Ring In The Cheer With A Truly Special Virtual Holiday Party

Make this year’s holiday party a smashing, hi-tech event that will “wow” everyone

We’re already in December and you haven’t organized your organization’s holiday party. Don’t panic. There’s still time to put on a great event.

Of course, it’s not always a welcomed task. While they can be a lot of fun, we all know that holiday parties can go awry, such as when people feel obligated to attend or a guest forgets they’re in a workplace setting.
 

It’s what led comedienne Phyllis Diller to quip: “What I don’t like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day.”

As an event planner, you want guests to be talking well into the New Year about your holiday party, but not as whispering gossip. You want them to remark on what a great experience it was. That’s why many companies are continuing a trend that started during the pandemic: hosting a virtual holiday party.

Fortunately, there are plenty of options. You just have to decide what will work best for your organization.

Why Go Virtual for the Holidays?

Your employees have enough interaction over Zoom in their workday, so why host a holiday party online? Actually, many workers appreciate it. A virtual gathering is convenient, can be fun, and doesn’t take a full day and night away from their personal life.

In today’s workforce, many teams are distributed, with some still working remotely or splitting time between home and the office. They’re used to being able to work from the comfort of their home offices, and so some might be reluctant to stay late at the office or dress up to attend an in-person holiday event.

You just have to decide what kind of virtual function you want to offer. Here are a few options:
● Secret Gift Giving. Each person is assigned a coworker for whom they purchase a gift that costs no more than $20. At the party, each person opens their gift and tries to guess who sent it.

● Gingerbread-House Making Class. We all love to eat gingerbread, but who knows how to make a gingerbread house from scratch? At these virtual parties, folks (who have been sent the ingredients ahead of time) come together to learn from a teacher the art of making a yummy gingerbread house.

● Charity Event. The holiday season is about giving as much as it is about receiving, and so many organizations work with a platform that specializes in corporate and employee giving. Employees find people who will match their donations. Then, at the virtual event, it’s announced how much the chosen charity received due to everyone’s generosity.

When You Really Want to ‘Wow’ Them

When it’s time to throw a holiday party, some companies want to do something extra special to show how much they appreciate their employees. A holiday wine experience is a modern way to celebrate colleagues. Here are some ways a virtual wine event is a great choice during the holiday season:
●    Your sales team met or beat their end-of-year sales goals. A private wine experience is a meaningful way to show gratitude for their hard work.
●    You cater to high-end clients, such as big investors or donors, and you want to make sure they know you appreciate them. Hosting a virtual event is convenient and cost-effective.
●   You’re struggling to maintain workforce levels, and so it’s important for your holiday party to stand out compared to what’s offered by other companies.

Planning this kind of holiday party takes some know-how, so you might want to consider partnering with a company that specializes in virtual wine tastings. It’s important to find a platform that can handle any size group and take care of all logistics. For example, guests will need to receive their wines before the events, and you’ll want to be paired with an experienced sommelier who leads the events.

What Is a Virtual Holiday Wine Experience Like?

Let’s look more closely at what’s involved with working with a wine experience partner. These events are divided into planning, the event itself, and follow-up giving.

Planning. Much of the behind-the-scenes planning is between you and the representative of your wine-experience partner. They’ll work with you to help you select the right kind of wine event for your guests. For example, would they prefer something that’s more educational about wines or to be more relaxed and social?

You’ll work with your rep to select a great sommelier to facilitate and the wines to be tasted. You might want to take into account religious affiliation, socioeconomic level, and knowledge about wines. What you’ll discover is that some wines say “holiday.” That could be sparkling rosé or a robust red like a petite Syrah.

Of course, no holiday party would be complete without some delicious savory food or dessert pairings. There are many options that perfectly complement the wines you’ll be tasting, whether that’s a small-dairy cheese or all-natural chocolates. Your vendor can work with you on those selections.

The Event. When folks come together for the party, they’ll meet their sommelier. An experienced somm not only educates everyone about the wines but helps keep the conversation flowing, and that includes topics other than wine. At successful wine events, guests feel comfortable sharing and even those who might be coworkers get to know each other better.

You’ll want to infuse a lot of holiday spirit into your gathering and your rep can give you ideas on how to do that. For example, in addition to being sent the wines, they can also receive a set of holiday tasting glasses. During the event, folks can talk about how their families celebrated the holidays when they were young. And, of course, each guest can choose a fun, holiday-themed background so the experience is full of lights and color.

Continued Giving. The good feelings shouldn’t stop when the party is over, and wine serves as the perfect follow-up gift to remind guests that they’re still appreciated well into the following year. Your vendor should have an infrastructure so that guests can easily request to be sent their favorite wine after the event.

A Memorable Experience

This holiday season, look into organizing a virtual wine experience for your holiday party. Your guests will experience an event to remember and feel valued as team members. With continued wine gift-giving, you can extend that feeling of appreciation throughout the following year in a personalized way. And remember that a wine experience doesn’t only have to happen during the holidays. It’s a great way for an organization to stay connected to investors, donors, and hard-working team members.

Author Bio

Danielle Diliberti is CEO of Sommsation, the leading wine experience platform that gives wine enthusiasts and novices access to top-tier wines, sommeliers, and wineries. Connect Danielle Diliberti