Video conferences aren’t just for business meetings anymore. Over the past two years, we’ve connected over Zoom, Google Meet and other video conference tools for family get-togethers, company parties, happy hours with colleagues, and game nights with friends.

Like in-person parties, virtual events can end up anywhere on the enjoyability scale. To help you throw the most epic parties the internet has ever seen, we’ve gathered the tips below to create a virtual party toolkit!

Consider Your Virtual Party Budget

If you have a budget, here’s where to spend it.

Food

Grubhub, Seamless, Postmates, DoorDash,x and Uber Eats simplify feeding folks in different locations. Partiers can order meals and charge them to one account or pay for them with vouchers you supply.

Party Favors

Party favors delivered to attendees’ front doors will get the party ball rolling. If you’re distributing “It’s a Girl!” t-shirts for your bestie’s gender-reveal party, collect everyone’s size and place the order in advance. Google Forms is a free and easy way to solicit and tabulate responses.

Raffles & Prizes

Make it easy on yourself: Go for the gift cards. (You can’t lose with Amazon, Starbucks, or Target). Free stuff of our own choosing makes people happy.

Activities

To put the “epic” in your virtual party, put the bulk of your budget into your activity. Read on for specific activity recommendations.

The Right Activity Draws the Virtual Crowd

Your activity will make or break your event. No one wants to jump on Zoom just to talk anymore. Here are ideas to level up your virtual event.

Quick Online Games

Jackbox Games is cheap and has options aplenty. We especially like the LOL-inducing Tee K.O., a graphic T-shirt design competition. Order T-shirts with your favorite designs afterward!

For extra dazzle: Weve will orchestrate a virtual game show for you! Choose from 100 games, from Pictionary to Lip Sync-centric games, then relinquish hosting duties to their professionals.

Among Us is another free option to enjoy and is available on several platforms. Play with 4-15 players online or via local WiFi as you attempt to hold your spaceship together and survive, but be careful. One or more random players among the crew are Impostors bent on killing everyone!

In-Depth Collaborative Games

Plan a scavenger hunt or bring in a professional, like DFW Scavenger Hunt, which has a budget-friendly out-of-the-box hunt or will customize one especially for your event and crowd. 

Murder mysteries, like Murder Mystery Company’s, are crowd-pleasers that take more time and thought than boardgame-style options. Bonus: Participants can dress up in character, a sheer delight after two years of athleisurewear!

A Group Activity

A cookie-decorating or gingerbread-house competition is an excellent activity for the holidays. Either work over Zoom and chat or complete beforehand and judge the amazing or terrible results. Goldbelly offers an outstanding selection of cookies perfect for this activity. You can also gather for a workshop-style event, such as Rockoly’s virtual instruction on making sushi, dumplings, and more.

Invite a Guest Star

If you want to be a hero, tap Cameo for a surprise guest appearance by the birthday girl’s childhood celebrity crush. Harry Potter’s Tom Felton and Joey, Chris, and Lance of NSYNC could make a virtual party better than an in-person one where celebrity cameos are generally cost-prohibitive.

Boosting Attendance for Your Virtual Party

Make sure you:

1. Email invitations, perhaps via Paperless Post or Evite, as soon as possible. 
2. Include the link to your virtual party.
3. Include a start time and stop time. One professional event planner suggests a 30-minute maximum on virtual parties, but we think you can go an hour if you have a great activity.

If you’re concerned about important emails like party invitations getting lost in your inbox, SaneBox can help. SaneBox’s artificial intelligence separates emails from sources you prioritize from less-urgent messages that you can review anytime, from any email client or webmail interface.

Get Your Virtual Party Started!

Can you feel the epic-ness brewing? Rest up because your party will be a hit, and you’ll be asked to plan another.