Planning your company’s holiday party? Go hybrid! With many workers remaining remote, it’s a great way to bring on the cheer for everyone. Check out our five fun (really!) ideas to combine a virtual event with an in-person bash that’ll make everyone jolly!
What is a Hybrid Event?
In a nutshell, a hybrid event integrates both in-person and virtual guests. For remote attendees, you don’t want them just passively watching a live stream. Instead, you want them to be able to participate in activities, and engage in the festivities! Therefore, a successful hybrid event will create an interactive experience for everyone, no matter where they are.
Don’t let the dual nature of a hybrid event make you more anxious than a last-minute shopper. With the right hybrid event platform (check ours out—it’s easy to use and packed with tools and integrates with live stream services), putting together a holly, jolly celebration is a snap.
Hybrid Holiday Event Planning Tips
- Come up with a theme that will create a cohesive experience for both virtual and physical guests. Then, ensure it extends to remote guests through food delivery, activities, and swag.
- Make sure the hybrid event platform where virtual guests attend looks and ‘feels” like the physical event. For instance, if in-person guests walk into a winter wonderland, your event page should reflect that same snowy vibe.
- Remember to budget for both in-person and virtual event elements! Therefore, consider everything from the venue for the live event to video cameras, a hybrid event platform, and virtual swag bags.
- Virtual attendees are not inclined to stay online for hours. So, schedule things so that they can participate but aren’t sitting with their device all night.
5 Festive Hybrid Holiday Party Themes
Cozy Winter Lodge
Dress code: Ugly holiday sweaters or après-ski clothes.
Food for everyone: Have a hot chocolate station in person and provide gourmet hot chocolate kits to those who are remote. Offer virtual guests gift cards so they can order their favorite cozy foods.
Activities for everyone: Ugliest sweater contest, trivia contest, and gingerbread cookie decorating (send premade cookies and decorations to those remote).
Entertainment: Carolers and karaoke—live-streamed, of course!
Holiday Luau
Dress code: Tropical! Hand out leis and send them to everyone remote.
Food for everyone: Fruit kabobs, macadamia nut cookies, and coconut macaroons are great in person and easy to send in a gourmet box. For remote guests, provide a gift card so that they can buy island-themed dinners like teriyaki salmon or poke bowls from local restaurants.
Activities for everyone: Hawaiian Pictionary – make a list of things from Hawaii and toss them all into a beach hat. Choose one for each Pictionary team (virtual vs. in-person to keep everyone interacting!). Aloha Bingo—Instead of numbers on the Bingo card, use things from the island like pineapples, starfish, volcanos, and sea turtles (be sure to provide cards via PDF or delivery to remote guests). Of course, the person to achieve bingo has to call out Aloha!
Entertainment: Traditional Hawaiian dancers and ukulele.
Merry Night at the Movies
Dress code: Ask guests to dress as their favorite movie character or as if they will be on the red carpet.
Food for everyone: Gourmet popcorn, fizzy beverages, deluxe candy. Offer remote guests gift cards so they can buy their favorite movie-night fare.
Activities for everyone: Organize a name-that-holiday-movie contest (complete with clips) and celebrity trivia. If guests dress as a character, have a best-dressed contest!
Entertainment: Celebrity impersonators or a comedian.
A Rock n Roll Holiday
Dress code: Rock star
Food for everyone: Anything that would be in the green room backstage—M&Ms, gourmet nuts, cut-out cookies in the shape of guitars. Think about giving everyone working remote a gift card to order sliders or pizza for dinner.
Activities for everyone: Name That Tune, rock and roll trivia
Entertainment: Live cover band that plays all the rock holiday music.
Back to the (Holiday) Future
Dress code: Totally ‘80s
Food for everyone: Neon cookies, Cool Ranch Doritos, Tab, Ritz crackers, and an assortment of cheese. Consider sending remote guests a food delivery gift card for favorite ‘80s foods like pizza or posh French food.
Activities: ‘80s holiday movie trivia, ‘80s Jeopardy, and a moonwalking contest.
Entertainment: A live (and live-streamed) magician, screenings of Christmas Vacation or Die Hard.
Hybrid Events are Here to Stay
Though the pandemic seems to be loosening its grip and in-person parties are possible, not everyone is going to feel comfortable just yet. Plus, many workers are still working in a non-office location that may not be nearby. Either way, one thing is sure—COVID-19 changed the work landscape for good, and not everyone will return to the office. Hosting hybrid events is inclusive for everyone!
Ready to get started planning your hybrid holiday party? Learn more about our hybrid event platform by clicking the button below.
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