Thanks to Covid-19, social distancing is becoming a norm in our lives. For someone like me, who is a social butterfly, it’s been pretty hard being confined indoors.
While there’s nothing like having face-to-face conversations, virtual events seem to be taking over – from work meetings to pub quizzes, the limitations of virtual connections are now endless!
Personally, I think there’s a big positive to hosting virtual events – people are focusing more on connecting and celebrating.
It was my birthday on Tuesday, and I organised a virtual games night with some of my girlfriends. I found it really fun and best of all, there was no cleaning up afterwards. 😉
The last time I had a proper celebration on my birthday was when I turned 5 – my parents threw me the grandest princess-style party. I still have very fond memories from that day. ❤
I’m sharing 5 easy steps to organising a virtual event.
1. Decide what online platform you want to use.
There are so many options right now, and deciding which platform you want to use is down to personal preference, duration of your event and number of people you are inviting.
- Zoom – you can create a free account to invite up to 100 people for 40 minutes of hangout time or opt for a paid premium version to remove time limitations.
- Google Meet – currently offering free premium video meetings for up to 100 people until September 30, 2020.
- House Party – allows you to play games with up to 8 people.
- Facetime – this one is for Apple users, and allows up to 32 people on a video call.
- WhatsApp – lets you make group video calls with up to 8 people at once.
There are so many other options – you get to choose what works for you. 🙂
2. Design and send out your invite.
If you’re hosting your event virtually, it only makes sense to send electronic invites #savethetrees. I designed mine using Canva; however, you can create using your app of choice.
3. Get creative with a theme.
Who says you can only have fun party themes at face-to-face events? You can ask your guests to dress up and pick a colour theme, ask people to bring their own glass of wine or soft drinks. Decide if you want an informal event or if you want a bit more control. My virtual games night was sports-themed (because competitive spirit) – whatever you do, make it fun! You want this to be memorable for everyone.
4. Send out reminders.
Just like you would for a face-to-face event, send out final reminders and get people to RSVP. Remember to keep numbers manageable, or within the parameters of the video conferencing platform that you are using.
5. Just have fun.
Don’t sweat the small stuff (I’m the queen of stressing on the little things), and be a good host. If you have people in the group that don’t know each other, try using ice breakers to make your group interact. This will make people comfortable. Remember, you’re trying to create fun memories for everyone. I even had a short interlude and asked my friends to sing me the happy birthday song. 😀
I know things may seem scary right now as there is a lot of uncertainty in the world, but regardless of social distancing rules, we should still take time to celebrate the little things.
I hope these tips help you get through this quarantine, and hopefully, we’ll all come out of this with a newfound appreciation of our loved ones.
Have you hosted a virtual event recently? Please share some fun memories in the comments. ❤
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