Lets not pretend here – virtual parties are always going to be, in many ways, the slightly poorer cousin of our long forgotten friend – the actual party. However, they do offer things that traditional parties cannot, and by playing to these strengths we can make them memorable and brilliant events!
1. Entertainment
Nobody really knew pre 2020 that we would need entertainment via video conference call and we have quickly discovered which art forms lend themselves to this medium, and which ones not so much. Luckily for us, using a virtual magician for your event has proven to be fantastically suited to virtual events and Neb has successfully performed at hundreds of events over the last year. Magic is incredibly engaging and gets everyone involved, and also appeals to all ages. One of the strengths of using a Magician for a zoom meeting is that close up magic, usually only able to be viewed by small groups at a time can now be enjoyed by hundreds of people at once, all with a front row seat!
2. Give out Awards
Best Zoom background, strongest Wifi, cutest pet, most likely to become a serial killer – any silly award that you can think of can make for a fun bit of business to get some laughs during a zoom call! This is a great opportunity for everyone to make fun of themselves and each other in a good spirited way, and build some good feeling for the rest of the meeting. If you want to go all out and you can have a list of nominees for each award.
3. Drinking Games
Drink a pint of Vodka every time someone says “You’re on mute”. Guaranteed fun. Ok don’t do that, but the best part about drinking games on zoom, is when you are so drink you can no longer walk, you are already home.
4. Break the party up into sections
Like chapters of a book, it can help engagement by having clearly defined segments of the event, giving each part a different colour or feel, and helping to avoid zoom fatigue. This way if someone isn’t particularly interested in what’s going on, they know that something different will be introduced soon. Send out a programme of events in advance so they can review the agenda ahead and get an idea of the structure of the evening. Attention management is very important, check out how I adapted my magic for the internet here.
5. Let your guests make the decisions
We are living our lives on zoom at the moment. Let your attendees dictate the content and pace of the event so that it can best suit their mood. Listen to your audience. Use the chat function for people to vote on from a list of activities or entertainment. You can even send out a survey prior to the event to discover what people are in the mood for. Probably best not to organise ANOTHER zoom quiz.
6. Use Breakout Rooms
Large numbers mean that each person has less air time to talk and share. By sending them off into smaller groups they get to contribute more and can also creates a strong team vibe. This is ideal for creative team building games or workshops. Breaking things up like this creates a scene change which makes everything more refreshing when they return. It also gives everyone a chance to contribute more and feel heard. Each room can have a different purpose or theme, or you could also have a different entertainer or activity in each room and rotate groups between breakout rooms.
7. Use Props
If you have the time, and the budget, sending packages to everyone before the event can create a more visceral and engaging experience, plus creates more opportunities for excitement, dramatic tension and laughs. Awards trophies, food, alcohol, costumes, or props that figure into the magic show if you are having one. It can be exciting for people to have a mystery box to open during the call and you can really show your appreciation for them by including expensive gifts of food and drink, or expensive items if your company has had a particularly good year!
8. Give them something to look forward to
If your event involves an agenda of slightly more work based content that needs to be addressed over the course of the meeting, keep everyone engaged by announcing something incredibly fun (like a magician) at the end. Reward their attention with something they are excited to see or do and imbue the meeting with a charged atmosphere throughout! Here are some reasons why a Zoom Magician is a great idea.
9. Show and Tell
Hold a most embarrassing photo competition, where people can vote on submissions. A Storytelling competition to find the best anecdote. Give people a chance to create their own content and turn the camera on themselves!
Read more about why I do Magic here!
