The COVID-19 pandemic has changed workplaces dramatically in 2020. Nowadays, a growing number of companies and businesses have embraced remote work. A good portion of the workforce is currently working on either a remote or hybrid setup. Whether your company is operating fully remotely or with a hybrid setup, you might have to hold certain company events virtually. Planning an online work event can be a lot different than organizing one that’s held in-person. But, the general idea is to take note of what your employees would want.
This article is a quick guide to planning a fun and engaging virtual work event.
Why Should You Host a Virtual Event
In full remote work setups, it can be hard for colleagues and coworkers to socialize and get to know each other. Humans are social beings and having a few opportunities to bond is important to build better work relationships. Some people who work remotely feel detached from their work and they also feel lonely. These feelings of loneliness can have a significant negative impact on your employee’s mental health.
Virtual company events can serve as a time for coworkers to interact outside of work-related matters. By planning a good online company event, you can help your employees feel engaged and appreciated.
Decide on the Important Details of Your Online Event
Before you get started, the first step to planning any event is to decide on a few key details like the event’s goals, budget, and type of virtual event. You may opt for a hybrid event, where people can choose to show up in person or join the event virtually.
Once you’ve figured out the details, you can proceed to coming up with the event flow or plan.
How to Plan a Fantastic Virtual Company Event
Just like an in-person event, there are countless ways to hold a virtual event. The key, though, is to be prepared, know your audience, and keep it simple when possible. First, make sure you have all of the technology you need in place. If you want slides, music, videos, or anything else technical, talk with your IT team to make sure you can do what you are planning. You may want to consider recording some videos ahead of time instead of doing everything live. Here are several tips for your virtual event.
- Inform the participants of the event at least a week ahead. Set up a registration form for your attendees to input their information into. With the help of any online registration tool, you can better gauge the interest of your employees.
- Be sure to practice. Go through the exact order of events so that you know how to transition from one item to the next.
- You can still pass out awards and trophies. Awards can be shipped to honorees and can be shown during the virtual program. The award winners and others taking part in the event will want to see the trophies and plaques. If you’re looking for unique recognition award ideas, this guide has a list of several personalized awards you can use for your upcoming virtual event.
- Keep the remarks short. This is key for most events, but it is especially true for virtual events. Most virtual remarks should be shorter than in-person remarks simply because it is more difficult to keep your audience’s attention. You can still present a dynamic and meaningful speech, just be aware of the time and try to keep it short.
- Try to incorporate team building activities into the event. Aside from the usual teamwork based games, you can also order activity boxes that attendees will receive before the event proper. Some ideas for interesting activity kits include drink making, art kits, and even baking supplies. If activity boxes are out of the budget, you can also go for fun, online games that everyone can participate in. By adding an interactive element in your event, you make the experience much more memorable and exciting.
- Collect feedback from your attendees. Event feedback is crucial, especially for online events where you can’t really observe the body language of the participants. Feedback can help you improve any future events and decide which direction you should go next time.
Whether they are in-person or online, it is an important time to celebrate accomplishments. Life has been challenging, and it is a wonderful time to remind your employees, colleagues, and partners how much they are appreciated. Well-planned virtual events provide an easy and accessible way for coworkers and colleagues to stay connected.
