As the holiday season hits, many teams (including ours) are looking for alternatives to IRL end of year retreats, with many taking office parties into a virtual setting. SpatialChat 2.0 and Toucan, both launched this week, could be fun alternatives to a regular Zoom call.

SpatialChat 2.0 is a virtual space for events and teams. Originally launched in April, the makers offered a Zoom alternative for teams of up to 50 to socialize in more interactive spaces. Fast forward to yesterday, they launched version 2.0 which will allow users to host events for thousands of attendees, multi-room spaces, and the ability to host more intimate hangs by a virtual pool or bar.

Focusing on smaller scale conversations, Toucan lets users form their own groups and move freely from conversation to conversation. The co-founders wanted to make gatherings more natural by giving users the power to join any conversation in a room without awkwardly sitting through a whole Zoom call.

If you’re in the midst of planning your virtual holiday party, here are some additional options to help avoid the dreaded Zoom fatigue:

Famera Beta takes users on a surreal journey in magical space - say goodbye to boring video chats.

Flinkit! allows users to host team building games with crafty storylines, visual tasks, and riddles.

Social hour wants to bring back casual, small-group conversations as users ‘move’ around virtual tables.

Nicebreak is like Airbnb experiences for teams.

Banger.Digital can help users throw online parties and happy hours in an 8-Bit mansion.

Create your own socially-distant Santa with AI Santa by Synthesia. Trip out friends and family members by letting them know if they've been naughty or nice. 🎅