Bringing the (Virtual) Holiday Party to Your Employees
As the reality—and necessity—of socially-distanced celebrations settled in last Fall, we were contacted to create a virtual holiday party that needed to take place in less than three weeks. The challenge was not only creating a fun and engaging event in a serious time crunch but to do so across four different time zones. Read on to learn how we created an engaging event for staff located in London, Manila, Lisbon, and all corners of the United States.
Deliver Delight!
Let’s start with what we could not do. While a virtual happy hour would have been a great addition to this client’s event; unfortunately, it was too late to ship any cocktail kits. The logistics of shipping pre-party packages—even within a single city—are challenging, but organizing across multiple time zones (sourcing contents for the packages, confirming attendee addresses, and delivery schedules) would have required a bit more lead time than what we had available. (Our solution: Instead of a package, the client opted to provide every employee with a credit to use toward food and drink for the holiday party.)
If you’re looking for more information on how you can overcome these challenges and successfully deliver pre-event items to remote attendees, click here. PRO TIP: It is never too soon to start the planning process.
Got Talent?
While we have a long list of engaging talent for virtual events, as the creative juices continued to flow, the idea of organizing an in-house talent show felt like the perfect addition to the program. With a team full of hidden talents, what better way to feel connected than with a pre-recorded video of their very own performers. Of course, that content would be needed ASAP. We coordinated with the client to quickly get the word out for submissions from their employees. The KE team provided instructions (like video format to submit) along with a deadline for submissions; allowing just enough time for our video partner to work her magic and create one beautiful, applause-worthy segment. With less than a week to submit, the client received an inbox full of submissions. Not bad for short notice and the employees really had fun with it! The submission from the Philippines’ office was a delightful mashup video of employees singing “Happy Birthday” in their office throughout the year while the Denver office shared a pre-pandemic video of karaoke night. There were also comedy acts, a cat talker, rollerskate skiing in a backyard, cooking videos, and a very relatable working alone video; even the CEO got in on the action with a very amusing weightlifting video. Sometimes your best resources are right under your nose!
Our video partner, K’Dee Miller of Patina Productions, took all of the submitted footage, did a bit of cleanup, then strung the videos together with intro titles for each act. She also added a few vintage video clips of Buster Keaton pratfalls, dancing flapper girls from the roaring 20s, and a little music to tie into the Gatsby-style theme of the party; additional sounds, like canned applause and cheering crowds, gave the whole segment a sense of energy and momentum.
The client loved the video, and after a welcome from the CEO, the event kicked off with the talent show. We were able to incorporate a polling function within the event interface that allowed attendees to vote for the most talented. This clever idea turned into a great way to engage the audience and kick off the event with something truly fun and original.
Align Your Event Experience With Your Company Ethos
You may be asking yourself, “how could they possibly follow that?” The answer: with a “choose your own adventure” format which we’ve found works incredibly well no matter the audience. For this event, attendees had the option to participate in either a game of “Among Us” (an online multiplayer social deduction game) or be entertained by a magician. The party was wrapped up with a raffle and a live send-off by company executives. While employees from the London office had the option to move to offline activities, attendees from the U.S. office kept the party going through our custom event website, launching afterparty events on their own.
Overall, this event was a great success for the client. Employees had fun and created fond memories together; that elusive element that we’ve all been missing during the pandemic. When you can’t party together in a traditional way, it’s reassuring to know that you can still create an opportunity that is heartwarming and also serves as a reminder of just how fun and funny your company can be. The chat function of the event was full of praise for the executives, fellow employees, and even for the event company behind the scenes. Now that’s our kind of party!
Ready to Elevate Your Organization’s Next Virtual Event Experience?
Kennedy Events knows how to craft an on-brand event customized to your company culture and team. Schedule some time with us today and learn how our expertise in the virtual realm as well as with in-person and hybrid events can strengthen a shared, social experience even through a screen.
MARIANNE JACKSON
Marianne Jackson is a senior producer and the creative director at Kennedy Events. She specializes in making our client’s biggest design and decor dreams tangible while also ensuring that the event day menu is worthy of a Zagat mention. (Seriously, her taste and culinary connections are that good). Her fervor for adventure, cuisine, and aesthetics is visibly apparent in every event—whether in-person or virtual—she produces.
About Kennedy Events
Kennedy Events began with one goal in mind—to produce high-level corporate events with just as much strategy as style. Maggie founded the company in 2000, found her match in Paige, and in 2011 the two became official partners. Since then, these two resourceful and brilliant creatives have pooled their strengths to build one one of the most the most sought after corporate event companies in San Francisco, New York, and Los Angeles.
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