3 Virtual Birthday Party Ideas for Kids

Offering virtual birthday party options is a great way to boost revenue at your family entertainment center, especially if faced with capacity restrictions. 

Whether you’re looking for workaround ideas to continue booking parties during a slower season or ways to cater to families that might not be able to visit your facility in person, you've come to the right place!

Here are three virtual birthday party ideas for kids your family entertainment center can offer.

3 Virtual Birthday Party Ideas for Kids

Let's jump into it!

1. Virtual Birthday Wishes from Your Mascot and Crew

One virtual birthday party idea your FEC can offer is a chance for guests of honor to chat with your facility mascot or their favorite tv/movie character!

Use your online party booking tool by offering up some time slots for guests to book their upcoming party.

Oftentimes, the child’s anticipation of and finally seeing their favorite mascot or character on screen is the highlight of the event! Especially since they're wishing them a happy birthday.

Consider offering items in your online store to add to the experience as well, such as a “party in a box” kit. Your party bookers can select items like birthday hats, noisemakers, decorations, a birthday cake or pizza pie, and/or even a little gift from your redemption center. These items can be dropped off or picked up before the virtual birthday party celebration to enhance the child’s experience.

Do you have anyone on your staff who has a small amount of video editing experience (or, who is willing to try)? If so, you could have the option for party bookers to select a curated video montage as part of this virtual birthday party experience.

Have your guest write down the names of their child’s family and friends, along with their phone numbers and/or email addresses. Using this information, your staff can contact what would have been their “guest list” and request they record themselves saying “Happy Birthday!” to the guest of honor and send it to you. Your tech-savvy employee can compile these videos into a short montage that can be played during your video call together.

This is a fabulous way to increase your party booking revenue, and is such a thoughtful keepsake for families to hold onto!

2. Live Virtual Birthday Party With Family and Friends

If a keepsake video montage isn’t in the budget for some customers, help them get everyone together LIVE!

Use your online party booking tool to allow guests to schedule a group video call with their family and friends. You might be wondering “They can do that themselves, they won’t pay for this virtual birthday party idea...”

The truth is, people, pay for convenience. You’ll be surprised at what busy parents will do/pay for if it saves them the headache of planning and coordinating.

Send virtual invites via email to a guest list they provide you with. Consider designing these invites using Canva! Come up with a few games you can facilitate such as a mini-household scavenger hunt for a pirate-themed video birthday call, or a trivia game everyone can participate in using an app like Kahoot!

Hosting such a fun virtual party will encourage parents to market your facility via word-of-mouth.

Parents will attribute such a successful event to your FEC’s hard work and creativity, and bookings are sure to roll in from those referrals!

3. Virtual Birthday Party via Social Media

Another virtual birthday party option is to host an event for your party bookers using social media.

You may not be able to save parents from having to host their child’s birthday party at home, but you can entertain them with special activities!

Sell this virtual kid’s birthday party as a package deal that includes different activity options and the creation of an event page via Facebook, to which you’ll invite all their family and friends through a guest list they provide you with.

Offer different activity options for the child to choose from based on their interests. A “Make Your Own Pizza Party” is one option that is likely to be a favorite!

Package the basic ingredients one would need to make a single-serving pizza. Facilitate the delivery of these pizza party bags to each of the child’s guests. If they invited non-local guests, create an ingredient list you can post on the event page that lets them know what they’ll need to participate.

When their party day comes, help the guest of honor host a “LIVE” video in their event group! All their guests can watch the birthday child create their pizza while making their own at the same time. Once everyone’s pizza is done, they can post pictures or videos of their special creations.

This option is a wonderful way to utilize the power of social media to allow people to connect from near and far, and create a lasting memory of a special day.

Event Planning 101

In this resource, we outline the major party planning areas to consider as you prepare to host your next party.

From before, during, to after the party, each chapter includes a checklist you can use or add to your online booking software to help your staff keep track of every task.

Click on the image below to download this resource.