{"id":115915,"date":"2020-12-02T15:42:32","date_gmt":"2020-12-02T20:42:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/?p=115915"},"modified":"2020-12-02T15:47:55","modified_gmt":"2020-12-02T20:47:55","slug":"hosting-a-virtual-party-event-during-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/news\/hosting-a-virtual-party-event-during-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Hosting a Virtual Party Event During COVID-19\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This is usually the season for parties, and with COVID-19 infections on the rise, more of us may be considering hosting virtual events.<\/p>\n<p>For advice on hosting a great \u2013 and we hope stress-free \u2013 online event, we turn to two faculty members from the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, Jeannie Hahm and Michelle Holm, who recommend:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Communicate details.<\/strong>\u00a0Your virtual event won\u2019t be like a giant in-person party or last year\u2019s face-to-face holiday meal. And that\u2019s OK. But be sure you set your guests\u2019 expectations. Tell them what will be happening at the event and provide suggestions for how they can best engage. You may have grown familiar with Zoom meetings, but some guests may not have much experience with virtual platforms. Include technology tips in your invitations\/party communication. Be sure everyone has a good WI-FI connection. Share suggestions about lighting, backgrounds and party etiquette. Suggest ways they can add to the fun \u2013 such as wearing a costume or using a funny screen name or background. Communicating frequently before your event also helps build excitement and also provides a way for guests to share ideas that can make your event even better.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Create fun, shareable activities.<\/strong>\u00a0Some virtual party hosts hire a DJ and have everyone dance to the same music online. Consider hosting a fun competition \u2013 if it\u2019s an adult party, have each guest make their most creative cocktail and then share the recipes. Or have everyone buy a gingerbread house kit and build the house at the party. Have a cookie baking\/decorating contest with prizes for the winners. Think about ways to share food remotely. Some hosts \u2013 whose guests are in the same community \u2013 cater the event and have a boxed meal delivered to each guest so they can enjoy the same food together. Another dining option is to have each guest make a favorite food for the party and share the story of how that food fits into their family history or culture. Having a birthday party? Have your guests get their own cupcake and candles so they can enjoy the festivities at the same time the birthday celebrant blows out his or her candles on their cake.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Set a realistic time limit.<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s hard to stay engaged for hours on a Zoom call, so limit your party to 30-60 minutes. If you want to go longer, plan a break where guests can get some down time, go outside or wait for the contest cookies to finish baking. Then have them come back to the party for the close.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Make time for everyone.<\/strong>\u00a0Consider having someone serve as a moderator who can have each guest say hi or share a short holiday story \u2013 perhaps something for which they are grateful for this season. Have each person say something to the birthday celebrant \u2013 or the newest member of the family. A moderator also helps keep 20 people from all talking at the same time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Be flexible.<\/strong>\u00a0Virtual events are new territory for many of us. So be patient with yourself \u2013 and flexible with your plans. Remember that if you\u2019re sending things to your guests pre-event, deliveries are taking longer. And it may take longer to find supplies for your event. Remember that the most important reason for a get-together is to engage with people you care about, so have fun.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Virtual events are new territory for many of us, so be patient and flexible.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":115917,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"lazy_load_responsive_images_disabled":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","_wp_rev_ctl_limit":""},"categories":[6,12,17],"tags":[18250,4068],"tu_author":[],"class_list":["post-115915","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-health","category-medicine","tag-coronavirus","tag-rosen-college-of-hospitality-management"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v22.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - 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