Here is our list of the best virtual corporate events.
Virtual corporate events are team gatherings that happen online using video platforms like Microsoft Teams, Webex, and Zoom. Examples include virtual wine tasting, online murder mysteries, and virtual dance parties. The purpose of virtual corporate activities is to build connections, improve team morale, and promote interaction among remote workers. These activities can be free or paid, and some include a virtual host to lead the event.
These events are the online version of corporate events and similar to virtual offsites, online team building activities, and online social events.
This list includes:
- team building virtual corporate events
- creative virtual corporate event ideas
- corporate virtual holiday event ideas
- virtual corporate event games
Let’s get to it!
List of virtual corporate event ideas
From virtual trivia to online karaoke, here are some exciting virtual corporate event ideas for virtual gatherings.
1. Just a Darn Fun Event
As the name promises, Just a Darn Fun Event is a way to bring joy and entertainment to remote teams. In this one-hour event, a host leads teams through rounds of rapid-fire icebreaker games like Never Have I Ever and Bingo. This online event is ideal for groups who want to have a good time and struggle to choose between activities. This event is a perfect change of pace to the weekly work routine and a way to bring laughter and cheer to virtual workplaces.
Learn more about Just a Darn Fun Event.
2. Online Office Games
Online Office Games is a fully hosted Zoom Office Olympics. In this 90-minute event, teams face off in mini-games like lightning scavenger hunts and Can You Hear Me Now? This online get-together works brilliantly for boosting performance, morale, and team spirit. The games foster collaboration while bringing out friendly rivalry. This high-energy online corporate event idea will revitalize remote workers and improve virtual communication skills. Plus, the event is customizable to fit special occasions.
Learn more about Online Office Games.
3. Virtual Trivia
Trivia games will test your team’s knowledge of weird and unexpected facts. Trivia is available on various topics, from sports to pop culture. Participants can play individually, or if you have a large group for your event, then you can separate players into teams. In addition, you can find free trivia games to conduct on your own, use a smartphone app, or sign up for paid online trivia hosted by an emcee.
Check out this list of virtual trivia night ideas.
4. Online Wine Tasting
With an online wine tasting, your team will be in for a lovely time trying out new vintages and varietals. Wineries and sommeliers are available to guide your crew as they sample delicious wines. Sampling kits can be shipped directly to participants by the tasting company. If local vineyards in your area offer virtual wine events, you can show your support by booking a tasting.
Check out this list of online wine tastings to get started.
5. Internet Karaoke
Coordinated online activities like internet karaoke make fun corporate virtual holiday event ideas that are simple to coordinate. Attendees take turns belting out songs from a preselected list with backing music provided online. In addition, some websites make music and lyric screens available through screen sharing in your virtual meeting space. You can also find paid services for your virtual karaoke, including emcees or DJs to host the fun.
Check out virtual karaoke options on Karafun.
6. Virtual Cooking Classes
In addition to being fun online corporate events, virtual cooking classes provide helpful information to the aspiring chefs on your team. Teams can choose from a list of international cultures and local cuisines menus. Each cooking class includes a gourmet chef who prepares dishes and answers questions as participants work in their respective kitchens. After their lesson, participants will have a delicious meal to enjoy.
Here is a list of virtual cooking classes.
7. Online Paint and Sip Session
With paint and sip sessions, attendees receive a guided lesson in painting canvases while enjoying snacks and drinks. In paint and sip courses, artists explain techniques and guide participants as they work. Employees will have a new masterpiece to add to their home offices when the session ends.
You can choose from various online paint and sip sessions from Paint and Sip Live.
8. Espionage!
Espionage! is a game that encourages cleverness. In this 90-minute virtual corporate event, teammates assume the roles of spies and double agents. Players must find spy gadgets, defuse bombs, crack codes, and piece together puzzles to beat the clock and save the world. Players must stay alert for moles trying to sabotage the mission along the way. This event is a great way for workers to build skills like people-reading, multi-tasking, communication, and keeping calm under pressure while also building trust with coworkers.
Learn more about Espionage!
9. Online Party Game Night
You can organize an online party game night to help remote teams break the ice and get comfortable around each other. Sites specializing in party games provide collections of fun virtual corporate event games to include in your event. There are digital versions of board game favorites, interactive games that get the whole team talking, and exciting video-based games that let players respond using their smartphones. Some sites feature a host, while others allow independent play.
For example, Jackbox Games offers a wide range of lively options to include in your virtual corporate event, and here are more virtual party games.
10. Virtual Dance Party
You can create a virtual dance party that gets your teammates out of their seats and on their feet!
Here is a simple way to throw a virtual dance party:
- Create a list of dances from various eras, such as the Twist, the Funky Chicken, and the Floss.
- Choose a playlist of songs to use. It is not necessary to coordinate the songs to the dances on your list.
- Select a dance at random, start the music, and challenge participants to give it their best go.
Even if your team is unfamiliar with some of the dances, they will be able to learn by watching others. Making up unique versions is allowed and encouraged!
11. Photo Show and Tell
Photo Show and Tell is a virtual event activity where players learn about the outside interests of their fellow workers. Participants prepare by snapping photos of five significant objects. The items participants choose can be books, collectibles, items the team member has created, and even family members. Then, each participant takes a turn displaying their photos onscreen and explaining the significance of each image. As a result, team members will get a personalized tour of their coworkers’ lives beyond their usual work-based interactions.
12. Virtual Yoga Class
A session of virtual yoga gives teams a chance to relax and rejuvenate. Traditional yoga is an option, and chair yoga is also a possibility. These sessions consist of simple yoga poses performed in a sitting position. Yoga sessions allow participants to slow down and become mindful of the tension in their bodies as they work to release it gently. No special equipment is required, and participants of all skill levels can perform the poses at their own pace and skill level.
Here is a guide to team yoga and a list of online fitness providers.
13. Virtual Mixology Course
Virtual mixology courses can turn your virtual corporate event into an online cocktail party. In these events, participants learn to create fun mixed drinks with help from a professional mixologist or bartender. Each mixology course features classic cocktails and imaginative themed beverages tailored for corporate virtual holiday event ideas. With a few tasty snacks added, mixology classes become full-blown mixers that let remote associates mingle in a relaxed setting.
Check out this list of virtual mixology classes.
14. Virtual City Tour
Virtual city tours will teach attendees fascinating information about coworkers’ home cities. This easy geography game can give everyone insight into what each player considers notable features of their hometowns. Each team member gathers a few interesting facts about where they live. Whatever interesting tidbits they choose, participants will display their pride for their town and what they consider its most significant features.
Here are some facts for participants to gather about their cities for the tour:
- Total population
- Chief industry
- Main export
- Famous landmarks
- Well-known structures
- Infamous residents
- Notorious happenings
- Proud moments in history
- Celebrity citizens
- Historic events
You can choose other city facts that seem like must-know tidbits.
Here are more virtual tours for teams and Airbnb online experiences.
15. Virtual Stand-Up Comedy
You can get your team laughing with a virtual stand-up comedy session featuring professional comedians. In these shows, comedians perform live stand-up comedy online in segments tailored to a workplace audience. These performers present clean humor in 45-minute shows that will entertain your group. The best feature is that all team members have a front-row seat!
Here are options for virtual stand-up comedy performances.
16. Remote Picnic
In a remote picnic, each team member creates their ideal picnic spread for one. During the virtual corporate event, attendees enjoy their lunches while describing the special aspects of the foods they select. Finally, participants can play a round of the memory game A is For… to round out the activity.
Here is how to play:
- Player one chooses a picnic food that begins with the letter A, such as: “A is for apples.”
- Player two adds to the list with the letter B: “B is for bratwurst.”
- Players go round-robin repeating the list of foods while adding the next letter and food in the sequence
The game continues until a player is unable to recite the entire list.
17. Ultimate Game Show
Ultimate Game Show is an ideal event for high-performing and highly competitive teams. This 90-minute hosted competition draws on classic gameshow nostalgia to create an engaging showdown. A host leads teams through games like Office Feud and The Match Game to determine which remote team members are the most quick-witted.
Learn more about Ultimate Game Show, and check out more virtual gameshow ideas.
18. Meet Your Neighbor
Meet Your Neighbor is an icebreaker activity that introduces participants to one another in a new way. This game is a great choice for virtual corporate events where team members are still becoming familiar with each other.
Here is how the activity works:
- Before the event, the host randomly chooses teams featuring two participants.
- The teams arrange a short session before the event to meet, either in a breakout room on the meeting site or in a private session.
- One participant interviews the other, asking fun, informative questions to create a personal profile. Once finished, participants switch roles.
- After everyone has been interviewed, participants return to the main meeting site and present their teammate’s profile to the other participants.
Meet Your Neighbor works well for associates who might have difficulty speaking about themselves in a meeting forum. It also allows participants to learn about their coworkers in an informal setting.
19. Virtual Escape Rooms
Virtual escape rooms are corporate event activities that bring the excitement of escape rooms into an online environment. Participants collaborate on puzzles, riddles, and challenges necessary to escape confinement before the timer runs out. There are many crowd-pleasing themes, including ancient Egypt, Harry Potter, Minecraft, and murder mysteries. Escape rooms are ideal activities for inspiring collaboration and divergent thinking among your team.
You can learn more by checking out this list of virtual escape rooms.
20. Guided Meditation
By practicing guided meditation during virtual corporate events, participants can achieve clarity, relaxation, and a sense of calm. Meditation activities can be conducted by a meditation guide or a host with basic knowledge of meditation and relaxation methods.
Here are instructions for a simple guided meditation to try for your virtual event:
- Close your eyes gently.
- Breathe in through your nose, filling your belly.
- Breathe out softly through your mouth as if blowing out a candle.
- Listen to your breath, focusing on the length of each inhale and exhale.
- Let your thoughts pass as you breathe without letting them become distracting.
- Visualize a warm, white light glowing at the top of your head. As you breathe, imagine this light traveling slowly down your body until it reaches your toes.
Meditation sessions can last as long as twenty minutes or as little as five minutes. However, no matter how long the session lasts, participants will emerge relaxed and refreshed.
Here are other guided meditations you can try.
21. Presentation Party
Since your associates are experts on topics they love, participants can share their special knowledge by creating presentations. Presenters can choose any topic, from hobbies and interests, work subjects, special abilities, or an interesting family history. Participants can create a PowerPoint slide show, a multimedia event with music and video, or present a collection of items representing their interests. To keep the event within your time limits, you can remind participants to keep their presentations around five minutes long.
22. Chocolate Tastings
You can turn a virtual corporate event into a gourmet get-together with delicious activities like chocolate tastings. Chocolate can be as complex as wine, with each recipe containing its combination of fragrance, flavor, and feel. From familiar bars to elegant truffles, some tastings allow participants can sample confections while learning about tasting and texture notes. An expert chocolatier leads each event with inside knowledge about the finer points of chocolate.
Check out this list of virtual chocolate tastings.
23. Online Art Classes
Online art classes allow employees to be creative and hands-on. These events are great for highlighting the team members with impressive art skills and developing the abilities of less-artistically-inclined team members. You can choose a project to make together, then send participants shopping lists full of supplies or kits with materials. At the end of this event, attendees have a keepsake.
Pro tip: For an extra-cool event idea, invite a graphic designer to guide employees in creating Zoom backgrounds they can use for team meetings.
Check out this list of online group art classes.
24. Virtual Holiday Parties
Virtual holiday parties are one of the most common virtual corporate events. These online parties give corporate team members the chance to get together to celebrate the winter holidays and the past year’s hard work and successes. Popular activities include playing trivia, drinking cocktails, listening to carols, and displaying festive virtual backgrounds. In addition, many teams coordinate virtual gift swaps. It is best practice for employers to cover the cost of meals and drinks for the event and send a gift to employees.
Here are more virtual party ideas and a guide to virtual secret Santa exchanges.
25. Online Movie Nights
Online movie nights are one of the most low-key and inexpensive virtual corporate event ideas. You only need a streaming service subscription and virtual conference software to host these evenings. Apps like Teleparty can help sync video. However, you can also simply screen share while playing the chosen film. Once you pick a flick, create a virtual meeting link and send invitations to guests. Then, gather to enjoy the movie together. To make the event more interactive, pause the film for games like trivia or charades or take snack breaks, and encourage attendees to type in the chat. For a more high-brow evening, you can watch an intellectual film or documentary and discuss the work afterward. Finally, for a focus on team bonding, then pick a comfort movie.
Pro tip: Provide a stipend for snacks and drinks, or send attendees boxes of movie snacks like popcorn and candy!
Here is a list of team building movies.
26. Virtual Lunch and Learns
Lunch and learns are popular professional development events in the corporate world. These lectures teach employees about professional or general topics over lunch break. In addition, you can take the learning online and host a webinar with an expert. Be sure to leave time for Q&A, and consider giving attendees a stipend to purchase a snack to enjoy during the talk.
Check out this guide to virtual lunch and learns.
27. Remote Take Your Dog to Work Day
Pets are one of the best parts of virtual work. Work-from-home employees get to hang out with their pooches or cats all day, and virtual coworkers get to see these furry friends make occasional cameos in Zoom meetings. You can throw a proper pet-themed online outing by holding a remote Take Your Dog to Work Day event. Simply schedule a call where team members bring their canine friends. As a special touch, send goodie boxes of bones and toys to your dog-owning employees. You can feature different types of pets like cats or reptiles, or you can do a more general “take your furry friend to work day.”
Learn more about Remote Take Your Dog to Work Day.
28. Virtual Birthday Parties
Virtual birthday parties honor employees’ special days and give cause to celebrate throughout the year. During these online events, teammates can eat cake or lunch together, sing to the birthday person, play remote games, and display festive virtual backgrounds.
Check out more virtual birthday party ideas.
29. Online Retirement Parties
Online retirement parties send team members out of the working world on a high note. These occasions allow remote employees to say goodbye to a team member, honor their achievements, and thank them for their hard work. In addition, partygoers can prepare slideshow or video tributes to the retiree, play games like trivia and Bingo, send gifts, and reminisce about memories.
Read this guide to online retirement parties.
30. Remote Work Anniversaries
Remote work anniversaries pay tribute to employee loyalty. To host these parties, invite the team to a Zoom meeting. Then, give shout-outs to the honored guests with a presentation of their achievements. You can have the team create a tribute like an e-card or video, play games, and enjoy a snack together. It is also nice to send a physical gift or an e-gift card to the celebrating employee.
If you do not want to host individual work anniversary parties, then you can hold parties for different “orientation classes” of employees, for example, 1 year, 5 year, 10 year, and 15+ year clubs.
Here are more remote work anniversary ideas.
31. Zoom Campfires
Zoom campfires capture the camaraderie of campouts without the worries over bad weather or bears. For these events, meet up on Zoom with teammates to snack on s’mores, tell ghost stories, sing songs, do scavenger hunts, and bond over a video bonfire.
Learn more about Zoom campfires.
32. Online Open Houses
Online open houses give outsiders a glimpse into company operations and culture. During these online events, company leadership and team members can hang out on Zoom to greet guests and answer questions from prospective clients, candidates, and curious folks. Organizers can prepare a presentation that shows off highlights of the company and gives a glimpse of upcoming updates. These events can be a way for folks to get to know the faces behind an organization.
33. Virtual Retreats
Virtual retreats allow corporate employees to break away from the standard work routine. Even though online retreats typically do not involve a change of scenery, these breaks from the typical schedule can give employees a break and new perspectives. Over a day or two, employees can attend a series of online events that build relationships and encourage professional development. Examples include webinars, group brainstorming sessions, Zoom breakout sessions, and scavenger hunts.
Here are more virtual retreat best practices.
Conclusion
Creative virtual corporate event ideas can take the form of games, activities, or challenges that help remote teams stay engaged. Whether the event is a tasting to learn about wine or chocolate, a cooking lesson, or a rousing game of charades, the goal is to get participants interacting in a fun and casual way.
Next, check out online team social ideas and virtual team building activities.
Grace He