By Megan Y. and Tim W.

And here we are. Zoom parties. Since the pandemic hit, Zoom has become our window into socializing – except it is not exactly the same thing. Here are some challenges to note, and a few tips to help plan your next Zoom birthday party for the kids!

Challenges to note:

1. Hosting a Zoom party is not the same as hosting a Zoom work meeting:

I thought I was a pro at Zoom! I had used Zoom (formerly Webex) for years because I work from home. Every meeting for me is a virtual meeting. Piece of cake, right? Wrong. I took for granted that my company had set up everything to work perfectly. Make sure you revisit every setting in the Zoom settings – particularly screen sharing and recordings!

2. Awkward pauses when people aren’t sure what they’re supposed to say or do next:

You can’t mingle and make your rounds like you do at a party so you need to make sure everyone feels comfortable. If your guests don’t all know each other, it could be awkward for them because they can’t mingle. Only 2 people can talk at the same time. See tip #3 below!

3. Tech issues: 

I’m tech savvy. My husband is tech savvy. Zoom is supposedly the “easiest” choice, compared to Apple FaceTime or Google Meet or Facebook Video, etc. But that did not exclude us from having any tech issues! Some examples of what may occur: 

• Screen share did not work as planned. It kept asking for admin approval.
• Folks could not log on.
• Zoom links weren’t working.
• Some people needed an audio only version because their computer microphones weren’t working, etc.
• Make sure people know how to mute and “pin” videos.
• We have a 1080p webcam, yet the guests said our video appeared pixelated.
• The display name for attendees could be a weird username (e.g. “iPad4”), instead of their real name.
• Some attendees logged in with their tiny phones, instead of their large-screen laptops (with potentially larger-screen external monitors). With tiny phones, they cannot easily see the other guests via the “Brady Bunch” view.

To help address these challenges, here are 5 tips:

1. Host a practice meeting to run through your plans to make sure everything is working as intended.

Our mistake was that we skipped this step and had to scramble to troubleshoot during the party. Don’t skip this step. 

2. Log on early.

You will get login issues – even from your most tech savvy guests. Log in 15-30 min early and make sure everything is smooth. I would also suggest to have either you or your partner log in as a guest while the other logs in as the host. This will test out whether your guest will run into issues.

3. Host an ice-breaker game.

All your guests have arrived! Hurray! Now you need to entertain them, so that they won’t feel awkward (as mentioned in Challenge #2 above!). 

For our adult birthday party, we played “Birthday Boy Trivia”, which was a great way for everyone to engage guests who do not know each other. Guests typed their answers in the “chat”, and the birthday boy revealed facts that stumped even his own family. 

For our kid birthday party, we played “Caption This!” I found pictures that included both my kids and the guests’ kids. That way, the kids would get excited seeing themselves on the screen. You know those hundreds of outtake pictures that you had to take in order to get that ONE perfect picture? Well, now you have a great use for them! Those outtake pictures are the best, because it sets it up for the most hilarious memes. 

Other ideas for ice-breakers include: online games (e.g., boardgamearena.com, Jackbox games, Pictionary, online Taboo), Slideshows, Roundtable questions for guests, Karaoke, etc. Google additional ideas!

4. Book an amazing entertainer.
   Let them do all the hard work! Be sure to have guests login 15-30 minutes early before your entertainment arrives just in case there are technical difficulties! Below are two examples:
   1. MisterQ – The San Bruno Parents Club hosted Mr. Q one Saturday, and he knew how to throw a party! 
   2. Perry the Magician – I saw Perry on our vendor list and boy, he did not disappoint. He performed both the adult birthday party and the kid birthday party, and both audiences were left amazed. (Different tricks for both shows).

5. Sing happy birthday. 

This one was tricky. For some reason, it’s hard getting everyone to sing together. Instead, we chose to let the Google Assistant sing the “Happy Birthday” song. Just say, “Hey Google, sing the Happy Birthday song.” Other suggestions include playing a YouTube video of Happy Birthday – Karaoke style.

6. Bonus Tip: Upgrade Your Webcam

The default webcam on your laptop is OK for meetings with your boss, but it is terrible for hosting birthday parties. A good webcam will provide you with better video quality (so your guests can see you more clearly), and better audio quality (so your guests can hear you more clearly), and a wider field of view (so your guests can see your whole family). We recommend the Logitech C930e ($130), because it has a wide 90-degree field of view, which means that your family will not have to be hunched up close to the screen. If you have a bigger budget, then get the Logitech Brio ($200). And if you have a smaller budget, then get a webcam with at least 1080p resolution, and at least 2 microphones.

There you have it! I hope this prepares you for your next Zoom party, because this will be our way of life for a while! Have fun entertaining!