6 fun virtual events ideas for events and team meetings
Learn fun virtual event ideas for events and team meetings, that can inspire attendees or bring your team together. We’ll show you how to host your virtual event with the best webinar software, InEvent.
Virtual event meaning
Virtual events are events that take place online. These types of gatherings allow attendees to participate from wherever they are – whether at home, at the office, or traveling abroad.
Since the start of the pandemic, virtual events have quickly become the norm in every professionals’ toolbox, with many businesses and organizations pivoting to the online world.
Significantly, the notion of virtual events has spread widely, taking different meanings to different people. It has been entangled with other concepts from the online world, such as live streaming and webinars.
However, there are some important distinctions to be made. While webinars tend to be a simple broadcast of a talk, or a presentation, hosted by an organization online, virtual events go beyond. When hosted in a dedicated event platform, a virtual event engages attendees meaningfully, encourages participation, and strengthens relationships with audiences as more than mere viewers.
Why host virtual events
Thanks to their inherent benefits, virtual events have become cherished among event organizers, differentiating them from traditional in-person events. Next, we outline some of the most common reasons professionals are opting for virtual events as a strategy of choice:
1. Data analytics
Virtual events offer a better ability to monitor attendees’ behavior and journey. Metrics cover elements such as interactions (messages in chat, number of questions, polls, clicks), engagement (average unique live views per session, viewing time per session, the total number of people online per minute throughout the event), networking (web of connections).
2. Profitability
Virtual events tend to be more profitable, as they have a lower cost per attendee. And, organizers can scale their events more efficiently, as traditional venue size restrictions do not apply.
3. Interactive experience
Virtual event platforms allow organizers to deliver a much more interactive and participatory experience, using features such as gamification, live chat, questions, and polls.
4. Global audience reach
Reach has been a unique benefit of virtual events, with most event organizers reporting higher attendance levels from their virtual gatherings than their previous in-person events. The increased reach has been driven by convenience, accessibility, and inclusivity.
5. Flexibility
Virtual events allow greater flexibility to both attendees and organizers. Indeed, event organizers can record content before the event day and offer the event session on-demand afterward. Attendees can thus consume content at their leisure and are less restricted by timezone or work schedules.
6. Customization
Virtual events hosted in customizable and white-label platforms enable organizers to personalize every aspect of the attendee’s journey and effectively bring a brand’s identity to life.
7. Sustainability
Without a doubt, virtual events have a much lower carbon footprint than their in-person counterparts, owing to a diminished need for resources, energy, and travel.
8. Lead generation
Virtual events have proven to be valuable for generating business leads. Attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors can seamlessly network, book business meetings, and form long-lasting connections.
Are you still uncertain about whether to host virtual, in-person, or hybrid events? Explore the pros and cons of each event format through a comprehensive visual infographic.
What are the types of virtual events?
Virtual Conference
Virtual conferences are a great way for attendees to connect with professionals in their field, learn, and keep on top of industry trends and best practices.
Usually, virtual conferences are spread across an entire day or several days and feature keynote sessions, breakouts, workshops, and entertainment options.
Virtual Product Launch
Product launches are hosted by businesses to showcase their latest innovations in front of prospective and existing customers. Some of the world’s most innovative companies have embraced virtual product launches, with Apple’s WWDC being the most prominent example.
Online Networking Event
Online networking events focus on connecting professionals working in the same industry or sharing interests, contrasting with more content-driven events. As a result, attendees can come across like-minded people and form valuable business relationships.
Online networking events may have matchmaking by interests, breakout rooms focusing on specific activities, and moderators introducing themes for discussion.
Virtual Career Fair
A career fair is an event in which employers and recruiters meet with job seekers. These gatherings usually connect graduates from educational institutions to organizations operating in their field. Career fairs typically center around meetings at the different booths set up by employers, where attendees can inquire about vacancies and explore career paths and opportunities.
By prioritizing a positive employee experience, career fairs can facilitate meaningful conversations, foster professional growth, and leave a lasting impression on attendees, ultimately enhancing their overall job search and career development.
Trade shows
Virtual trade shows are excellent events to showcase businesses across industries and connect product and service providers with potential buyers. Virtual trade shows often feature exhibitor booths, where attendees can quickly drop in and out according to their interests. Distinctively, virtual trade shows give businesses more insights into attendees’ interests and facilitate meetings and follow-ups after the event.
Virtual Meetings and Internal Events
Internal company meetings and events are events where staff get together and share ideas. These events can range from formal, quarterly updates to more entertainment-driven occasions that feature adventerous games such as resident evil games or activities designed just for fun! Try out virtual team events with Veertly (click here for German version).
The first few minutes of your event can be a bit bumpy as guests log on and wait to begin conversation. Kicking things off with an icebreaker can help to warm everyone up during the initial ten minutes. Whether that means proposing a question to the group or playing a short game, a structured five-minute activity can work wonders. You can also engage with your remote attendees with a curated Icebreaker Box that provides guests with some virtual event essentials including energizing snacks, a cocktail kit for team building, and icebreaker activity. To learn more, talk to the gift box experts at Caroo.
To learn more about event marketing, read our ultimate event marketing guide, including event marketing strategy, types of events, promotional tactics, and KPIs to measure success.
What are fun virtual event ideas?
Corporate events can be tricky. While the focus is usually placed on specific topics for discussion, most attendees remember the overall experience and not necessarily the educational content or learnings.
In that sense, hosting virtual events that feature entertainment and games is a great way to create fun virtual events, connect with attendees, and strengthen bonds between your team members.
Indeed, introducing games and activities can create fun virtual events, contribute to a friendly environment, and get attendees in a good mood. Conference booth games featuring fun trivia or competitions can ramp up the energy of a virtual audience.
They can boost excitement from the outset of the event. And, starting with non-work-related activities enables organizers to follow up with work matters with attendees more engaged and proactive.
Otherwise, they can re-engage and re-focus attendees in between sessions that may have lost interest or attention.
Alternatively, if you are putting together an internal meeting or team-building event, playing games together can be fun, energizing, and bond your team. Indeed, taking the time to do some team building through games can reignite that all-important team spirit.
In that light, we have compiled some of the best games and activities for fun virtual events and meetings. These can inspire attendees or bring your team together.
1. Fun quizzes and trivia
Setting up fun quizzes and trivia can brighten up the atmosphere of an event or team meeting. For instance, you could ask attendees about their favorite travel destination or their favorite tv series, all while ensuring they enjoy themselves and have a chance at getting the correct quiz answers.
Alternatively, you could set up a trivia with questions testing culture or general knowledge.
There is a range of apps that can help you with quizzes and trivia. Kahoot or Quiz Maker are excellent options as they are is user-friendly, interactive, and visually enticing.
Added to that, Kahoot is characterized by a fun gamification aspect. Players gain points with correct answers on the platform, and the winners are presented on a final podium.
Distinctively, you can use one of its ready-to-use trivia, which can prove helpful if you are not feeling inspired.
2. Scavenger hunt
A scavenger hunt is a game where you have a list of items to find or challenges to fulfill, often competing against other teams and constrained by a time limit.
It can be a great team-building activity and serve as a platform to get to know each other.
In a virtual format, you can set a list of challenges for people to do at home. For instance, you could ask participants to share a selfie with their favorite mug, resolve a riddle, or record themselves doing a TikTok dance. Then, you can assign points to each of the items according to their difficulty.
Consider using a dedicated virtual events platform integrating gamification. In a platform such as InEvent, you can add dynamic missions, and attendees can submit their tasks and follow a live ranking.
3. Virtual escape rooms
An escape room is an adventure game in which a team of players find themselves in a room and must discover hidden clues and solve puzzles to progress and “escape” the room.
Virtual escape rooms follow the same principles without a physical environment, and different teams must solve riddles and puzzles in a fixed amount of time. This shared experience can boost collaboration and team spirit.
The most popular virtual escape rooms include the Grimm Escape, Hogwarts Digital Escape Room, and Oscar´s Stolen Oscar.
4. Scattergories
Scattergories is a popular multiplayer game in which the players roll dice with letters and fill out a list of items starting with that letter within specific categories.
These categories can be anything, such as colors, actors, cities, movies, etc. Each original answer gets players one point, and the player with the most points at the end of an allotted time wins.
In the online version of scattergories, you can set up your game, choose the topic you’d like, and send a link to all the participants. Since it’s easy to play and attendees can relate, the game can get people involved and focused.
5. Virtual human bingo
In a human bingo, the organizer creates bingo cards listing curious facts about the participants. These can be personalized things such as “plays the piano” or “has lived in New Zealand.” Alternatively, these items can be more general, such as “likes to swim” or “can whistle.”
Then, the organizer shows the bingo sheets and gives attendees time to mingle and find people matching the cards. As customary, the game ends when someone yells bingo (having completed the sheet) or when the allotted time has finished.
This game is terrific entertainment and allows participants to get to know each other better. A great way to set it up online is using a virtual events platform enabling private 1:1 chats and video conferencing.
6. Virtual board and card games
Keeping in mind the number of attendees or team members involved, you could also consider the online versions of classical board and card games. For instance, games like checkers, crazy eights, and backgammon are available at http://playingcards.io/.
Other classic games that are suited for remote play include Pictionary, where you draw something and other players have to guess what it is, and Mafia (also called Werewolf) in which each player is secretly assigned a role within a team and has to eliminate suspects.
Fun virtual event examples
Virtual wine tasting experience
InEvent created a fun experience that brought the authentic tastes and aromas of Napa Valley to guests’ living rooms.
The event organizers shipped wines to guests’ doors, and attendees got to enjoy and learn about their favorite tastes from the safety and comfort of their homes.
Virtual city trip
The MICE guru hosted “The Digital Trip,” a virtual event where the organizer immersed attendees in a virtual trip exploring the city of Stavanger, Norway. The event featured walks around the city center, discovering the local restaurants, and meeting celebrity chefs.
Gamified event experience
InEvent, incetli, and engamio set up a gamified event experience called “Game On.” Over 400 registered participants from more than 20 countries learned how to plan and host interactive events using gamification
The event included games such as an interactive map, a jigsaw puzzle, word search, and a selfie contest alongside the educational sessions. Every attendee had a chance to participate in these games, and the participants with the highest score were awarded prizes.
Virtual Card and Board Games
Other virtual games to consider are spades and minesweeper. Minesweeper, a timeless puzzle classic, can be transformed into a fun team-building exercise. Imagine having your entire team collaborate to solve the grid, discussing strategy over each tile, and using collective wisdom to avoid the mines. The game’s inherent tension is enhanced when multiple minds work together, making every successful move a team victory and every detonation a reflection point.
Played in partnerships, Spades requires collaboration, strategy, and prediction, making it perfect for fostering communication and teamwork in a virtual setting. The multiplayer format allows teams to bond over friendly competition, merging fun with the fundamentals of partnership. To play Minesweeper, visit Play Minesweeper. For team-based Spades action,visit Spades.co
FAQs
How do you make a virtual event fun?
A themed event is a great way to make a virtual event fun. It can be anything from an 80s party, superheroes, and villains, or a sports night.
Another way to make a virtual event fun is by introducing games and entertainment, such as trivia, escape rooms, or stand-up comedy.
Besides, gamifying the experience is sure to increase attendee engagement. In gamified events, each participant gains points for their participation in different activities, which they can redeem for prizes at the end of the event.
Additionally, decorating the virtual event environment with funny memes, images, or gifs can make virtual events fun and get a laugh from the audience.
How do you create a virtual social event?
Start by asking your purpose: who will attend? What will be the central theme? What type of activities will be involved?
Then, a simple way to create a virtual social event is by using an event app or platform where you can hold video group calls. Distinctively, certain event apps offer a networking roulette, where attendees can meet in speed-dating style video calls.
How do you name your virtual event?
Naming your event is an essential step in establishing an event brand identity that attracts attendees. To come up with a name that grabs people’s attention, you can employ several strategies.
An event name should encapsulate what the event is about so that attendees understand what to expect only by hearing the word. For instance, “Event Marketing Unlocked” gives the reader an immediate sense of what the event will cover.
Then, an event name should be exciting and catchy so that people are more likely to sign up and remember the event in the long term. For example, the event name “Game On” sums up what the event is about (gamification) but is also appealing and easy to remember.
Moreover, the language or vocabulary in the event name should be tied to the industry in which it takes place and the audience it aims to captivate. For example, “The Hybrid Shake-Up” event name is directly linked to an event industry buzzword (hybrid events).
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[hubspot portal=”5958648″ id=”de0c0cbb-e144-4596-8bde-5ca391770991″ type=”form”]About the Author / Gabriel Marin
