What are the Best Virtual Work Events that Office Managers have Hosted?
Every month, we talk to hundreds of office managers who are always tasked with “find us a fun virtual activity” and left to come up with a creative solution. This month, we asked hundreds of office managers what their best virtual activities have been. Compiled here, we’re sharing the best and most creative ideas with you! Now, you don’t have to rack your brain next time you get asked to find that next new exciting virtual event.
Trivia
Trivia is a crowd favorite. People love the competition and the ability to work together with other team members. Especially when hosted by an engaging person, the whole Zoom room comes to life with people laughing, virtual dance parties, and high competitive spirits. The best part about a well-designed trivia experience is that everyone can participate and contribute with his or her knowledge, and team members work together to collaborate. The partnership between players in working as teams to answer trivia can carry over to other parts of the work experience. Here at Bar None Games, we specialize in trivia designed for maximum fun and collaboration for teams. We have tips on how to host a trivia event DIY, or you can book a game with us!
Poker night
Poker is one of the best activities to play virtually. To set this up, we recommend you use an app, such as Pokerrrr 2, and then also pull up a video chat with your colleagues, whether over Zoom, Google Meet, or another provider. Do you have colleagues who have never played poker before? No worries! Have them watch a quick video, or spotlight another co-worker who already knows how to play by having them host a 10 minute Poker Masterclass. If you really want to up the competitive stakes, you can either have everyone buy into a pool, or have a prize for the person with the most chips at the end of the night.
Virtual 5k
We all need a good motivator to get up and move off of our couch! Host a virtual 5k by choosing a day for the event, using a program to track everyone’s progress and celebrating at the end of the day with a virtual party. As an added bonus, you can choose to track everyone’s progress on Charity Miles, which lets you track walks, runs and bike rides and earn money for your selected charity (10¢ per mile for bike rides and 25¢ per mile for walks and runs), all thanks to the corporate sponsors of Charity Miles. It’s been tough for all of us recently, and doing a good deed such as moving to raise money is the pick me up we all need!
Walk & talk
For a change of pace, assign “catch up buddies” and encourage your colleagues to take a fifteen minute break to go for a walk and call a colleague on the phone. With so many of our communications these days being done over email or chat, it’s nice to pick up the phone and call someone and chat about things that are not work related. We’ve had a lot of office managers tell us that their team loved doing this and they felt more connected with their co-workers after.
Masterclass taught by employees
Everyone has a hidden talent, some that co-workers might not even be aware of! Ask your employees what they are passionate about and what they would love to share with others. This can range anywhere from a presentation on life hacks to painting to cappuccino making. The options are endless and it allows employees to shine in a different light than they are typically used to.
Book club
With a lot more time being spent at home these days, many people have begun reading more than normal. Companies can sponsor a book club by giving a budget to employees to purchase the same book (either a hard copy or a digital version) each month to read together. You can rotate around individuals for who leads the book club discussion. I’ve been a part of many book clubs and always love having a group to discuss the book with afterwards. It allows opportunities to discuss topics that are not typically raised and lets you get to know your peers in new ways.
Wine and cheese night
There are so many fun ways to do a wine and cheese night! Whether by giving everyone Drizly credit to buy their own wine or sending a pre-packed box, adding some wine to the equation always makes for a good time. If wine isn’t your group’s thing, there are also a lot of other creative options available, such as a virtual tea flight or a virtual whiskey tasting. We’ve had many groups also pair a wine and cheese night (or a whiskey night, tea night, chocolate night… the options really are endless) with a virtual trivia night for the perfect time.
Looking for help in organizing the best live virtual event online?
It may seem like a lot of work to organize, and that’s where we come in. Here at Bar None Games, we pride ourselves on making logistics as easy for you as possible. Once you tell us you want to book a trivia night, we handle all of the rest and you can sleep easy. Let us know today if you want to book an event!
