Early in 2020, the scientists of the University of Minnesota already predicted the Covid-19 outbreak to last for 18 to 24 months. And that meant that the beginning of the year has already prodded us in coming up with creative ways to celebrate the holiday season and other events surrounding the year. And just as suddenly, it was all up to the internet to do its magic.

The business world’s response to the pandemic was to tap on the world wide web to find a responsive solution that would fit the current situation, as people were mandated to stay at home in deference to social distancing and lockdown and quarantine protocols to avoid the viral spread, which encouraged and implemented work-from-home setups that made us live truly and literally in the “Digital Age.”

Since then, most events, if not all, have been converted online—fund raisings, reunions, conventions, training, seminars, and especially get-togethers of large and small groups alike. It was an enormous transition that it is safe to say that last year was the rise of virtual parties.

 

What is a virtual party?

A virtual party is a gathering done sans meeting face to face but rather through a web software that allows people to attend an online event together. This became the normal way to social events in the time of the pandemic, with Zoom leading the videotelephony and online chat services. 

Seeing people in their personal boxes, figuratively and literally, with their cameras on or off, has become the norm in everyday human interaction and corporate touchbases, and the same was expected in virtual parties all over the world. Instead of seeing attendees in their seats, we instead see them in boxes one over the other and side by side. 

But while this is tremendously foreign for us, especially when gatherings and get-togethers are traditionally spent in close contact with other people, in all fairness, virtual parties aren’t so bad at all.

 

The Pros of Virtual Parties  

1. Eat all you can. The good thing about “partying” at home is that no judging eye can see you getting up for a second serving—or third, or fourth. And because chances are you will have to buy your own food, you also get to have a say on what and how much to serve for the party.
2. GTKY for the introverts. This is especially useful to the social/networking life of introverts who got the job during the peak of the pandemic or the WFH situation. Thanks to virtual name tags, introverts get to know people without the nerve-wracking face-to-face introductions. It is therefore recommended to brace yourself on the many aha moments during the party.
3. No [strict] dress code. A lenient dress code is a given for a virtual party, as you don’t necessarily need to put on all that jazz. You can either dress it up or dress it down, but what’s even better than these two options is, when it’s a dress-up, you can literally just keep your top body vogue and keep the bottom part comfortable. That’s fashion and comfort altogether.
4. Skip the trip home. To go to a fun party and to be able to relax in bed right after without missing a beat is a dream come true. No matter how much you ate or drank, there is none to worry about because you’re already safe and sound at home.

RSVP at Ripe’s Spry Virtual Party

Ripe’s initiative to the new normal way to party was to host one over Zoom for our Christmas and year-ender celebration. To keep it social and interactive, attendees were encouraged to turn their cameras on and the sidebar chat box was also left open so they could converse and give side comments during the program.

For our very first virtual party, it could be generally described as “short but sweet and surprisingly spry”—in other words, the party was a success in its own right. “I enjoyed reading the random chats, especially during the open mic [break time],” Hyro Poligrates, our marketing web developer commented.

The party was broken into four parts: the dinner, the break time (where people get to unmute and talk to one another), the speeches, and the most-awaited raffle draws. And the event was hosted by marketing account manager Jaive Roble, who also doubled as the event’s official DJ. 

Dinner was still partaken together, with personal meal expenses refunded with a fixed amount.  We were also graced by special messages from our very own CEO and founder Paul Lyon and our president and COO Miles Nepomuceno. Lastly, the budget initially earmarked for the party planning was converted into generous raffle prizes for the party’s main event. 

 

Image source: Karen Q. Velasquez (Marketing)