Working remotely is the new normal, and managers and team leads are always searching for new and exciting virtual team celebration ideas to bring everyone together. These online events are an excellent way to celebrate, recognize achievements as well as observe special occasions.
From online parties to digital shout-outs, and virtual meals to games, there are so many fantastic ways to relax together as a team and acknowledge your achievements. You can also call these events “remote celebrations” or “online celebrations.”
Whether you are a team leader, a manager, or a team member thinking about organizing an online celebration, this post is for you. Let’s dive right in and explore 10 of the best virtual team celebration ideas for any working environment.
10 Best Virtual Team Celebration Ideas
From a cocktail shake-up to virtual movie night and virtual dinner to online board games, you can try any of the following 10 virtual celebration ideas. These will not only foster connection but also instill positivity amongst your team members.
#1. Virtual Cocktails
Any momentous occasion is incomplete without a toast. Therefore, why not celebrate a win for the team by organizing a virtual cocktail shake-up night. You can all learn how to concoct fancy drinks while having a bit of a laugh.
In this activity, each member gets a package of ingredients and rendezvous via video call. You can arrange a cocktail master to lead you all into making some of the tastiest cocktails. You can use this idea for occasions such as promotions, project completion, birthdays, or just to celebrate a payday.
#2. Creating a Team Timeline
A virtual party will last a few hours, whereas a team record will go a long way. If you are thinking about virtual team celebration ideas, you can memorialize a teammate’s achievements by making an online team timeline.
Whenever you view or add a new entry to this timeline, you will also notice previous accomplishments as well. This is a great way to commemorate the team’s long-term success and achievements. You can use programs such as Adobe Spark to record and share the history of a team member and create a timeline.
#3. Virtual Lucky Draw for Gifts
Everyone loves an unexpected gift; you can organize a virtual lucky draw for your team on Facetime, Zoom, or Microsoft Teams. You can then send various types of care packages to your teammates virtually. These may include
- Snack subscription boxes
- Craft kits
- House plants
- Office supplies and fun stationery
- Customized mugs
- Holiday treats and decorations
- Tech accessories such as power banks, headphones, and chargers, etc
- Snuggies or blankets
- Digital subscriptions for Netflix, Hulu or Spotify, etc.
Adding a tangible element to virtual team celebrations will make your teammates feel valued with more personalized recognition, which otherwise lacks in a virtual working environment.
#4. A Virtual Movie Night
If a night out is one of the virtual team celebration ideas you are looking for, you can host a virtual movie night. Services such as a Kast, Netflix party, and Rave are some of the best platforms for you to get all the team members to grab a glass of Pinot or their favorite beverage and enjoy a movie from remote locations while having a bit of banter.
#5. Social Media Shout Outs
You can acknowledge your teammates’ or team’s success and achievement by creating a social media account or campaign. This is a great way to recognize a remote team’s effort on an organizational as well as a global level.
This is one of the most accessible free virtual team celebration ideas, as your team’s good performance will receive much-deserved attention and recognition. You can all do live events on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
As a team manager, you can also get the team members to record a personal message for a particular team member you are celebrating and create a video message for them. This will make them feel special and recognized for their services to the company. They will also give them social media bragging rights to share how good they are at what they do with their family and friends.
#6. Celebrating Unexpected Days
Everyone celebrates Valentine’s Day, father’s day, or Labor Day, but did you know April 25th is “World Penguin Day,” or the world celebrates the “International Burger Day” on May 28th? Bet you didn’t – Well, don’t worry because neither did we till we researched a little bit on it.
Therefore, chase the boredom away by celebrating some of these days on a virtual meet-up. You can even turn them into online costume events. Some of the unheard-of or less common days to observe include:
- November 13th - World Kindness Day
- October 10th – World Mental Health Day
- September 13th - Programmers’ Day
- April 15th – World Art Day
- July 17th World Emojis Day
You can find out some other days from other cultures and origins to boost diversity and inclusion amongst your team and organization.
#7. Board Games Night
Yes, you can organize an online board game night. You can ask your team members to recommend a game, and you can play some of the best board games online, including Clue, Codenames, and Do You Know Me, etc.
You can even find virtual escape rooms that are a brilliant experience and one of the most awesome virtual team celebration ideas ever.
#8. Totem Team Building
If you are looking for a team-building activity or virtual team celebration where everyone comes out feeling valued, Totem can offer you just that and more. You can celebrate your teams by boosting their self-esteem and recognizing the qualities of each team member.
This virtual and real-world team-building platform gives your employees an opportunity to use proven psychological approaches for personal development. Totem will help the group members to indulge in honest but positive conversation while breaking down communication barriers.
#9. Organizing an Online Trip
If you have already done online games and other activities or may want to try something more adventurous, you can organize an online trip instead. A virtual retreat can be a great way to learn something new about new places together.
You can all gather up online and get out of your home virtually. Take a stroll down a national park, organize a virtual trip to a museum or pick a holiday destination and take an online tour together exploring the most exotic places.
#10. Tracking Birthday and Celebrating Them
Back in the day, it was a struggle to keep track of all your teammates’ special events, such as birthdays. Without having this valuable information, a work anniversary or birthday can easily skip under the radar. However, you can use online tools to organize important events in your colleagues' or employees’ life.
This gives a personal touch to virtual team celebration ideas as you send teammates invitations for milestones such as work-versaries, and birthdays. Google Calendar is one of the best cloud-based services to keep all the important dates pertaining to your team members.
You can use other apps and tools to celebrate your teammate’s events, such as cakeday, as it will automatically send a reminder to all other team members to plan a virtual birthday party.
Conclusion
The purpose behind all of these or any virtual team celebration ideas is to make them feel a part of a family at work. Remembering and observing their hard work and celebrating their special days is a simple yet powerful way to promote inclusivity and build rapport amongst your remote employees.
