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Time to get happy! OK, we’ll admit that at the beginning of the pandemic, we all went a little overboard with virtual happy hours and online dinner parties. Between staying in touch with our loved ones and trying online team building activities for our newly remote jobs, it seemed like everyone had three virtual happy hours a week.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you didn’t have virtual event fatigue by month two of COVID quarantine, then you are a social superstar. But, as coronavirus has carried on, many people have gotten pickier about which <\/span>virtual events<\/a><\/strong> they’re willing to attend.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you want your guests to get excited about your online happy hour, you need to stand out from the crowd. (This is especially important for companies that want their team members to have real fun, not just mandatory fun.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n So, we’ve gathered up our favorite virtual happy hour ideas to help you knock the virtual socks off your guests. Even if your guests have been to a dozen virtual happy hours, they’ve never experienced a happy hour like this before.\u00a0<\/span> Hosting a virtual happy hour is similar to hosting an in-person happy hour, except that instead of a physical location, you’ll need to choose an online location where you can host your <\/span>virtual party<\/a><\/strong>. Start your planning by choosing a virtual meeting space.<\/span><\/p>\n There are a lot of video conferencing platforms out there. Here’s a quick guide to each option so you can find the best features for your event.<\/span><\/p>\n As part of your party planning research, try a few (or all) of these apps to see which one you like best. Once you’ve decided on a platform, you can move on to planning the fun and games.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Now that your event is organized, you can take it to the next level by planning some unforgettable activities. Here are a few virtual happy hour ideas that guarantee everyone will leave the event feeling extra happy.<\/span><\/p>\n Alcohol is the ultimate icebreaker. For a fun activity, pick out a cocktail recipe for your event, send everyone the ingredient list, and mix it up together. If you’re hosting a company happy hour, consider sending team members a care package with all the ingredients they’ll need.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Look for recipes that are still exciting without the alcohol so anyone who doesn’t drink can whip up a mocktail version. Here are a few ideas for your signature cocktail recipe:<\/span><\/p>\n Lean into the cocktail party-theme with a cocktail class. Similar to an online cooking class, an <\/span>online cocktail class<\/a><\/strong> is an instructor-led event. In this case, a professional mixologist will show you how to mix up a few adult beverages. This will save you the trouble of choosing your own signature cocktail, and it’s a good activity for larger virtual happy hours.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A tasting is a great happy hour theme because it gets the conversation flowing. Send everyone a list of wines or beers to purchase (or better yet, send them the wines and beers ahead of time), try them together online, and compare notes.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n To make things easier (and avoid the tragedy of everyone opening big bottles of wine only for it to go bad in a few days), look for <\/span>wine in mini bottles<\/a><\/strong> and beer that can be purchased by the bottle as part of a <\/span>build-you-own six pack<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n The simplest way to host a fun virtual happy hour is to organize some <\/span>online games<\/a><\/strong>. You can offer bragging rights for the winner or have an official prize (ideal quarantine prizes include a food-delivery gift card or a bit of old-fashioned entertainment like a board game or puzzle).<\/span><\/p>\n Here are some easy online games that’ll turn your virtual happy hour into a game night:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n After you’ve decided on your favorite virtual happy hour activity, it’s time to create your guest list.<\/span><\/p>\n You probably have an idea of who you want to invite \u2014 your closest friend group, your loved ones, or your remote team members. The tricky part is choosing how many people to invite.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Unlike an in-person event where guests can break off into smaller groups and mingle, in a virtual event, everyone has to listen to one person at a time. Keep things manageable and make sure each guest gets a chance to talk by narrowing your guest list down to 20 people or fewer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n For a guest list larger than 20, plan an activity that guests can participate in even if they don’t have the floor. (You’ll find lots of fun virtual happy hour activities below.)<\/span><\/p>\n If you’re planning a company happy hour, host it during work hours (like the last hour of the workday on a Friday). This gives your team members a welcome break, shows respect for their work-life balance, and ensures that everyone will be able to attend.<\/span><\/p>\n If you’re planning a virtual happy hour for friends and family, poll the people on your guest list to see when they’re free. Aim to host your event in the evenings or on the weekend if most of your loved ones work from 9 to 5.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s a virtual event, so why not kick off your happy hour virtually with <\/span>online invitations<\/a><\/strong>. Online invites allow you to include a link to your video conferencing platform and collect RSVPs. These are three of our favorite options for <\/span>virtual happy hour invitations<\/a><\/strong>:<\/span><\/p>\n Design by: Signature Greenvelope<\/p><\/div>\n This invite’s<\/strong><\/span><\/a> cheeky play on BYOB will let guests know that they’ll be poppin’ bottles \u2014 virtually.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Design by: Olive and Me<\/p><\/div>\n This 60s-inspired design<\/strong><\/span><\/a> will announce your “Happy hour from home” and might encourage all your guests to mix up their favorite martini.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Design by: Jen Montgomery<\/p><\/div>\n Emphasize the best thing about a virtual happy hour \u2014 no one has to drive! \u2014 with <\/span>this tongue-in-cheek invitation<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n Use these activities and <\/span>party planning tips<\/a><\/strong> at your next virtual happy hour, and it’ll blow all your other online get-togethers out of the water. Virtual happy hours are ideal <\/span>social distancing<\/strong><\/span><\/a> events, but we think they’re good for so much more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n More teams are going remote and more of our loved ones are spread across the country than ever before. Virtual happy hours give us a way to stay connected, and we hope they’re here to stay \u2014 especially now that you’ve become an expert virtual party planner. Now go ahead and spread some virtual happiness!<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" These virtual happy hour ideas are sure to shake things up. From drinks to invites, find everything you need for a perfect online bash.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":8726,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[234,235,229,236],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-event-planning","category-inspiration","category-parties","category-social-and-special-events"],"yoast_head":"\r\n
\n<\/p>\nHow To Host a Virtual Happy Hour<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"virtual](\"https:\/\/cdn.greenvelope.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/image1-14.jpg\")
<\/p>\nChoose a Platform<\/b><\/h3>\n
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Plan a Virtual Happy Hour Activity<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"virtual](\"https:\/\/cdn.greenvelope.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/image7-5.jpg\")
<\/p>\nSignature Cocktails\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n
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Cocktail Classes\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n
Wine or Beer Tastings<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"virtual](\"https:\/\/cdn.greenvelope.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/image8-2.jpg\")
<\/p>\nVirtual Happy Hour Games<\/b><\/h4>\n
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Organize Your Guest List\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
Pick Your Date & Time\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
Send Your Invites\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
1. BYOW<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"virtual](\"https:\/\/cdn.greenvelope.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/image5-15.png\")
2. Retro Cocktails Invitation<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"Retro](\"https:\/\/cdn.greenvelope.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/image4-17.png\")
3. Quarantine Responsibly\u00a0<\/b><\/h4>\n
![\"Quarantine](\"https:\/\/cdn.greenvelope.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/image2-20.png\")
Have So Much Virtual Fun<\/b><\/h2>\n
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