Tips on how to Throw an Online (Virtual) Dance Party

Most clients do not want to hear this, but it can actually be quite challenging to create an online dance party.

The truth is that it’s not always realistic to expect dancing from your guests for an extended time frame. Zoom and virtual meetings are already awkward, let alone expecting people to dance in their living room to music with audio quality lower than what they could provide themselves.

Am I saying it’s not possible?
Of course not, but we have a few suggestions to help ensure your online dance party or virtual event is a smashing success with high engagement levels.

So how do you get your guests to go from this…

To this?

#1 Pick your platform carefully and learn it well-
Not all virtual platforms have the same functionality or audio quality.
Some platforms are only in Webinar format, which means you can’t switch (or let participants change) to gallery view and see everyone, which doesn’t work for a dance party. We feel Zoom has been the most stable and easiest to use with the best audio quality, but Google Meet also works well. Microsoft Teams , Webex and Go To Meeting didn’t have enough flexibility in audio settings for our liking, and we weren’t happy with the results.

 We have done several larger-sized fundraisers and corporate meetings where the client was using a bigger & more robust platform to host a full day of programs. We still used Zoom and just had their A/V (audiovisual) team send all guests to our room during the dance party breaks, and it worked well.

Again, to have a virtual dance party or any type of games with participant engagement, you need to make sure your platform has a gallery view option and is NOT in webinar format.  Invest the time to really learn your platform and all it’s features so you can troubleshoot and also make the most of your virtual event.

#1.5 Have a dedicated host, moderator, and a premium plan-
Zoom has a 40-minute limit for the free version, so you’ll need to have a paid account if you want to go longer and host more than 100 participants or have cloud recording and other fancy features. 

See Here: Zoom plans vs Google Meet Plans

As I’ve already mentioned, make sure you (or your host) is familiar with the platform and all its features. We also suggest having a 2nd person (or 3rd for larger groups) as a moderator to help mute participants if somehow they accidentally unmute, kick out any zoom crashers, spotlight people during games and dancing.
One mistake we see frequently is once the event has started, nobody is monitoring the waiting room, and guests that are late or lost connection join and are stuck in limbo and missing all the fun.

#2 Create a theme-
Create a theme and reward guests for participating.
People who rolled up to the zoom call in their sweats are in a completely different state of mind. Creating a theme gives your guests something to strive for and a reason to look forward to the party. 
If we have an 80s or 90s theme and there are significant price incentives for people to get creative, pull clothing out of their closet and dress up, their whole mindset has been changed and switched on to “fun mode” before the event starts.
Some ideas:
Costume contest
Dress your best
Crazy hat day
Favorite sunglasses
etc..

Having a theme will set a tone and give participants a direction to go and a reason to participate!

#3 Hire a professional DJ- 
 Sure, you can create your own playlist, but part of the fun & wow factor for guests showing up and seeing they have a live Zoom DJ!  Encouraging participants to make requests (via chat) will help keep them interested if they know they have a song coming up soon.

Most professional DJs will have a very polished looking setup, DJ mixer with an external sound card and high-quality camera. Still, you should ask to see samples or a live demo in advance to make sure they can match your event or party’s look, style, and vibe.

We like to use a green screen with OBS (open broadcast software) because we can create a ton of fun and engaging virtual backgrounds and visuals to fit the party theme and different scenes and transitions that make the show look very professional.
See examples here: