Many businesses right now are looking for ways to engage their employees and bring them together to connect, maintain the culture, and have a bit of fun. According to HR professionals, holding events is one of the top methods of driving employee engagement. It’s not as easy as the old Thursday night happy hours used to be! The free virtual event ideas can get tired pretty quickly.
In-person events are on hold for the time being thanks to the pandemic. In the meantime, virtual events are skyrocketing. They are the perfect way to combine fun and educational entertainment while still keeping everyone connected.
Creating a virtual event calendar full of diverse and interesting events is the best way to get as many of your employees engaged and involved as possible. It also allows your team members to self-select based on their preferences.
If you need more ideas for events for your teams, keep reading. Here are 34 virtual event ideas to start filling your calendar!
creative events – virtual event ideas
Creative events spark the imagination of attendees through arts & crafts, hands-on activities, and more. They also make family-friendly options for your teams. Here are a few:
1. Create Your Own Terrarium – A fun, hands-on, and informative event that discusses what a terrarium is, how to care for it, and ends with a beautiful gift for everyone’s home office.
2. Watercolor Painting Class – Have your team come together to learn about watercolor painting techniques and methods while following along with an experienced instructor to make their own beautiful creation.
3. Origami Folding Class – If your team has more hands-on learners compared to visual ones, then an origami folding workshop or event could be perfect for them.
4. Make Your Own Soap – Unlike some other kinds of events, making their own soap allows team members to really use the product they created with the team — and stay clean at the same time!
5. Introduction to Calligraphy – Another practical event, this teaches the fundamentals and the long history of calligraphy while also teaching the craft. Create a beautiful phrase by following along with an instructor using authentic brushes, ink, and paper.
health & wellness virtual event ideas
Physical fitness can have huge benefits for both mental and physical health in the workplace. In addition, a number of studies show that a connection between humans and nature or natural elements can have great benefits for both mental and physical health.
6. Virtual Yoga Session – Yoga has been shown to decrease feelings of stress and anxiety while boosting concentration and feelings of calm. Give those awesome benefits to your team with a virtual yoga session with a qualified yoga instructor. Kid’s yoga is another option if you’re looking to stay family-friendly.
7. Dance Class – Dancing is great exercise and releases feel-good endorphins after long days of work. This is also great for entire families to join in on the fun.
8. Virtual Kickboxing – A kickboxing instructor could provide a fun and fast-paced event to wake your team up and get them moving.
9. Guided Meditation – Meditation, like yoga, has many benefits, including improved concentration, reduced stress & anxiety, and boosted imagination & creativity. Have an expert in meditation offer a lecture on mindfulness combined with a guided meditation for a relaxing virtual event ideas.
10. Make Your Own Bonsai Tree – The rich history of these plants is fascinating — as small as they are, they can live for hundreds of years! An informative and hands-on event that also provides a sense of natural wellness by incorporating biophilic design elements.
entertainment, fun, and games ideas for virtual event
Whether the team wants to compete in a game or sit back and watch a show, these fun options are always fun with the help of an experienced host to guide the events:
11. Trivia Nights – From films to sports to general trivia, you have plenty of options available for multiple trivia events catered to different peoples’ interests. You could even send out a poll to employees to see what type of trivia night they’d prefer.
12. Team Quiz – Personalize your trivia night by making a quiz with trivia questions about attendees’ fellow team members. Co-workers can see who knows who best by answering questions about teammates’ hobbies, pets, college majors, and more.
13. Employee Talent Shows – Let your employees provide the entertainment for each other with a talent show event. A vendor or event organizer can help you set up the technology, sign-up process, and act as the host/facilitator of the show.
14. Magic Show – A great family-friendly virtual event option, magicians can perform amazing tricks to wow your employees with everything from card tricks to interactive “mind reading” mental games.
15. Improv Shows – The world can be pretty serious right now. Lighten up your employees’ day with an improv show. An improv troupe will interact with attendees for skit suggestions to provide fun & engaging entertainment.
food & beverage events
Eating and drinking are activities that are meant to be communal and social. Continue the human tradition of sharing food and drink with one of these events:
16. Coffee Tasting & Making – A coffee tasting provides detailed education and insight on the lifeblood of many employees. Employees can also learn details about how coffee is grown, roasted, and flavored, along with the best brewing methods to have the perfect cup.
17. Traditional Tea Ceremony – The history of tea goes back for more than 5,000 years. Tea is a central part of many cultures including the U.K, China, India, and Japan. Attendees to this event will learn about the history of a Traditional Japanese Tea Ceremony by participating in one themselves.
18. Wine and/or Beer Tasting – There is a lot to know about these fine beverages! A wine or beer tasting can provide a perfect way to learn more about them and unwind simultaneously.
19. Learn to Pickle – Pickling is another practice that’s existed for hundreds of years. This event teaches attendees the history of pickling and how to start pickling themselves.
virtual cooking classes
Virtual cooking classes are offered in many types of cuisine and skill levels, making it a great virtual event experience for many workplaces. Everyone leaves with new skills and a full belly!
20. Pizza Making Class – Pizza is a crowd-pleaser that can be easily adjusted to fit a number of dietary needs including those who are gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan. Make pizza alongside your team and their families with a virtual pizza making class.
21. Plant-Based Cooking – Nearly 40 percent of millennials identify themselves as vegans. With the majority of the workforce now millennials, offering a plant-based cooking event or educational experience could be a great option.
22. Cook a New Cuisine – With so many cultures and cuisines from around the world, you could fill a virtual event calendar with just cooking classes trying out new things! Italian, Indian, Ethiopian, Thai, Vietnamese, Russian, Dominican, Mexican… the list of options is endless.
23. Pasta Making Event – The process of making fresh pasta is almost as much fun as getting to eat it once you’re done. From rolling out the dough to filling ravioli, this fun event ends with a delicious meal. Mangia!
24. Cake Decorating – A cake decorating event is one that’s fun for people of all ages. Combining creativity with a delicious treat, cake decorating is an art form that makes for a relaxing and enjoyable experience.
seasonal events
Want to get your team in the holiday spirit? These opportunities are great for mixing up the regular routine. Consider celebrating the season you’re in with some of the following events:
25. Pumpkin Carving & Decorating – Fall wouldn’t feel right without pumpkin carving and decorating. Have the team involve the whole family to create the perfect pumpkin for the Halloween season.
26. Holiday Wreath Decorating – Get your team into the holiday spirit with holiday wreath decorating. We make sure that people of all backgrounds feel accepted and welcomed with our wreath decorations focusing on the beautiful plants and winter-themed decor.
27. Create Your Own Valentines – Crafting cute valentines for family members, partners — whoever! — can spread the love even through a screen.
28. Gift Crafting Event – Reduce holiday stress by providing a virtual event for employees to make gifts for their loved ones. Consider making this a series with each event creating a different gift: photo albums, wine bottle planters, and handmade paintings are just a few examples.
29. Seedlings for Spring – Get the team excited for warmer weather & new beginnings with a planting class or event to get plants ready to bloom for when spring rolls around.
educational events
Not all events have to be hands-on, walk-away-with-something-tangible type of events (those are nice, of course, don’t get us wrong!). Sometimes it’s just nice to kick back and learn something new. Provide some new perspectives for your team through one of the following:
30. Guided Museum Tour – Many museums around the world are offering guided virtual events & tours. Tailor each tour to the personalities on your teams: art museum, natural science museum, etc.
31. Animal Show – Teams can see and learn about reptiles, exotic creatures, and other animals with live and interactive animal shows. Fun for the family!
32. Expert Talks – Consider hiring an expert relevant to your work or your team’s work to host a lecture or a webinar. You could also mix things up and invite experts in interesting topics like an Olympic athlete or a master chessman.
33. Virtual Book Talk – Whether you create your own book club or you invite an author to discuss their work with the team, a virtual book talk is interactive and educational.
34. Diversity Panel – Not a required diversity training, these panels are an opportunity to discuss important topics like diversity and inclusion. Some groups that promote diversity have individuals who share their own personal stories with all kinds of groups. These firsthand accounts can be educational & inspirational and promote mutual understanding.
virtual event ideas to engage your teams
One study found that about half of businesses surveyed plan for 20 to 30 virtual events each year! A full event calendar with a variety of options provides entertaining and engaging activities for your employees all year long. A wide variety and higher frequency also allows individuals to self-select into the events that are most interesting to them, and takes the pressure off of making a single event work for everyone.
From calligraphy to bonsai trees to holiday-themed options, Garden Streets’ events will fill your year up with engaging and high-value activities run by experienced virtual event hosts.
