some ideas to make it a hit:

1. Choose a theme and a virtual events platform

A themed virtual party is a good idea as it lets your guest know exactly what the party is about. It also makes the overall planning easier when you know that your activities, gifts and the content revolve around a particular theme.

It is important to choose a platform that allows for the activities that you have planned through different engagement tools, and is also accessible for all party attendees. For example, if you are planning an event that requires engagement through polls, or smaller breakout rooms for group games, you can opt for Nunify’s virtual events offerings.

2. Create a fun virtual party invitation

As a virtual party takes place via video call, you will need to send people the link to the meeting room. Although Nunify sends out automatic reminder emails to all registered attendees, you can personalise the digital invitation that will immediately grab everyone’s attention and create an air of anticipation for the upcoming event.

Create a fun and engaging e-invite that you can email to your invitees.You can use tools like Canva to create an amazing and fun invitation for your attendees that they simply will not be able to ignore!

3. Be organized

When planning a virtual party, you have several logistics to consider. In such cases, using a spreadsheet can be extremely helpful. They can be used for the simplest to the most complicated aspects of your party. No matter what activity you are doing, being organized will help you stay on top of everything that’s happening and things that need to happen. Some virtual event platforms also allow you to perform various tasks using spreadsheet uploads in order to automate them and save you precious time. For example, Nunify allows an event organizer to upload event attendee lists, event schedule, polls & push notifications using spreadsheets so you can be better organized.

4. Encourage interaction through games

A lot of people assume that virtual events are mostly unidirectional, and they can be boring with one-way communication if you don’t make an effort to ensure your event is interactive. What works best here is being creative and interesting.

There are various things you can do to engage your guests, like organizing a virtual karaoke, or a competition that involves an activity that can be easily performed at home. The internet is filled with ideas and concepts for online games and contests that you can use for your virtual party.

To create a traditional party experience in a virtual environment, here are some more examples of virtual party games that you can play with your guests:

• Online Card Games
• Virtual Dumb Charades
• Virtual Pictionary
• Online Board Games

5. Include food for the celebrations

A good meal plays quite an essential role in making a party successful. Just because your party is virtual, doesn’t mean it cannot involve delicious meals and snacks that suit the occasion. You can send out packages of sweets during a virtual Easter celebration, or send your guests packages of food from your favourite deli!

Food is a great way for people to connect and it also makes a virtual celebration feel more like an in-person party.

6. Get people to dress up

Parties are an amazing occasion to dress up and socialize. Just because a virtual party is an online event does not necessarily mean that you shouldn’t have a fun or fancy theme for your guests. Ask all the participants to dress up for the occasion as it helps make the virtual party feel like a real celebration, and brings everyone together to bond on a common theme.

You could ask your guests to dress up in their PJs, or in semi-formal attire. If your virtual party is a themed occasion, the dress code can incorporate fun costumes that everyone can show off during the celebrations.

7. Work on the setup & decor

Make sure your virtual party looks like and feels like a party! Decorate your room for the occasion and also mail some party decor to your guests to enable them to decorate their surroundings as well.

8. Take care of the entertainment

Plan the entertainment beforehand to ensure a great experience for your guests! You can choose to stream a movie or TV series and watch it with your guests. Through Nunify’s HD Video Streaming service, you can upload & stream videos for the purpose of using in quizzes or other virtual games.

If you are organizing a virtual party for an organization, you can contact musicians or comedians to join the event and regale your guests for a certain portion of your party. Making entertainment a big feature of your virtual party can help bring structure to the virtual event – simply remember to plan the entertainment beforehand and introduce it at a logical point of time during the party to make the most of the experience for your guests.

9. Be prepared to lead the conversation

You might be tempted to simply invite all your guests to your virtual party and let them converse among themselves. While this may work for a small group of guests in a virtual party, it isn’t the best course of action in case a larger group of guests have been invited. You have to take the responsibility of initiating interesting conversations on topics that people can engage with and participate in.

Make sure these topics and fun and light to prompt your guests to share their opinions and experiences. You can even prepare a list of topics in advance to ensure that the conversation goes on, and there is no awkward silence during the event.

With these tips, we’re sure that you will be able to organize a splendid and memorable virtual party for your guests – one that they will fondly remember. You can be sure that guests will eagerly look forward to attending your next virtual party after a positive experience!