Modern-day New Year's Eve traditions usually include silver and gold confetti, champagne toasts, disco balls, countdowns, and a classic rendition of "Auld Lang Syne." 

However, celebrating the end of one trip around the sun and the start of another is actually a time-honored tradition that stretches back to ancient days. In Mesopotamia, priests slapped the king to prove his integrity through ritual humiliation, while in Rome, citizens exchanged gifts of figs and honey. Chinese New Year began more than 3,000 years ago, though its associations with bamboo and the color red remain today. And the ancient Egyptians, in a celebration perhaps familiar to many, had a "Festival of Drunkenness" to ring in the new year.

New Year's Eve rituals continue to evolve. For instance, 2021 saw more people than ever – probably in the history of humankind – ring in the new year from the comfort and safety of their living rooms. But while they couldn't clink glasses in person, people could still commune with their loved ones thanks to fiber-optic cables and broadband technology via a virtual New Year party.

On the surface, these virtual celebrations might have seemed like a pale comparison to the real thing, but this wasn't the case. Hosting a virtual New Year's Eve party can give you more freedom and access than ever before. It's one of the most affordable, most sustainable ways to celebrate everyone who matters to you – without the cost and hassle of bringing your loved ones onto the actual dance floor.

You can play games, make resolutions, watch the countdown clock, and make toasts from afar. In fact, hosting a virtual New Year's Eve party for your team is one of the best ways to use engagement tools and bond, recognize wins from the past year, set new goals, and generally "do it up." 

Read on to learn more about why you should consider hosting a virtual New Year's Eve party. We'll discuss a few of our favorite ideas, provide guidance on planning your party, and give you an overview of all the event tools and terms you need to know.

Oh, and ritual humiliation of the CEO is optional. Let's dive in.

Why Host a Virtual New Year's Eve Party?

Fortunately, there are event tech integrations galore to help you set up fun, memorable virtual events. In today's tech-forward, post-COVID world, you can easily decorate and brand a virtual space to reflect the occasion, book virtual party entertainment, and bring thousands of people together in one place online.

The question isn't whether you can host a virtual New Year's Eve party because you most certainly can. Instead, the question is, "Why should you want to?" And the answer is, "There are several reasons."

Budget Constraints

By the end of the year, budgets are dwindling, which is better news if you have an extensive guest list of VIPs, junior associates, and C-level executives. Hosting an online shindig, however, can accommodate everyone at less expense. You can honor the occasion and celebrate your team without purchasing plane tickets and hiring caterers to provide lavish meals. Instead, you can use the money toward prizes, gift baskets, entertainment, and more.

Guest List Considerations

Not everyone will be able to attend an in-person party. With virtual event products, you can invite everyone, regardless of location. And even if your guests aren't able to attend the party live due to time zone considerations, with a virtual event, they can enjoy replays of the event on demand afterward.

Another thought is to host the party virtually and rotate party hosts worldwide so that for 24 hours, the event is always live, and everyone has a chance to participate. 

Environmental Responsibility

One of the best reasons to host a virtual New Year's Eve party is that it is better for Mother Earth. When considering the harms of travel and waste, an internet connection is a much greener way to celebrate with those who matter. Sustainable events such as virtual parties help you reduce your carbon footprint without losing the fun.

Of course, you've still got to come up with some great ideas for activities, right?

Virtual New Year's Eve Party Ideas

If you want to throw a great event, you'll need some quality virtual New Year's Eve party ideas. We're here to help. Check out the following ideas and choose your favorites!

• Virtual bingo with cards supplied ahead of time
• Trivia, either traditional or with a company theme
• Variations of The Newlywed Game
• Never Have I Ever (curated for work)
• Family-friendly events, such as a virtual "pin the tail on the donkey"
• Countdown, with online clocks 

Whatever you do, make sure you and your team plan ahead. You'll want enough lead time to identify which games and gift packages to send your virtual attendees so they can participate fully.

Who Can Benefit from a Virtual Party?

You know why you should throw a virtual New Year's Eve party, and you have some ideas. Now you want to understand: who can benefit from a virtual event? 

• Marketing and sales: It's time to set new goals and celebrate achievements, and a virtual New Year's Eve party is the perfect event format.
• HR and recruitment: Not only do virtual parties make those who work for you feel valued, but they're also a great way to meet potential candidates. Just ask your attendees to bring a guest.
• Event planning services: Celebrate a new year and showcase all the latest gadgets and gizmos for virtual events during the party.
• Philanthropy and fundraising: You can ring in the new year and raise money for a good cause with online or hybrid events.

Now let's talk how-tos.

How to Plan a Virtual New Year's Eve Party

If you've never planned an online party before, it's natural to feel frightened, but don't pop the champagne early and stick your head in the sand. Instead, make a detailed plan.

The first thing you'll want to do is choose a virtual venue partner. Make sure it's an organization with expertise in hosting virtual and hybrid events and offers a range of engagement tools so you can enjoy a lot of flexibility.

Pro Tip: Read some case studies to inform your vendor selection. There are some good ones here, here, and here.

Next, assign tasks to members of your team. At a minimum, make sure someone is accountable for the following:

• Overseeing the virtual environment design and build
• Building the event agenda, including booking speakers, musical acts, comedians, and other forms of entertainment
• Coordinating catering, if you are hosting a hybrid event
• Event marketing and promotion
• Managing event registration and ticketing, including checking attendees in and directing them to virtual rooms
• Post-event marketing

Prepare the New Year's Eve Party of the Century

Okay, maybe that's a big promise – it's likely the party of the century will be hosted by either Elon Musk or a royal family member. Or both. But you can certainly plan a memorable event this year, even if all your VIPs aren't in one place.

Ready to host an awesome virtual New Year's Eve party? 6Connex is ready to help. As the leading provider of virtual, hybrid, and in-person event technology for businesses worldwide, we love simplifying the complexity of event management. In the spirit of the season, we come bearing gifts such as:

• An entire cloud-based product portfolio
• Customizable, virtual, and hybrid event venues
• In-person event apps
• Invitation and ticketing technologies
• Webinars and learning management tools

… and so much more. We know how important it is for you to stay in touch with your employees, partners, and vendors, which is why we make it so easy for you to plan great get-togethers, online or otherwise. 

Check out our virtual event solutions today, all fully customizable. Most other event technology providers offer boxed solutions that aren't flexible. Not us. With our virtual event platform, you can plan a party of which even the Romans would be proud. 

From the planning phase to the event to the afterparty, we would love to help you host a grand bash. Ready to partner with us? Request a virtual event platform demo and learn more today.