This past year has made a lot of us more familiar with video-chatting tools, as well as encouraged us to become more creative with staying connected while remaining apart.
UCLA Conferences & Catering has been working diligently to craft digital solutions for meeting and event planners during these times when assembling in person is a challenge. From small departmental meetings to complex multi-day sponsored conferences, they’ve designed packages to deliver engaging experiences for any budget.
It goes without saying that their creative team has given a lot of thought to how their own family celebrations and connections with friends could be made even better in the online environment. Here are just a few ways they’ve been celebrating. Feel free to share these with your own circle, or be inspired to craft your own virtual gathering!
Virtual Recipe Exchange — Encourage your guests to break out their favorite family recipes and share with the group via email. A lot of us love getting working in the kitchen, and this is a great way to show off the skills you’ve learned while binging all the cooking and food competition shows on your streaming services.
Celebrations — Birthdays, retirements, reunions and anniversaries don’t have to go unmarked. Choose a theme and have fun together online.
Virtual Painting Party — This relaxing activity is a great way to catch up and unwind – and explore your inner artist! There are many artists offering low-cost online painting tutorials. All you need to do is choose one, buy a canvas, some craft paint and a set of brushes, and you’re set.
Movie Viewing Party — There are plenty of plug-ins that allow groups to stream movies together virtually (Teleparty is a great one and works with Netflix, for example [https://www.netflixparty.com/]). Give this fun affair a twist by asking everyone to suggest their favorite flick — draw a selection at random and roll film! With so many options, you could even make this a regularly scheduled weekly or monthly event throughout 2021.
You can make any virtual gathering more fun by including the same special touches that you would for an in-person party. Download or design matching themed backgrounds and share with your guests to set the mood. Use Spotify or Pandora to make a shared playlist and invite everyone to add their favorite tunes. You can even share recipes ahead of time so everyone is able to sample the same drinks and snacks.
No matter what your social events look like in 2021, stay safe and keep looking ahead to a better, healthier times ahead. In the meantime, know that your UCLA Conferences & Catering team is standing by to help facilitate all of your professional meeting and event needs. Whatever your goals and budget, give them a call and start planning today!
