The most successful events are those that bring people together to make meaningful connections – with a brand, with a product or service, and most definitely with each other. When events are internal or with a familiar audience, those connections seem to happen easily. However, when the group is large, diverse, or previously unknown to each other, things can get…. quiet.
Games are great for getting people to interact and participate. They take the pressure off uncomfortable conversations about the weather or local sports team. Less outgoing people have more of a chance to warm up to the rest of the crowd. And, when done right, games are fun and memorable. Here are a few of our favorites:
- Poker Face:
Attendees are given a playing card and elastic headband and instructed to place the card on their foreheads without looking at it first. Then, they must assemble the best possible poker hand within a certain amount of time by looking at other people’s cards and collecting a “poker hand” of 5 people. No one is allowed to tell another person what their own card is, they all must work together with an element of trust. - Ask Me About:
As an alternative to standard nametags, have your guests write a prompt they want people to ask them about. The trick is to stay away from yes and no or other one-word answers. So, instead of asking about someone’s favorite ice-cream flavor, people should instead offer questions that are answered by a fun or interesting story, like “Ask me how I got over my fear of heights” or “What’s been my biggest fashion disaster.”
BONUS: This works just as well virtually as it does in person – and it integrates very nicely with person-to-person chat.
- Name That Playlist:
During event registration, have each attendee share one of their favorite popular music songs. These will become the official playlist for your event. Upon event arrival (or sign-on) guests will receive a playlist with all the songs being featured that evening. The challenge is to match as many people with their song choice before the event’s end. A gift card to Amazon Music, Apple, or a streaming service makes a worthy prize for the top winner or winners.
BONUS: This is another great digital activity as it also lends an element of entertainment before or between sessions, and can allow guests to listen to certain songs as loud (or as quietly) as they wish.
- Escape Rooms:
If you joined us for any of our Good Vibes events in 2020 and 2021, you may have had a chance to participate in this activity first-hand. It takes real teamwork to decipher seemingly unrelated clues and form an answer or action that unlocks the next piece of the puzzle.
BONUS: Yet another virtual or in-person winner as everyone loves a good mystery and it’s all about perspective. No two people ever seem to see the clues the exact same way, and that’s good.
About the VIBE Agency: The VIBE Agency is a Miami-based award-winning full-service production agency that specializes in the creation and orchestration of live and virtual experiences for the corporate industry. The agency is forward-thinking and was recognized as one of the 50 top event companies by Special Events magazine in 2019 and 2020. Most recently, Valerie Bihet, founder of the VIBE was named a Smart Women in Meetings 2021 Hall of Fame honoree by Smartmeetings, for her consistent work advancing the industry. If it can’t be live, make it VIBE!
