How to plan an online party 101

With the rise of technology, the world has gotten a little smaller every day. Time and distance are no longer excuses for not getting together/spending time with your loved ones. 

Virtual parties have become a great way to keep the fun going and celebrate milestones whether personally or professionally.

Have you attended an online party before? I’m sure you have. This is 2024. Just like the name implies, virtual parties are occasions/events that are hosted over the internet. It can be done anywhere, anytime and at any place of your choosing. You could host your baby shower,  birthday party, bridal shower or any party online.

Walk with me as I show you all the things you’ll need to organise an enjoyable  virtual party. 

The first on this list is network availability and it applies strictly to Nigerians. A stable network is one of the most important things needed for a wonderful online party. You don’t want the music to stop while you’re grooving to your best song. So, ensure you and your buddies have your data plan replenished before the party. Go for a service provider that works best for you.

Decide on your Video Platform

The platform you choose for your virtual party is equally as important as the party. While virtual parties save you the stress of looking for a perfect venue(for a physical party), you still need to carefully select what platform you’re going to host your party on, taking into consideration the number of people you’d like to be in attendance, how tech-savvy they are and ease of navigation for a newbie on that platform (Sending a mini guide along with the invite might be helpful too). Some of the popular video platforms are Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, Facetime, etc.

Guest List

One of the great things about organising an online party is that your guest list isn’t limited by the capacity of your event centre or the location of your guests. Instead, think about the reason for your party and build your guest list around that and pick a convenient time to have fun with your loved ones or colleagues.

Party Theme

This isn’t a compulsory feature but it’s a great way to spice things up. You can pick any theme of your choice, even themes for offline parties and tap into your creative side to make an online version of that. This means you can have a pyjamas party, halloween party, movie night, games night, etc and make it even better online or if you’re up for it, get an expert mixologist to guide you and your friends at your virtual party. 

Send Out Invites

This is the most important part as without a good invite, no one is coming….lol. An invite must be very appealing, it must show thoughtfulness. While the invite must carry the online link or the address of the virtual party, It doesn’t have to be the usual meeting invite. Get creative with your design depending on the theme you’ve chosen for your party.

If you’re extra, you can add a personalized touch (like including your friends’ nicknames) to it. Capturing each person’s details with something thoughtful, select a colour code/state a virtual dress code, etc and send the word out. If you’re hosting a very public party, feel free to share your invite on social media too. Make sure you send your invites timely (a week or two before the d-day) and do a reminder with some fun clues or graphics to create a sense of excitement/anticipation.

Food, Drinks and Gifts

Ideally, you shouldn’t have to worry about providing food, drinks or souvenirs at an online party but for the communal experience, you can order food, drinks and gift packs and have them delivered to the doorsteps of all your guests. This would give them the complete feel of a physical party and move your party rating from 0 to 10 in a heartbeat.

Come to think of it, what’s a (Nigerian) party without cake, food, drinks and souvenirs? The thought of people having their drinks on their couches and virtually clicking champagne glasses is divine! 

Alternatively, you can make your party more fun by creating a virtual menu and deciding on a spending limit for each person, maybe even make a list of vendors you’ll be patronising (if you all live in the same region) and enjoy the beauty of the creative chaos you and your friends make while trying to place your orders.

Create an Order of events/program

Now that you’ve pretty much covered everything, it’s time to relax and decide on how you want the event to pan out. What type of games do you want to play, how long do you want each gaming session to last?

There’s a host of stuff you can do at your virtual party; from fun trivia to karaoke to dance competitions to costume contests to watch along movie parties to video game challenges, etc. Ensure the flow of the program ties back to the theme you’ve chosen for your virtual party. You can brainstorm with your friends for more ideas.

Music

How could I have forgotten to mention music? The party has no life without music. If you can afford it, you can get a DJ to do a livestream for your virtual party. If not, you can make your own playlist, use random playlists from YouTube or even curate an all-inclusive playlist with your friends on Spotify. 

Maybe you’re thinking to yourself, I’ve got everything it takes to throw an online party except friends. Join Fusion and connect with a host of amazing people across various communities whilst enjoying our seamless transacting features. 

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