Engaging Teams Through Virtual Events – It’s our Jam!
Engaging teams through virtual events. These days most of us have attended more Zoom calls than we might have thought possible and they’re all running together. We know what to expect and it isn’t exciting. Virtual events have become, at times, predictable. Don’t be ordinary. Be original!
When you are planning your next virtual meeting or event, add something special to it, just like the sprinkles on the top of your donut or the jelly in the center. What is that key element or crucial layer that will raise the bar and ensure that attendees will remember the experience long after the event has concluded?
Here are 10 of our favorite “Sprinkles on Top” ideas for your next virtual event!
1. Ice Breaking Activities
When planning a live event, we always think of ice breaking activities for our cocktail parties and receptions and the same applies for virtual events. Why not split the group up into smaller breakout rooms for ice breaking conversations?
2. Virtual Scavenger Hunt
There are many variations of virtual scavenger hunts right now, so make sure that it fits your audience. It’s a good starting activity because it increases engagement and excitement that will help carry the energy throughout the event.
3. Virtual Karaoke Party
This is probably hard to believe, but virtual karaoke is becoming the number one all time favorite virtual event. It does require a bit more technical preparation but the outcome is well worth it.
4. Virtual Trivia Game
Another great option for your next virtual event is a trivia game. There are multiple online programs available with standard trivia questions and some that you can completely customize. Everyone can play this game and you can work as individuals or in teams. It’s best if you divide participants into teams ahead of time so they know who they’ll be playing with, as well as against. Trivia works best with a host managing the game and keeping score.
5. Virtual Murder Mystery
The classic murder mystery dinner party is the perfect choice for those people who are “arm chair” detectives. This activity is not only fun, but it forces players to work together, so it can be ideal for team building.
6. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who hasn’t watched the game show Who Wants to Be A Millionaire? In this virtual spoof, participants (divided into teams) have to openly debate over the answers to trivia questions as they climb the ladder towards $1,000,000.00. Their answer can only be final when they have (almost) total consensus.
7. Virtual Bingo
Virtual Bingo is a great team building activity for virtual events. And the best part is that most people already know how to play bingo, so there is no learning curve. And it can be customized!
8. Virtual Painting Party
Everyone loves to get their hands in paint and these virtual painting events are perfect for the creative types! Each member of the team will be shipped a canvas, easel, paint, palette and brushes. The event is hosted by an artist who will guide the group through a complete painting.
9. Never Ending Story
Never Ending Story is both one of the best movies ever produced, and a fun activity you can do with virtual teams. What you will need is a shared platform like Google docs or Google Meet and some aspiring writers! Decide on a rough storyline with a main character and randomly assign each participant a number. The participants write their page by only reading the last line of the page written before them.
10. The Art of Coordination
This virtual team activity is perfect for those people who love recording videos, only this challenge is that all members of the team need to record a seamless video by working together. The end goal for the video is to make the actions in the video as smooth as possible.
Conclusion
The resilience of the human spirit is remarkable and this has been proven through the quick adaptation we all have had to make to both participating in and hosting virtual events for our teams. Together we are living the same shared experience and it’s gone on longer than we have all expected. But there are countless silver linings that have come out of our situation.
Families, coworkers and friends have strengthened their bond by spending more time connecting on Facetime, Skype or Zoom calls. This has gone beyond the lunchroom and allowed work colleagues to meet members of their team from all over the globe for the first time. Realizing common interests and shared experiences strengthens the employee network and creates lasting relationships. We are all celebrating the small but sweet victories as we manoeuvre through these uncertain times.
Remember, you are not alone. That’s why we wrote this book! As Event Professionals, we are focused on connecting people through shared experiences and we’re here to help you navigate through this “new normal”. Whether you just need someone to consult and guide you from point A to B or, or if you need someone to take the ball and run with it, we would love to help you craft your next virtual experience. We have the skills, knowledge and passion to help make your next event successful. Engaging teams through virtual events is easy and we can help. You bring the coffee, we’ll bring the donuts…virtually!
You might also enjoy reading the following blogs:
