This popular article was originally published on 8 December 2020. It looked back on how Augury celebrated our 9th birthday party. Now, we’re planning our 10th. Reach out if you have any fresh ideas on how we should celebrate 🙂
If you’re in charge of planning the office party this year, or if you’ve received an invite to a digital-celebration, you probably have some questions and serious hesitations. We certainly did as we were planning our biggest celebration of the year, Augury’s 9th Birthday Party.
We didn’t know if our party would work out or if it would fall flat — and we weren’t even sure if people would even want to celebrate remotely… Besides, how can you throw a party with no venue, no in-person interactions, no dancing, and no food to share — all in a world full of Zoom fatigue?
We did it and it was a great success! So here are some of the lessons we learned and some creative ideas you can use to throw your own remote office party:
When you announce your digital party it’s important to show that you’ve put some thought into planning — and that it won’t be just another all-hands call. Make sure to create and share an agenda that is enticing and easy to follow or build a digital meeting space to shake things up.
We had an entire day dedicated to celebrating to work with. So we built a collaborative Miro Board for the day and a grid with nine themed rooms to simulate the experiences people might miss from ‘normal’ celebration. Here are the rooms we set up for our party:
It’s hard to think of a party without using your five senses. A digital party can simulate the sound and maybe the sights of a party but what about touch, smell, and feeling? We tackled this by bringing the party to the team and sending each employee a themed care package one day before the celebration. Here’s what we sent our team:
Alcohol (A nice whiskey or ingredients for an Aperol Spritz)
Augury’s 9th Birthday Shirt (with team member’s names on it)
Augury branded mask (just in case)
Augury blue paint (for an activity during the day)
Sweet Treats (cookies/candy)
In order for a digital party to be a success, you really need people to buy-in and participate. We leaned on our team culture leaders (the people who are most outgoing and well-liked) to moderate the event and run each breakout session. We also took the time to make sure company leaders were available to help host and participate so team members could get to know them better.
These culture leaders are key to making sure everyone has a great experience. Don’t be afraid to lean into their interests either. Our VP Alliances is a Karaoke -lover and her breakout room was an incredible success because of it!
We were hosting an all-day party, so we came up with some amazing activities to bring out peoples’ competitive spirits. Our people have always responded well to competition and teamwork, so we created some fun activities throughout the day and awarded prizes at the closing ceremony. Here are some of the activities we set up for groups to work together:
Put some effort into helping people relax and simply enjoy being together without working. The party should feel separate and different from the day-to-day business operations. If you’re a party organizer or culture leader think of a fun lighting strategy or an outfit that can help communicate that too. Provide some fun topics, polls and conversation starters for your culture leaders just in case things slow down, or if things start to feel like just another meeting. Just remember to be creative and use your insider knowledge of your team to find the best way to celebrate together.
This new digital world presents an opportunity for teams to become more global and connected than ever before. In the past, a holiday party would be a time for teams to become closer and celebrate the wins that they’ve had throughout the year. 2020 has been exceptional in many ways, and while none of us would have chosen it, we’ve embraced the many challenges that have come our way. Take some time to acknowledge that and appreciate the people who’ve been with you throughout one of the toughest years in recent history.
Meanwhile… We’re hiring!
Adi Shaul is a Creative Manager at Augury. As a interior designer, creative thinker and team player, Adi is curious and a fast learner – always out to create top content that’s meaningful, distinct and packs a punch. Whether her target audience is customers, colleagues or candidates, she wants to create an emotional connection with the brand she leads. “My goal is doing what I love with people I enjoy,” says Adi. “I also want to make a living, have an impact on the world and grow as a person.”