Traditional Christmas Party VS Virtual Entertainment: Pros & Cons

Did you miss having a Christmas party last year and want to make your event extra special in 2021? Or perhaps you are debating on whether to host a virtual event instead? If you’re looking to show appreciation to your employees this Christmas and need some help & inspiration, we have a few ideas to share.

In this article we weigh up the pros and cons for hosting a traditional in-person event or hosting an event virtually.

Traditional Christmas Party

The Pros:

The Wow Factor

Events are all about people and creating a strong emotional connection with your guests. Physical experiences from walking into the venue, food & drink, entertainment and décor all contribute to the wow factor. Guests will remember how they felt by walking through the doors of a luxury hotel or dining in an alpine ski lodge environment or quaffing drinks in a riverside igloo.

Enhanced Atmosphere

Having the right venue is the first step to creating the atmosphere you desire for your event and Event Bee’s free venue sourcing service can provide you with some great options. You can achieve an astonishing visual impact with simple lighting techniques such as LED uplighters, gobos, colour washes and pinpoint lighting. Live music is a great way to set the mood from a calming classical quartet or get everyone on their feet with a funky Motown soul band.

Networking

The Christmas party is a convenient time for colleagues to catch up and build on their relationships especially for regional or global teams whom don’t normally have the opportunity to meet regularly. Virtual platforms provide networking options however we know face-to-face interaction is the best way to communicate.

The Cons:

Cost

Event Bee can provide options to suit any budget and there are many affordable options, however a Christmas event with all the trimmings will come at a high price tag. Some companies profit margins have not been affected over the last year but some have had to scale back significantly.

Time Consuming

Planning a live event from scratch is a huge commitment on time (unless you hire Event Bee of course!) some companies do not have a dedicated events team or planners on tap and therefore the Christmas party will end up in the hands of the marketing team or the CEO’s PA/EA.

Attendance

Not everyone is able to attend a live event. The location and costs on individuals i.e. taxi & babysitter can be barriers. Also, you can always expect some last minute drop outs but in this covid climate you may have a lot more than usual.

Virtual Events

The Pros:

Flexibility

Virtual offers so much flexibility with cost and planning. With the removal of the food & beverage bill, travel and accommodation costs, this will free up funds to spend elsewhere on entertainment or a company gift . Planning is quick and easy especially with off-the-shelf solutions. Event Bee has teamed up with Wildgoose to offer a series of virtual and hybrid team building solutions. Check out the latest series of engaging festive programmes available to book now. click here.

Wider Audience

The reach is endless as there are no limits to the number of guests you can have and it doesn’t matter where they are located in the world. You will just need to consider local times to ensure that everyone can be online at the same time, also you have the option to record the event.

Sustainability

Sustainability and sustainable events are one of the fastest-growing trends in the MICE industry. In addition to a reduced carbon footprint virtual events typically generate less waste from digital-only materials and no large scale food and beverage service.

The Cons:

Reliance on Tech

Event technology is the heart of virtual events and most online events are live-streamed entirely or in part. Technological glitches can occur from malfunctioning equipment, poor internet strength, microphones not working etc. Production needs to be seamless and professional and therefore investment into the right tech and a reputable virtual event company is vital.

Engagement

Screen usage has dramatically increased over the past 18 months with overuse of video conferencing, online meetings and events. Some people may turn off due to screen fatigue. Therefore getting the right content, timings and choosing the right platform will help alleviate this. There is so much more variety in terms of online entertainment options, we love Alan Hudson one of the world’s top virtual magicians – the Virtual Magic Show is simply amazing and very funny.

Personal Touches

One of the biggest challenges with virtual is overcoming the lack of the personal touch. Careful consideration to the content is crucial from the welcome, speaker presentations, interactivity and having regular breaks. You could even bring life to the event by providing a company branded food hamper - we are loving the Jute Santa Sacks which can be filled with festive goodies for your employees to enjoy during the event.

How can Event Bee help you?

Here at Event Bee we are dedicated to finding unique and inspirational venue solutions for our client events and meetings. You can entrust Event Bee to do all the work for you from sourcing a venue to organising the entertainment whilst you concentrate on what matters most.

If you would like to know more about our free venue sourcing service or virtual events contact Amanda Ralls direct:

🐝 amanda@eventbee.co.uk 🐝 +44 (0) 1737 355 049