5 Fun and Easy Ideas for your Virtual Offsite or Happy Hour

By virtual magician Ryan Kane

Zoom fatigue is real. If you and your team are jumping from one virtual meeting to the next, finding fun, easy, and free ways to make your virtual happy hour or meeting stand out is a game changer.

Here are five ideas to try out at your next virtual event.

Add a Theme

Choosing a simple theme for your virtual happy hour or team offsite is a simple way to add some flavor. This Wednesday’s virtual meeting, you’re going host to a masquerade! Maybe your end of the month meeting will be a circus (as if it isn’t always)!

Virtual backgrounds make this super easy for people to take part in. Plus, the more spirited members of your team will have an opportunity to really accessorize and decorate their home office. “Why yes, Priya did dress up all three of her cats as cowboys for the end of Q4 virtual barn raising happy hour.”

This is a extremely budget friendly option which allows team members to participate as much as they feel comfortable with. You can also build hype and excitement for your next virtual meeting by allowing people to vote to decide the next theme.

Find Something to Celebrate.

Even a small, a tiny award or moment of recognition can go a long way. Look for award which do not exclude other team members. For example, an “Employee of the month” award will make one person happy, but at the expense of the rest of the team who also worked hard. However, taking a moment to recognize Hector as “Most Active in Chat” is a small win which everyone can agree with.

Create a Sharable Spotify Playlist

Many virtual activities benefit from background music. Plan ahead, and designate someone to create a special playlist just for your group. Rotate the DJ around each meeting, so everyone who wants to can have their turn choosing the tracks. In the meeting, your guest DJ can share the music with all Zoom participants by going to share screen > advanced > share audio only. They will likely need to turn the music WAY down on their end (so that it is barely on). Otherwise, it will be too loud on everyone else’s’ end. Also, double check the share screen settings before you launch the meeting.

After the meeting, music apps such as Spotify will let you share the playlist for all other team members to enjoy on their own time.

Play a Challenge Game

At the top of the meeting, designate that (at some point during the meeting) Kevin has to secretly remove the succulent plant off the shelf in his background. But if he get’s caught, he loses. Whether he succeeds or is caught, he then picks another participant to a similar challenge. Maybe Mohammad has to close that closet door, or Sophia has to put on that jacket on her dresser.

This is silly bit of business to keep people engaged and to playfully shift the spotlight onto team members who might not normally be the center of attention.

Start a Zoom Journal

At the end of every meeting, have the group decide on several quick answers to questions. Things like “what is the word of the day?” “Who was saved the ship this week?” “What are the secret lotto numbers this week?” “Advice for future generations” 

Have a designated scribe write these down into a shared document. In a few months, take a look back. Your team will enjoy reminiscing about that one budget meeting where the advice was “You cannot expense BTS tickets, PAUL!”

About the Author

Ryan Kane is a magician, comedian, and author based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has spent the last year performing for audiences virtually all over the world as a virtual magician. Before that, he performed physically.

Companies including Louis Vuitton, Wells Fargo, Microsoft, Costco, Intel, and more have called upon Ryan Kane’s engaging magic, charming wit, and professional guidance to make their events successful. As a virtual magician he can provide that missing element to your virtual event.

Planning an upcoming virtual event? Contact Ryan Kane to learn more about what he can do you for you.

WHAT TYPE OF PERFORMANCE SHOULD YOU BOOK?

Choosing the Right Show Type:

Most magicians perform magic close-up and from a stage. Which should you book? There are a lot of different factors you should consider. Here are a few:

The Venue

The venue may have the most influence on which kind of event entertainment you decide upon. Certain venues are simply too small and lack the space to gather all of your guests together for an after dinner magic show. If that’s the case, then close-up magic is the perfect choice – either as a close-up show for the whole group or walk-around magic for smaller groups.

However, just because you have the space to do a show doesn’t mean it’s necessarily the right choice for your event.

It may come down to:

The Type of Event

A stage magic show gathers everyone together and provides cohesiveness to an event. It will provide every guest with a singular performance and experience to look back on and converse about during and after the event. Shows also require a commitment to them, meaning guests will be asked to set their food, conversation, and perhaps drinking aside to focus on the show. Therefore it is vitally important that your guests are happily relieved of their need to eat and catch up with friends before the performance begins.

Close up walk-around magic, on the other hand, will enhance the event without necessarily drawing a great amount of attention to itself. The guests will experience more intimate performances which may be very different from other guests’ experiences. Because the entertainer moves throughout the event, guests are free to eat, converse, and drink as they please. However, as great as close-up magic is, each guest will not witness nearly as much magic as they would have if the magician had taken the stage- and the audience would have missed out on a great cohesive experience together.

Of course it may come down to:

The Number of Guests

Most magic shows can be scaled to entertain audiences of any size. Just be sure to communicate with your magician so that they know to expect an audience of 10, not 500.

Close-up walk-around magic is a little different because the magician will be entertaining in smaller groups. A good rule to follow is 100 guests per one magician per hour, although typically this can fluctuate up or down about 50 guests and be fine. Just don’t overtly break this guideline by booking a walk-around magician to entertain 25 people for 2 hours.

Depending upon the number of guests you are expecting, it may be clear that you will be needing a magic show, but…

It may come down to:

The Length of Your Event

Magic shows entertain more people, with more magic, faster!

Close-up magic is effective over time with entertaining everyone in a larger audience, but each group is seeing about 3-5 minutes of magic as opposed to a full show.

For longer events, you may want to consider booking your magician to do both close-up and a show! But…

That said, it may come down to:

Budget

Close up walk-around magic is typically less expensive than full magic shows. Why? Because shows require a lot more preparation, prop usage, set up, break down, transport, and work! Also, some magicians charge by how large the audience is, so this may also be a factor in boosting the price.

If you are on a shoe-string budget, close-up magic is probably the best bet!

IN CLOSING

Magic is a spectacular addition to any event! I hope this has helped clear up any questions you had concerning booking a close up magician or a magic show. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me!

Thank you for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic! Please comment below and link to this article!

Booking a magician isn’t something most of us do every day. The following is provided to help those thinking of hiring a magician for an event find one who will meet their needs and give a great show. Of course, many of these tips are universal and could be used when booking any type of entertainment or event related service.

1- Prepare: Ask yourself some basic, but important questions.

Why are you hiring a magician?   Entertainment is usually top priority, but do you also need your magician to deliver a message, draw people to a trade booth, stimulate conversation, or even emcee the event?  Magic is unique in its flexibility and can be used to address many of these issues.

Who is your audience? It is important that the magician you hire is appropriate for the audience you wish for them to entertain.  Most magicians specialize in certain markets or audience types, so your best bet is to get a magician who focuses on the type of event you are planning.  For example, I turn down dozens of children’s shows every year since my magic is geared for adults and corporate functions.

What are the details of my event? Typically, magicians need to know the date and time of the event, the city it will be held, how many guests you are expecting, the type of the event, length of the performance, and also what type of performance you are interested in.  These don’t need to be set in stone at this point in time, but a rough idea is necessary to get the ball rolling.

Do I need a stage show or a walk-around magician? Most magicians offer both a stage show and close-up walk-around magic (also called mingle magic).  Both are great, and can be used together, but some events are better suited to feature one or the other.  Which would you like?

2- Research: A simple Google search of “[your city] magician” will provide a great starting ground.  Once you are on potential websites look for the following:

Are they appropriate for my goals and audience? You should get a good sense of this right away.  If you are planning an annual banquet for your company, a homepage featuring a clown with a top hat probably isn’t what you are looking for.  However, a slick website with a clear client focus and a magician dressed in a nice suit might be more up your alley.

Do they have pictures and videos? Perhaps the most important thing to pay attention to while watching videos of professional magicians is how the audience is reacting.  Understand that, while video is better than nothing, the only real way to get a feel for a particular act is to see it live.  Therefore listen to see if the audience is laughing, applauding, and just having a good time.  You don’t want to book a magician who’s act looks good on video, but is boring to see live.

Do they have references? Check for client testimonials, past client lists, even letters of recommendation.  Make sure that testimonials praise not only the act, but also how the magician conducts himself (or herself) as a professional.  This is important because you need a magician who you don’t have to worry about showing up late or forgetting details.

3- Contact: Email or call the magician with the details of your event.  Here are some tips here:

Be detailed. Unless it is a children’s show, most magicians customize show packages or set prices based on a matrix of several different factors.  That is why it is important to have a good idea of the details of the event before you contact the magician.  Without this information, professionals simply cannot provide an accurate quote, and you may miss out on booking the performer.

Don’t waste time. If the magician doesn’t reply to your email or voice message within a day or two, cross him or her off your list.  If this person cannot afford to pay attention to his business, how much good do you think his act will be?

Book, and book early! Trust your instincts and book the magician if everything feels right.  While it is important to research and take time choosing the best performer, waiting too long may mean that you miss out on booking the magician for your date.