Checklist for Preparing a Virtual Holiday Corporate Party

We've divided the preparation into five easy steps: from planning to gathering feedback.

Virtual Corporate Party: Benefits for Company and Employees

Remote teams mostly communicate about work tasks: discussing goals, completing responsibilities, and asking work-related questions. There's less informal interaction, making it harder to build team cohesion, even during festive times.

We analyzed how a virtual corporate party can be beneficial in such a situation.

Step 1. Identify Goals and Expectations

Start preparing 1–1.5 months in advance. It’s essential to think strategically in this initial phase.

Decide What You Want to Achieve

A corporate party is an informal event where everyone should relax. However, the celebration can be used as a tool for building cohesion, motivating, and reducing stress within the team. Select 1-2 priority goals that seem relevant to the team — this will influence the choice of format and program.

Find Out What Employees Want

Management's decision shouldn’t conflict with the team’s views — ensure that chosen goals align with employees' interests as well. You can talk to HR, conduct surveys, or openly discuss it during a team meeting.

Plan How to Satisfy Both Sides

Align employees' opinions with your expectations to find common ground. Then determine what precisely needs to be done to meet both sides' needs. You can use a classic approach by breaking the goal into steps.

Step 2. Solve Key Organizational Issues

At this stage, it’s important to maintain communication with colleagues: suggest, discuss, and find suitable solutions.

Choose Responsible Persons

There aren’t many tasks for organizing a virtual corporate party, so 2-3 coordinators will suffice.

• Main Moderator — responsible for the program: greeting, interactivity, and closing remarks.
• Technical Specialist — sets up the platform to ensure all participants can join smoothly.
• Communications and Logistics Manager — publishes announcements, reminds colleagues about the event, sends gifts, and gathers feedback.

If there are employees whose tasks align with these functions, ask for their help. If they’re not ready or there are no such employees — select proactive colleagues or hire external assistance.

Determine the Date, Time, and Duration

Discuss with employees when it’s best to hold the party. It's optimal to propose 3-4 options and choose from them for a quick decision.

Consider time zone differences and work schedules — the party should happen without affecting personal plans and deadlines. It's most convenient to host the event on a Thursday or Friday afternoon: Thursday doesn’t interfere with weekend plans, and Friday feels like the start of a break.

Plan for a 1.5-2 hour program — it’s enough to create a comfortable atmosphere, conduct activities, and finish the celebration before participants get tired.

Plan the Budget

The expenses for an online corporate party are less than those for an in-person one: no need to pay for food, venue rental, and entertainment can be free or inexpensive. Still, you should consider the budget during the virtual party preparation to meet the team’s expectations.

Here are at least four items to allocate budget for.

• Gifts and Delivery. The most costly item is gifts and logistics. It’s important that everyone receives them on time and in a presentable condition.
• Platform. Many services offer additional features for an extra fee: more participants, extended call duration, etc.
• Host. Having a host with a prepared program makes preparation easier for management and HR, but requires additional investment.
• Prize Fund. If the program includes contests, it’s better to prepare prizes: reward winners with money or give a virtual gift like a subscription or electronic certificate.

Step 3. Consider Technical Organization

The success of a virtual corporate party doesn’t only depend on the host’s charisma and the program, but also on whether the technology will cooperate. These three simple points ensure everything works smoothly, without technical gremlins.

• Choose a Platform. Select a service that meets your essential needs: supports the required number of participants, has window modes, and allows for games.

For instance, classic Zoom is familiar to almost everyone — it saves training time. The Gather Town platform creates a "presence effect" through a game board format with mini-games.

• Prepare Instructions for Employees. If the party doesn’t take place on your regular meeting platform, it’s better to prepare a simple guide. Write how to register, join the call, and enable audio and video. Include illustrations for each step to familiarize colleagues with the platform layout, so they're not lost while searching for buttons.
• Ensure Everything Works as Needed. Conduct a trial call: you don’t need to add all employees, simply connect from another device yourself or ask a family member. This way, you can see how it looks both from the organizer’s and participant’s side, and fix any issues. This is the final step to ensure everything works.

Step 4. Create the Program

The program of an online corporate party impacts the overall impression, so it’s crucial to plan the details and create a comfortable atmosphere. It influences whether the company is associated with "care, attention, and interest in employee needs" or "boredom, odd activities, and checkbox events."

Wrap It Up: Briefly and Sincerely

In the opening segment, allocate time for wrap-ups — this isn’t formal, but a chance to thank and motivate colleagues. Think about what’s important to mention: customer feedback, ratings, revenue, etc.

Structure your wrap-up in advance to ensure a logical flow of thoughts. You can go from specific to general: mention major projects and results, then move to overall annual metrics. Or do the opposite, starting with general outcomes before discussing specific points.

Prepare Entertainment

Consider alternatives to traditional contests. Popular options include quizzes, workshops, Secret Santa, or other activities.

Each format offers its own advantages for both the organizer and participants:

• Quiz — easily adaptable to company values, suitable for large groups, and requires no complex preparation. Just choose a convenient platform and create your quiz.
• Workshop — a great idea for small teams where a cozy setting is important. Requires additional effort from the organizer: find someone to conduct the workshop and send creative kits to employees.
• Secret Santa — a universal option suitable for both small and large teams of 50+ people. Creates a festive mood and helps team members get to know each other beyond their roles: a manager might give a gift to a department head and vice versa. The organizer helps with the draw and lightly oversees it.

Organizing a remote game is impossible with the classic stickers and live gift exchanges, so we recommend using the MySanta service. This platform manages participant lists, assigns pairs, and offers other features to enhance excitement and simplify preparation.

• Quick Draw. Simply create a game and send the link to participants. Once everyone registers, the system pairs up "Santa" with their recipient.
• Wishlist. The service collects wishes in one place, so Santa knows what gift would be appreciated.
• Anonymous Chat with Recipient. Clarify address, delivery time, or simply ask which tea the recipient prefers directly.
• Gift Tracking. The platform allows tracking the game's progress from start to finish — there's almost no chance of ending up giftless.

Try Hosting a Secret Santa Game

Play in the office and at home with family and friends. The game suits offline gatherings when everyone's nearby and online draws if loved ones are far away.

Try Now

Plan the End of the Evening

A thoughtful conclusion will leave a warm aftertaste and strengthen bonds with colleagues. Wrap up the meeting, wish colleagues happy holidays, and gently remind them of upcoming projects — keeping it sincere and taking no more than 5-7 minutes.

Avoid generic phrases, support your words with concrete facts. We’ve gathered clear examples in a table.

Step 5. Develop Communication

The event will go as planned and be beneficial if everyone knows when the corporate party is, what’s happening, and how to join. Pay attention to these five points.

• Send Announcements — Prepare a brief message containing all essential information about the corporate party and send it in stages: one week prior, three days before, and on the event day.
• Verify Attendance — On the eve of the corporate event, confirm which colleagues will definitely join. Plans may change, and notifying early is sometimes overlooked — better to ensure readiness and adjust the program if needed.
• Remind in Advance — even if the corporate message is pinned, duplicate it to ensure visibility.
• Plan Alternatives for Absentees — host a small celebration for those who missed the party: send gifts, write thank-you messages, or offer other bonuses they’d enjoy. Encourage dialogue, even if they weren't present — send a message in the group chat inviting them to future events, inquire how they envision the next corporate party. It's vital everyone feels they’re part of the team regardless of attendance.
• Gather Feedback After the Event — strive to get honest feedback from employees: what they liked, what could improve, their impressions. This enables refining next time — for the benefit of both colleagues and the company.

Conclusion

A clear action plan will help break down corporate party preparations. Ultimately, the organization will take minimal effort and time, making the celebration a delightful event for both employees and organizers.