Virtual events have only become standard in the last five years or so, so they are relatively new to the industry. While in-person events are becoming more common again, 95.5% of event organisers still see virtual events as part of their event strategy.
What can work as a virtual event is ever-changing. A virtual approach opens up many possibilities but may leave you wondering which virtual event ideas to pursue.
To make things easier, we’ve broken down our best virtual events into different categories – themes, such as music, food, and games, or occasions, such as social, corporate, and party. And to refine your search further, the rating system underneath each idea covers the following components:
Complexity from 🧩 (least complex) to 🧩🧩🧩🧩 (most complex)
Cost from 💸 (least expensive) to 💸💸💸💸(most expensive)
(Popularity from 🔥 (least popular) to 🔥🔥🔥🔥 (most popular)
Table of contents
- Virtual conference ideas
- Virtual contest ideas
- Virtual corporate event ideas
- Virtual expo ideas
- Virtual fundraiser idea
- Virtual party ideas
- Online performance ideas
- Virtual promotional event ideas
- Virtual social event ideas
- Virtual workshop & webinar ideas
Virtual conference ideas
Looking for virtual event ideas? Move your next conference online and allow speakers, presenters, and guests to participate worldwide. With less venue space required, you can reduce costs and expand your reach.
Send swag and treats to attendees beforehand, and make recordings of sessions available to participants after the event.
1. ConfEx
A ConfEx is part conference, part exhibition. As you’d imagine, there’s a heavy emphasis on talks and learning, with many exhibitors offering smaller presentations and opportunities for connecting in person or online.
Doing it well:
The Cystic Fibrosis Trust ran the UK Cystic Fibrosis Clinical Trials conference online.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩🧩
- Cost: 💸💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥
2. Congress
Congresses generally refer to formal meetings between politicians, government representatives, and professional organisations. Many conferences also use the term “congress” to sound more official. Turn your conference of business professionals into a congress to underline the importance of decisions to be made.
Doing it well:
The College of Animal Welfare held a virtual Nutrition Congress for veterinary nurses to advance their knowledge of animal nutrition.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩
- Cost: 💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥
3. Unconference
Unlike conferences, unconferences focus on a specific theme with no pre-formed agenda. Attendees usually decide the topics for discussion at the start of the day (or virtual session) and then self-regulate as the event progresses.
Doing it well:
Rosalie – Rituals Today hosts Death Cafe North London on Zoom – an event filled with thought-provoking, life-affirming, and liberating conversations about mortality. There’s no agenda, theme, or set conclusions, but rather a group-directed discussion.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩
- Cost: 💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥
Virtual contest ideas
Fun virtual events can happen over several days or months – especially challenges or competitions. Organise a virtual race or exercise challenge where participants log their activity, with particular goals achieved by meeting defined thresholds. Create merch, like t-shirts or exercise bands, that guests can use during the challenge.
4. Debate
Witnessing talented, passionate debaters can make a huge impression. Virtual debates lend credibility to causes and get spectators questioning their original assumptions.
Doing it well:
Check out HCP Ed – UK Menopause Myths – Let’s Settle the Debate.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩
- Cost: 💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥
5. Endurance race
Endurance events are individual feats of endurance where you race against yourself to complete the distance. The most common forms involve running, cycling, and swimming (or all three). Or try:
- Dancing at home for 24 hours
- Yogathons, with participants practising yoga for as long as possible
- Exercise biking or treadmilling for a set number of miles
These all make excellent virtual event ideas because they require less time and money to set up since you don’t need to provide exercise equipment. Plus, more people can enter without being limited by the physical space available. No need to rent a venue if everyone can be in their home!
This is also great for shyer participants who might not want the pressure of others being right next to them. And everyone can customise their environment (do it indoors, outdoors, by the beach, with your pooch, playing music full blast, etc) to fit their preferences.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩
- Cost: 💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
6. Hackathon
When you bring together programmers, designers, and other digital professionals and ask them to build a prototype within a set time, you’ve got yourself a hackathon. The stereotype is that they’re fueled by pizza, caffeine, beer, and a little know-how.
The participants spend the whole time on their computers anyway, so taking it virtual simply means they can do it from the comfort of their own homes, in their pyjamas. A hackathon is a perfect virtual event idea — more people can get involved, and you can have some fun with a virtual awards ceremony afterwards.
Doing it well:
Ai Lab School host an annual global hackathon that unites the brightest programmers and leading companies to forge groundbreaking technology. It provides cash prizes for the winners to ensure everyone gets involved.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩🧩
- Cost: 💸💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
7. Pitch
The format is usually a rapid-fire session of startups or speakers pitching to the audience or a panel of experts, usually to win a prize. Try one of these formats:
- Product pitch, similar to “Dragon’s Den,” where contestants pitch new product ideas to a panel of venture capitalists
- Movie or TV series pitch, where aspiring filmmakers present ideas for the next blockbuster to Hollywood insiders
- Estate agent pitch, where estate agents learn about properties about to hit the market and offer valuations
With the virtual format, you can gather real business leaders more easily to judge the participants, as there’s no travel involved. It also gives your attendees flexibility with how they present their pitch — they can prepare a video or multimedia presentation well ahead of time!
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩🧩
- Cost: 💸💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
8. Talent or variety show
Entrants compete to demonstrate their unique talent in front of an audience and judging panel. Hold it through a virtual platform like Zoom or Vimeo. Talent can include:
- Musicians performing either solo or in small groups
- Dancers in a studio or on stage
- Magicians, illusionists, and mentalists
- Stand-up comics, improv acts, and comedy sketches
This format presents an opportunity for participants to get creative with digital tools and effects to enhance their performances. They can use filters, different camera angles, or even interactive components to add layers of added fun. It’s also pretty nice that your participants can use the equipment they have at home and are used to — no need to worry about lugging a piano to your venue.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩
- Cost: 💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
Virtual corporate event ideas
Many corporations have offices or employees across the globe, so virtual corporate experiences bring everyone together no matter where they are. Use them to reinforce company messaging, keep teams in communication, and offer a change of pace to the workday grind. We’ve put together some fun virtual event ideas for work that feel more like play.
9. Breakfast briefing
Use a morning event when there’s an announcement or launch to present. It’s great for reaching a business audience that’s unavailable during office hours or after work.
Consider sending a gift card for a meal delivery service or even a breakfast food basket to all your participants to make sure they’re eager to attend despite the early hour!
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩
- Cost: 💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥
10. Forum
A forum works well for debates and airing opinions – it’s associated with legal and political proceedings and often imbues a sense of importance. Corporate events that might fit a forum format include discussions of corporate strategic goals among top executives or a “state of the industry” debate with outside experts.
The virtual event theme lets you bring experts, executives, and influencers together, even if they live far apart.
Doing it well:
Ultimate Landlord holds monthly online property investment forums to help participants network with like-minded investors.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩
- Cost: 💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
11. Interview or fireside chat
For those who want a keynote speaker but can’t invest the time in creating a presentation, organise a simple chat or interview. Set up a microphone and camera, and ask questions you and your audience want to be answered.
This type of event allows you to significantly widen your options for interviewees or speakers since you don’t need to add travel costs on top of speaker fees. Plus, it’s a lot easier to fit the virtual event idea into a busy executive or influencer’s schedule.
Doing it well:
- DiSH Manchester – At this Fireside Chat, participants hear from Barclays, Lancaster University, Plexal, and the University of Manchester about the opportunity for the digital security industry across Greater Manchester and how DiSH MCR will be supporting business growth and individual skills generation.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩
- Cost: 💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
12. Panel discussion with industry experts
Bring together a group of influencers or experts to discuss a contemporary topic. Throw in a moderator and a series of questions from the audience, and you’ve got yourself a panel.
The virtual format also makes collecting questions much easier: You can have attendees write in a chat and put the best ones in a queue for the experts to answer in order.
Doing it well:
UCF Center for Autism & Related Disabilities(CARD) facilitated an online panel discussion on the complex needs of older adults with autism.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩
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- Popularity: 🔥🔥
13. Q&A with an industry influencer
Invite an expert speaker, join up with an influencer your guests would love, or host a celebrity for a Q&A. Booking big-name talent for online events is easier than ever – no matter your location.
Doing it well:
Orange Beak Studio regularly host online talks and Q&As with illustrators and authors.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩
- Cost: 💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
14. Roundtable
Similar to a panel discussion but typically including audience participation, a roundtable gathers industry leaders to discuss current hot topics. Before you host, make sure you know how to run a successful roundtable discussion.
Doing it well:
Ksenia Droben Matchmaking hosts round table events aimed at helping singles find love and relationships.
Rating:
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Virtual expo ideas
A virtual expo is much like an in-person expo, introducing and showcasing new products in a particular industry or sector. These events tend to centre on the latest trends and developments and often include product premieres, thought-leader Q&As, and teasers of upcoming attractions.
To do this, you’ll want to rent (or invest in) a specialised camera setup to stream 360° video for your VR audience.
15. Consumer show or fair
These are usually big events featuring vendors selling their products or services, all linked by a specific theme or related to the same industry. Online shows are perfect for marketing homeware, travel opportunities, or electronics.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩🧩
- Cost: 💸💸💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
16. Fandom gathering
This type of event focuses on fans of a particular part of popular culture — usually referring to subcultures such as science fiction, anime, gaming, or cult TV series. With niche fandoms, there might not be a large audience in any single location for an in-person gathering. That makes virtual events especially appealing: You can bring people together no matter how specific their interests are.
Doing it well:
The Guardian Live’s recent Book Club featured Neil Gaiman, author of the groundbreaking graphic novel “The Sandman”.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩
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- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
17. Digital tour
Share historical sites, museums, or other attractions with a virtual audience through an online tour. Put together a slideshow with high-quality photos, stream a live video tour, or pre-record a tour video you can reuse and repurpose. Give attendees the option to donate to your organisation or tip their virtual tour guide.
Doing it well:
World Virtual Tour explored destinations such as the Salvador Dali Museum, Nairobi National Park, and the Tomb of the Pharaonic Queen Meresankh III outside Cairo.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩🧩🧩
- Cost: 💸💸💸💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
18. Exhibition or trade show
Trade shows are similar to consumer fairs but aimed at professionals selling high-value B2B goods or services. These can vary in size and complexity, depending on the industry.
Doing it well:
Actors Pro Expo runs actor-focused trade shows during the year to help talent meet and mix with industry professionals.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩🧩
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- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
19. Fashion show
Showcase the latest styles and trends. Recreate a runway with music and flashing lights, or lean into the intimacy of an online event with a quieter, closer look at what’s new. How about putting the spotlight on historical fashion?
Doing it well:
The trio of women known as History Wardrobe celebrated the teamwork of painter Gustav Klimt and dress designer Emily Flöger with historical dressmaker Meridith Towne.
Rating:
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Virtual fundraiser ideas
Plan a fun virtual event that also raises funds for your not-for-profit organisation. You can incorporate many different virtual event ideas into a fundraising event, whether it’s interactive, informational, or for pure entertainment. If your organisation isn’t a not-for-profit, why not donate a portion of your profits to the cause of your choice or give attendees the option to donate?
20. Silent auction
Virtual or in-person bids are in a closed box, with no one knowing how much anyone has bid. The box is unlocked, and the highest bid wins.
These events can be stand-alone but are commonly part of larger fundraising and celebratory events. As you wait for results to come through, take advantage of the online format to play videos, open breakout rooms, or invite attendees to play a virtual game.
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21. Charity awareness webinar
Teach guests about your nonprofit organisation and cause with an informational webinar. Tailor your content to educate attendees about what your organisation does and how they can support you with their time or donations. Remember to include a post-event suggestion to donate to your cause, helping to raise funds.
Webinars are a great way to raise awareness around your virtual event theme because they’re relatively low commitment. That means that people who are less aware of your cause are more likely to come and find out what it’s all about.
Rating:
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22. Film screening
Virtual screenings can be a surprisingly diverse and flexible way to raise money for charity, from “Saturday nights at the movies” events to exclusive documentary screenings.
While an in-person movie night might be hard to put together because of all the equipment, seating, and refreshments you’d have to bring in, a virtual screening lets you set it all up with relative ease, and your attendees get to watch from the comfort of their couches.
Doing it well:
An event by Inform Your Community involved a live stream Maternal Health Movie Livestream, in which attendees participated in a live stream movie followed by a discussion, like a virtual film club.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩🧩
- Cost: 💸💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
23. Virtual gala
Raise funds for your charity or cause by letting attendees bid on auction items. Consider adjusting your ticket prices to account for the fact the event isn’t in person, and organise an online auction for donated products and experiences.
Using pre-recorded speeches as part of your event can add the excitement of celebrity and a speaker that fits your virtual event theme perfectly without you having to worry about the speaker’s schedule. It also prevents technical difficulties that can result from speakers being in charge of their at-home setup.
Doing it well:
Hindus for Human Rights “A Celebration of Hope” 2022 gala featured a Portland-based DJ and Carnatic singers, messages from human rights defenders, and Swami Agnivesh Memorial Award winners
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩
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Virtual party ideas
Bring friends or strangers together to have fun, relax, and celebrate. Attendees don’t even need to leave their homes – they can party virtually. Try something similar to the following or explore more party ideas.
24. Dance, ball, or disco
Ballroom dancing or clubbing? The number of events revolving around a dance floor is limitless. By hosting it virtually, you make this event much more accessible for people who might not be up for cutting a rug in person.
Virtual dances are more accessible for people who require accommodations they aren’t sure they’d get from an in-person dance venue, so you can make sure your event is inclusive of as many dancers as possible.
Doing it well:
- Classpop! hosts their Learn to Salsa and Hustle – Online Dance Class, which is taught by professionals and caters to beginners and experienced dancers alike.
Rating:
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25. Festival
Festivals are often music-focused but can be on any topic. An organised concert series, screenings, or plays can happen over several days.
The virtual format lets people avoid the major downsides of in-person festivals: Finding accommodation, camping in the rain and mud, dealing with crowds, and paying for expensive food on-location, for example.
Doing it well:
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Libraries‘ London History Festival brings together notable historians for an online history fest.
Rating:
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26. Masquerade
Masquerade parties are a great excuse to get dressed up – think the masked stranger and Renaissance-era mystique. Revel with others in equally outrageous, amusing, and esoteric clothing.
Doing it well:
Love Coach Shina uses masquerades as a fresh twist on her Let’s Pick a Boo speed-dating events.
Rating:
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27. School prom
Borrowed from the classic America event, a prom gives attendees the chance to relive their high school experience – with (legal) drinks. Or why not revisit the good old school disco? Go online by providing attendees with home decorations and asking them to dress up.
Breakout rooms can help people find where they’re most comfortable, whether they want to make small talk around the buffet or dance to any genre of music. This virtual event idea can be welcoming for anyone, no matter what they’re looking for.
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28. Rave
Feel-good vibes, dayglo necklaces, electronic sounds, and trippy light shows. Invite virtual ravers to turn off the lights to set the mood. Include lighting effects and a setlist of the best house, acid, and techno beats.
Encourage your guests to bring energy-boosting snacks — or even think about mailing them some — to make sure they have the stamina to keep the party going and really get into the virtual event’s theme.
Doing it well:
Fuse Club host a Techno club night featuring exclusive sets, releases, and interviews from talent from all over the globe.
Rating:
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29. Silent disco
Hold a virtual house party with no complaints about the music volume! Instead of blaring speakers, each attendee uses headphones and dances to the tunes only they can hear.
Going virtual is perfect for this because people will be wearing headphones anyway. At the same time, they don’t have to worry about annoying the neighbours!
Rating:
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- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
Online performance ideas
Here, we mean ballet, musicals, opera, theatre, and literature. Yes, we’ve grouped five major types of events into one because they share a common factor – a centre stage occupied by talented artists appreciated by an attentive online audience.
30. Book reading
Choose an author or book and host a virtual read-along. Remind attendees to bring a copy of the book to read along with. With the virtual format, they can enjoy their books from the comfort of their couches, wrapped up in a blanket, with a warm drink.
Doing it well:
Event organiser Alive hosts digital launches of books and publications featuring readings and discussions with contributors. It also hosts monthly book clubs to involve attendees in the discussion.
Rating:
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31. Cabaret
Cabaret is a stage performance that combines music, song, dance, and drama with an overarching theme. It’s normally more suited to adult audiences. Stream the performance live to the online audience – use more than one camera to mix up the visual compositions.
You can take advantage of the virtual format by encouraging performers to take requests and interact with the live chat. A live chat is less intrusive than in-person interaction, and it lets performers receive recommendations or answer questions at the pace they prefer.
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32. Immersive
Immersive events normally follow a tight narrative, leading the participant through the story with the help of actors who always stay in character and settings you might find on a film set.
Fans of zombies and apocalypse scenarios love these events. How about livestreaming a handheld video feed of the experience for a “found footage” vibe?
Rating:
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33. Improv show
Improvisational comedy is where the performers have no set script and instead develop ideas from the audience into jokes and sketches. For a live stream, make a few adaptations to instil the same sense of immediacy:
- Encourage participation with chat rooms for scene and character suggestions
- Include breakout rooms for cast members to confer with small groups of attendees
- Use high-quality microphones and sound equipment so online guests hear well
The virtual event idea can give you some unique advantages for improv. Experiment with special effects and filters, and make sure to use the chat function to gather audience suggestions in a much more orderly, less disruptive way.
Rating:
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34. Open mic
Let attendees be the stars of the show. Open mics usually focus on poetry, music, and comedy and allow aspiring artists to showcase their skills and get comfortable performing in front of people (even if virtually). Keep the focus on one particular art or open it up to any and all performers.
A virtual format can be much more welcoming to amateur performers because they don’t have to look at the crowd. Take advantage of this by personally inviting people to perform, emphasising the low-stakes, low-stress format.
Doing it well:
Allographic invites people to come and show what they’ve got with their poems, stories, dramatic monologues, improv, hip-hop, and anything else that fits the bill of the spoken word.
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35. Online art
People love watching amazing art come to life and channelling their inner artists. From simple pencil sketching to watercolours or oils – there’s something for everyone.
Doing it well:
ArtistAnd has adult drawing classes that are beginner-friendly and aim to make people remember how fun and therapeutic drawing can be.
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36. Virtual comedy night
Host a curated comedy night online and introduce a roster of comedians to a broad audience. Sell merchandise as an add-on during the ticket-buying process or offer it for purchase during the event itself.
Keep track of up-and-coming comedians to showcase via comedy streams on YouTube and by checking out performances at local clubs and university campuses. Or why not help comedians develop their acts?
Doing it well:
For budding stand-up comedians, Raindance offers online sessions to develop and hone skills in writing, speaking, and performing comedy.
Rating:
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37. Virtual concert
Organise a virtual concert that lets attendees be close to their favourite musical artists, no matter how many people attend. Add behind-the-scenes or VIP options to create a truly memorable experience.
Doing it well:
The Emmanuel Gospel Centre hosts virtual concerts and fundraising events to bring the community together and raise money for a good cause.
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Virtual promotional event ideas
Find a ready audience online, where retail shopping and browsing come together. Whether you’re offering unique experiences or looking to introduce a new product to the marketplace, an online promotional event can get the word out.
38. Flash event
A flash event is typified by a sudden announcement of your event, usually the night or two before, to create excitement and anticipation. These work well for businesses and social media accounts with large followings, influencing a crowd to turn up and generating additional excitement to trigger impulse buying.
Because the performance is virtual, record it and then promote it on social media. Consider these flash possibilities:
- A product pre-release – making a small volume of your new product available for a limited time
- A flash theatrical performance of a scene or two from a new stage production to gain publicity and generate word-of-mouth
- An impromptu live or pre-recorded mini-performance before tickets for a full-length show go on sale.
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39. Launch your new product
Organise a party to showcase your company’s latest release. Don’t forget to involve a demo, lots of branding, and VIPs such as company executives and celebrity spokespersons.
Offer guests a discount or special gift with their purchase, or set up a giveaway for customers to enter and potentially win the product.
Tip: encourage participants to post about the event on social media, using your event hashtag to enter the giveaway.
Doing it well:
K. Femi Akojenu – CEO, LifeZone TV hosts a Virtual Small Business Showcase – For Business Owners and Start-Ups that allows businesses to showcase their products and for consumers to get products at a bargain.
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Virtual social event ideas
Offer a virtual venue for people of similar interests to come together when an in-person event isn’t possible. A variety of formats are adaptable to a virtual setting. Try one of the following ideas:
40. Online games
Gaming is a big industry to penetrate. Some gamers gather socially, while others play for cash prizes. Online gaming events can help you target a niche audience. And since video games already involve the use of a digital screen, they work well as virtual events.
Make sure your technology is up to date and working smoothly – nothing ruins an online gaming event like tech issues.
Popular online games include:
- Sports games such as basketball and football, where players often take on the role of an entire team. Why not try a tournament format?
- Racing games, where players race against each other in virtual vehicles. Games like “F1”, “Gran Turismo”, and “Mario Kart” can include many players at one time, so they work well for social events.
- Sandbox games, where players roam and interact creatively within the game environment without establishing any preset objective or rules. “Minecraft” and “Second Life” are two of the biggest titles.
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41. Meetup
Whatever your interest – punk rock, property investment, book club – it’s great to connect and enjoy conversation with those who share your passion. Keep the event moving by providing a point of discussion or topic of conversation.
That way, people meet up with others who are interested in the same subjects, give each other recommendations, and read ahead of time to enjoy even more interesting conversations. This virtual event idea truly brings people together through a meetup of mutual interest and appreciation.
Doing it well:
Bristol Libraries have a friendly, monthly book club where participants can engage in a relaxed and informal conversation with like-minded book lovers.
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42. Networking evening
Gear this event towards professionals and bring like-minded people together to chat, share experiences, and find common ground – this can lead to mutually beneficial business relationships. They can be as simple as eating pizza and having a drink together – even if virtually.
Doing it well:
Lynne Moffat & Sharon Slade host Evolution Virtual Networking. Provided fortnightly, these sessions enable businesses to make new contacts and connect without having to travel.
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43. Puzzle or escape room
Solve puzzles in a group within a certain amount of time, creating the right mix of excitement, curiosity, and agitation to make this event a stand-out success. With breakout rooms, you can have multiple teams competing alongside each other without having to worry about them giving away any secrets to the puzzles.
Just as video games provide opportunities for settings, tools, and imagery that might not be possible in real life, this virtual event idea can break the laws of physics and immerse attendees in a whole new world.
Doing it well:
Take inspiration from this Virtual Escape Room Adventure: Team-Building Fun with Puzzles and Riddles. It provides the perfect team-building activity that will get everyone involved.
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44. Quiz
Bring teams together to compete against each other with a “quizmaster” posing questions. Don’t forget a prize for the team with the most correct answers!
The digital format makes it easy for teams to see how they’re stacking up against others, and it means you don’t have to grade everyone’s answers by hand.
Doing it well:
With Quizmasta, guests can take part in weekly online quizzes and compete in real-time against other participants from all over the UK. The quizzes, hosted like a game show, are fun, fully interactive, and offer prizes too.
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- Popularity: 🔥🔥
45. Treasure hunt
Virtual treasure hunts are an enjoyable way to get people working together. They have all the fun socialisation and puzzle-solving of a scavenger hunt without having to run around a city, making this virtual event more accessible.
Doing it well:
Check out the Guildhall Library’s The Top Ten British Treasures of the British Museum.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩🧩
- Cost: 💸💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
46. Virtual tastings
Introduce new brands or flavours to your audience. For a virtual event, either send the drink or food to attendees or make sure they know what’s on the menu beforehand so that everyone can follow along at home.
Doing it well:
North Tyneside Council are using virtual infant feeding sessions to introduce babies to solid foods.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩
- Cost: 💸💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
Virtual workshop & webinar ideas
Workshops and webinars let us build skills and expand our knowledge – and they rely on engaging instructors. Make sure there’s proper lighting, clear sound, and any supplies the instructor needs (follow our virtual event production checklist to help). And stay up-to-date on the latest tools and features; streaming platforms frequently upgrade their services.
47. Cocktail-making class
Send participants a list of ingredients and equipment they’ll need before the event. Or consider offering a kit as an add-on when they purchase their tickets – and send it to their home. Teach participants to mix up a refreshing, fragrant, or classic cocktail, then let them socialise while they sip.
By hosting this virtually, attendees can learn how to make the cocktail with the equipment they have at home. At the same time, this virtual event idea gives them the freedom to portion out the contents to their own taste, creating a more personalised experience.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩
- Cost: 💸💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
48. Digital crafts class
Online crafting classes engage both children and adults – parents and children can even work on something together. The presenter demonstrates how to make the craft and provides tips to the virtual crafters along the way.
With the virtual format, you have the opportunity to teach a much larger group while still giving individual attention to struggling attendees through breakout groups.
Doing it well:
The family-run business John Arbon Textiles hosts a monthly craft and natter session where participants share their latest projects and learn from one another.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩
- Cost: 💸💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
49. Educational workshop
Teach participants a skill and have a clear value proposition. How about a leadership seminar for a corporate event or a virtual guided meditation for a wellness event? Workshops are engaging because the audience is focused on learning something they’re interested in.
Because it’s a virtual workshop, attendees can come in from anywhere in the world and get advice from an expert in a range of fields. They also get the benefit of a diverse group at every session, meaning they can benefit from each other’s examples. It can also help people concentrate more, away from the distractions of a busy event.
Doing it well:
WriteClub offers inspiring creative writing workshops where people can connect with a writing community and gain one-to-one support.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩
- Cost: 💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
50. Health and well-being classes
Many yoga studios, personal trainers, and other health and wellness professionals have successfully launched virtual classes and offerings. One sports-medicine practice brought all its wellness classes online so patients can stay fit and take care of their health in the comfort of their own homes.
For some people with health issues, it might be difficult to attend an in-person class. Doing it online significantly lowers that barrier to entry and lets you reach out to the people who might need your help the most.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩
- Cost: 💸💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
51. Virtual bake-along
Host a bake-along virtual cooking workshop with speciality ingredients or tools included in the ticket price. Send these items to your guests before the event or provide ticket buyers with a list of the ingredients and tools they’ll need. Cooking classes are fun virtual events that appeal to both adults and children.
While in-person baking classes often require a large space with multiple ovens, you don’t need to worry about that with a virtual class. At the same time, you don’t need to clean up after the students!
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩
- Cost: 💸💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
52. Wine-tasting workshop
Food and drink events work well virtually. Host a wine-tasting workshop to teach attendees about the wines while they sip at home. Provide them with a list of wines they can buy or offer packages as part of the ticket price.
Consider combining wine tasting with another virtual event idea, such as a “wine-and-paint” event. You could also host a blind tasting, so your guests have to blindly guess the wine and its flavour profile before learning the details.
Doing it well:
Winfield Wines host Wine O’Clock Friday. Led by a qualified wine expert, participants enjoy six sample bottles delivered in a tasting box to their homes.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩🧩
- Cost: 💸💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥🔥
53. Webinars
For anyone looking to spread knowledge, try a webinar. Online seminars feature an instructor or lecturer who covers a particular topic with support from presentations, videos, and other visual content. Webinars can cover any topic. The more mainstream the subject, the more engagement you’ll likely see.
Doing it well:
- Creative Process Digital offer a Digital Apprenticeships – Employer’s Briefing Webinar where businesses can learn more about industry-led apprenticeship programmes.
- Lakshman Singh helps people looking to set up a startup business. Topics covered include building a business, marketing, product positioning, and going to market.
Rating:
- Complexity: 🧩
- Cost: 💸
- Popularity: 🔥🔥
Virtual event best practices
No matter what kind of virtual event you’re organising, some best practices are helpful during your planning. These apply to all virtual event ideas, whether for clients or companies or for something more social.
Create a meaningful virtual event
To grab people’s attention, make sure the content you’re delivering is useful for your target audience. What do participants want from a virtual event? What will they spend money on? And what will make them want to turn on their video app after a long day of remote work? Learn what your audience wants from your webinar or online workshop. We asked them for you.
Pick the perfect platform
The platform you use to stream your event will rely entirely on what you’re providing. If you’re hosting a webinar and want to moderate attendee participation, Zoom might be a good option. Looking to live stream a film? Vimeo offers password-protected streams, so you can ensure only ticket holders can attend.
If neither of those options is right for your event, there are dozens more virtual event platforms to choose from. Check out our advice on selecting a livestream platform.
Price it right
Online events often have fewer overhead costs than traditional events, but that doesn’t mean you should undervalue the experience you provide. Ticket prices for online events vary widely between categories. You can even offer donation-based or sliding-scale pricing so more people can attend. To help you decide how much to charge, we spoke with some Eventbrite organisers about how they priced their events.
Promote your virtual event
Marketing is different for an online event compared to an in-person event. Eventbrite data shows that stepping up your marketing efforts one week before an event sells 47% more paid tickets than starting marketing a month early.
It’s easier than ever to promote virtual happenings through social media and our simplified marketing tools. Make sure you’re marketing the right way for your customer with our guide to marketing online events.
Be inclusive
Making your event diverse and inclusive doesn’t have to be difficult. If you’re hiring speakers, find experts of different genders, races, ages, ethnicities, and backgrounds. Add subtitles to your film, or provide an ASL translator for a seminar or workshop. Offer scholarship tickets for professional development classes or networking events so people from a variety of socioeconomic levels can attend.
Remember to add all of this information to your event listing so guests feel welcome from the start.
Keep your attendees safe
Guests expect their financial information to be safe when they purchase a ticket, and they expect to be safe socially as well. Using your platform’s highest security options will ensure your guests’ personal information isn’t at risk. Make your event password protected, set participation guidelines for your attendees and personnel, and have staff moderate chats and interactions during the event.
Ask for feedback
Getting feedback from attendees is like getting free business advice from the people who matter most: your customers. Take advantage of your guests’ fresh points of view and send out a survey shortly after your event. We’ve compiled 15 survey questions to ask after an event. Your attendees’ genuine feedback will help you make your next event even better.
Online events FAQs
How do you host a virtual event?
When hosting a virtual event, engaging your guests and having the right technology are key. Think about your audience and what kind of event will appeal to them. Choose the right platform for hosting or streaming the event, and take technological limitations into account. Most importantly, provide value to attendees.
How do you make a virtual event interesting?
Don’t overcomplicate your virtual event. If you try to cram too many topics or activities into one event, it can be difficult logistically and may be overwhelming for participants. Offer an event that’s interactive for all guests. Rehearse for your presentations and test your technology to avoid glitches on the day.
What’s the best day to host a virtual event?
There’s no perfect date or time that will work for every virtual event. Consider your audience and demographics when planning, and take any major holidays or religious celebrations into account. Track engagement and attendance across all your events to get a sense of what days work best for your audience, or ask potential attendees what their preference is in a survey.Ready to get started? Post your event on Eventbrite.
