8 Ways to Prevent Boredom at Virtual Office Christmas Party

As COVID-19 continues to change just about everything, likely, this year’s Christmas parties will also be spent within the confines of homes as restaurants and bars continue to be closed, and remote working remains to be the norm. But that should not be a reason to stop companies from holding a spectacular, engaging and unforgettable virtual office Christmas party.

The past year has given rise to many creative corporate virtual events hosted on video conferencing platforms like Zoom. Most of these virtual party planners will tell you that the key to a successful virtual event is having the audience engaged and cheerful throughout.

However, doing so is not easy. Holding events virtually is territory is one not many have traversed, making it all the more challenging. Not everyone has the creative wherewithal to throw a fun virtual event, including an office Christmas party, especially if they have a business to run alongside. For this reason, they hire corporate events agencies to do the job for them.

But if you don’t have access to this convenience, we’ve got you covered. Here are the top tips to help you liven up your event and spread the seasonal cheer!

Tips to Create an Engaging Virtual Office Christmas Party

Virtual Secret Santa

The social distancing and lockdown should not stop you from having an office secret Santa. It is so much fun to do, and in the end, your employees will receive a present too. In this, everyone will anonymously gift the other person a present. Use a gift exchange generator to determine who gets who, and then have them order the presents online and directly mail it to the person they have to gift. During the party, each person can open their present on camera.

Exchange Gifts

Have what’s known as the virtual versions of “Yankee Swap” and “Swiping Secret Santa.” The host of the virtual office Christmas party will have an assortment of wrapped presents of equal value. They will then randomly pick a name from the list and open the present for them. The next person can then either ‘steal’ the previous present or choose a new one. After the party, the gifts can be mailed to everyone, or you can arrange for a ‘soft pick up’ for them.

Have Personalized Quizzes

Plan ahead and have one person put together interesting quizzes with inside office jokes, questions and riddles. This will definitely break the ice during your virtual office Christmas party and relieve boredom as everyone will be eager to answer. The person who gets the most answers correct can also win online shopping coupons. If you can’t make the quizzes yourself or don’t have anyone to do it for you, you can outsource it. Multiple professional quizmasters can make corporate quizzes for you.

Hire a Comedian, Musician or a Magician

The best way to entertain your employees and keep them engaged is through getting a comedian, magician or musician to perform a show at your virtual office Christmas party. Many of them are looking for bookings and willing to do online gigs for corporate virtual events. You can consider hiring a comedian who can curate jokes specifically for your workforce or a magician who will do onscreen tricks with your employees. A well-known musician or band can also come to the virtual party and perform a few songs live from their homes.

Play Some Games

Multiple platforms allow you to play multiplayer games during video conferences. This is an idea you can look into as it will be fun and engaging. Additionally, if the idea of video games does not appeal to you, you can instead host games like “Minute to Win It,” which is a series of challenges you need to complete in sixty seconds. These are fun, competitive and can be easily done at home.

Gingerbread House Competition

Spice up your virtual office Christmas party by hosting a gingerbread house building competition. Ask some of your employees to be on the judging panel, and the rest can compete. The judges can assign a score to each gingerbread house, and the one with the highest score wins. This is a fun and interactive activity because it will allow the employee’s family to also join in the fun and help them. It’s a wholesome and engaging activity that will definitely spread the much needed holiday joy.

Virtual Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are a fun and interactive way of spending time on a conference call. You can do this activity with all the employees to build their excitement and prevent any boredom. Here is a list of things you can include in the scavenger hunt:

• The most Christmas themed thing in your house
• An item you have owned for the longest time
• Favorite ugly Christmas themed sweater
• A Christmas
• Something that reminds you of the winters
• Your favorite gift of all time that you have ever received

Online Holiday Bingo

You can plan ahead and create a holiday-themed bingo for your employees. They will definitely enjoy this interactive and competitive game and feel the Christmas spirit. You can also arrange gifts in the end, so that whoever wins can get a prize, for example, an Amazon gift card. Some of the things you can include in the holiday bingo are:

• Has yet to finish Christmas shopping
• Loves holiday movies
• Snoops for presents
• Will celebrate more than one Christmas this year
• Is celebrating Christmas in a warm place

Last Few Words

This year, office Christmas parties will be slightly different, but that does not necessarily have to be bad. The best part about throwing a virtual office Christmas party is that you can be as creative and innovative as possible. If you do not feel those creative juices flowing, you can consider hiring a corporate events agency instead.

Author Bio

Sarah Hill is a content writer at Seven Events Ltd, leading conference oranisers in Birmingham offering virtual events, corporate event management and venue finding services. She started her career in the events industry almost a decade ago as time progressed she became an avid event blogger sharing her insight on corporate event planning.