PowerPoint Party Ideas That Will Have Your Guests Rushing to Pull Out Their Laser Pointers

Want to combine learning with the social interaction of a party? PowerPoint parties are a great way to do just that.

These types of digital-forward get-togethers were created in the early 2010s, with the intention of using technology to teach, learn and, above all, socialize.

We’ll explain what, exactly, a PowerPoint party entails, how to decide on a venue and the reasons you might want to host this type of gathering the next time you’re planning a party.

Table of Contents

• What is a PowerPoint party?
• Party essentials
• Themes
• Food and drinks
• Party games
• Equipment needed
• Party invitations
• Where to host your party

What is a PowerPoint party?

The concept of PowerPoint parties has been around for more than a decade, these social events gained popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to bring people together virtually.

At a PowerPoint party, which can be held online or in person, each person who attends comes prepared with a presentation about either a prearranged topic (if the party has a particular theme) or something that’s of particular interest to them. Although the presentations can be serious in nature, they’re often amusing and entertaining, as well as interesting and informative.

How to host a PowerPoint party

To plan your presentation-heavy party, first start by deciding whether you’d like to have it virtually or in person.

One of the nice things about PowerPoint parties is that, in the grand scheme of soirees, they’re a fairly low lift. If you do a virtual version, there’s no cost to host, as everyone dials in from a remote location of their choosing and provides their own snacks. And because nobody will see you from the waist down, none of you even has to wear pants. (Talk about a casual dress code.)

But, if you want to amp up the social aspect and bring your friends or family together, plan to host an in-person PowerPoint party, where everyone presents in person while enjoying snacks and each other’s company. It can still be casual, with everyone showing up in comfortable clothing (unless you decide on that in advance to tie in with a special theme).

Either way, this type of event is best when kept small to avoid information overload and leave time for everyone to present and answer questions from other attendees.

PowerPoint party essentials

Sure, this is one of the easiest party types to coordinate and host, but that doesn’t mean you won’t still need a few elements to make your event a success. Here’s what to think about when planning the perfect party — or meeting of the minds, rather.

PowerPoint party themes

If you want to retain an element of surprise and allow people to speak about topics that genuinely interest them (which often leads to better presentations), allow the PowerPoints to be about anything that’s meaningful to each person who’s presenting. 

Because it’s likely something they find important and interesting and about which they already know quite a bit, it won’t feel like work. If you’d like to keep the party atmosphere alive, encourage slides to be funny and lighthearted instead of overly serious.

Alternatively, if you have something you’re trying to decide on as a group, PowerPoint parties can be used as a way to gather more information, have each person in the discussion plead their case through a presentation and then vote on the outcome. 

Are your brother and his fiancé accepting suggestions for what they should name their new dog? Do you and your friends finally want to take vacation planning out of the group chat? This is the way.

Here are some PowerPoint party ideas if you’re hosting:

Potluck

Everyone chooses their own presentation topic and brings a secret dish or snack item. (If you’re feeling a little uninspired, check out some of these delicious potluck food ideas.)

Vacation

Everyone prepares a presentation on where the group should go on its next trip together and why their suggestion is the best choice. At the end, the group votes on the winner and agrees to plan the trip.

Decisions, decisions

Need a name for your new baby or pet? Can’t decide what color to make your wedding decorations or paint your living room? Looking to buy a new car or switch dentists and need a nudge? Weighing the pros and cons of finally meeting up with that Bumble match? Each guest should come with a recommendation and an argument – either satirical or serious – for why it’s the best.

Study group

Studying for a big exam? Why not make it extra fun by dividing the material up among a group of friends and having each person come prepared to do a crib notes version of the topic that presents the subject in a clever or hilarious way to help you remember the information?

Book club

Are you and your friends avid readers? Have each person do a book report-style presentation on the best title they’ve read in the past three months. Readers will vote at the end about which sounds most interesting, and whoever hasn’t read it yet will add it to the top of their list.

Regardless of whether you select a theme or allow participants to pick their own topics, the sky is the limit. In fact, we’ve seen Instagram reels of PowerPoint presentations on everything from the Dark Web to why one participant needed to adopt a third cat. Another group of friends got together to explain to everyone what it is they actually do for a living. Keep it fun, and everyone is sure to have a great time.

PowerPoint party food and drinks

If you’re hosting virtually, you can skip this section. If you’re inviting people to attend in person, simple is best, with finger foods and snacks serving as the best options. Here are some ideas. 

• Chips with salsa or other dips
• Pita bread with hummus
• Pizza
• Hamburger or pulled pork sliders
• Pretzels
• Popcorn
• Cheese and crackers with cured meats

For easy drinks, consider a case of water, a case of soda and maybe some juice. If you’re looking to add alcohol to the festivities, here are some cute concoctions that might pique everyone’s interest.

• PowerPoint Pimm’s cup: Pimm’s No. 1, lemon juice, ginger ale, cucumber slices, mint sprigs, strawberries and optional lemon and orange slices for garnishes
• Slide deck Sazerac: absinthe, sugar cubes, water, Peychaud’s bitters, rye whiskey, lemon peel garnish
• Laser pointer limeade: lemons, limes, water, sugar, orange liqueur
• Queen Mary Q&A: grenadine, beer, maraschino cherries

PowerPoint party games

Because PowerPoint parties already have an activity built in, you won’t have to worry too much about planning games. However, should you choose to incorporate an air of competition, you could have all participants vote at the end for the best presentation and give a prize to the winner. What you choose to give is completely up to you and the party’s theme.

Additionally, there should be time allowed for a question-and-answer session after each presentation, which serves as a second activity that prolongs the fun.

Equipment to make presenting a breeze

Virtually, each person will need PowerPoint (or some other presentation-building software) and a computer or tablet

In person, you’ll need access to everyone’s PowerPoint files in order to share them on presentation day. There are several ways of sharing the files.

• Ahead of time via e-mail or Google Drive to be accessed by the host on presentation day
• On the day of the party via external USB drive
• On the day of by having each guest bring and connect their own device to the TV or projector

The second part of preparing to host an in-person PowerPoint party is determining how you’d like to display the presentations. Do you have a TV with a large screen that would work by either screen mirroring or connection with an HDMI cable? Or, perhaps you own or plan to rent a digital projector that can show everyone’s work on a blank wall at your party location.

Basically, how big, interactive and costly you choose to go is completely up to you.

PowerPoint party invitations

If you’re hosting a virtual shindig, send a virtual invitation to keep with the theme. (Although it’s up to you, a physical invite might seem out of place for a virtual event.) You might consider informally reaching out to invitees via text or e-mail, sending an e-vite or – if you want to be extra fun – sending a short PowerPoint presentation with slides containing the details and reasons why they should attend.

For an in-person event, you might still choose to go with a digital invitation, or opt for the paper card route. Either way, there are some adorable digital invitations on Etsy.

Where to host a PowerPoint party

Where you choose to host your PowerPoint event will vary based on whether you select a virtual or in-person party.

If you’ve scheduled a virtual meetup, set up a call using a program like Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Google Meet, with everyone dialing in from their own location of choice.

Should you decide on a physical onsite event, your home is the most logical and cost-effective location choice. But, with everyone coming to you, you need to make sure you have adequate space to offer comfortable seating for everyone. You’ll also require a place to set up snacks, as well as a large-screen TV or projector of some sort – plus a blank wall or pull-down screen for the latter.

If you can’t accommodate all of this in your house or apartment, you’ll want to look at bookable spaces in a private home, studio or warehouse location that offers both the space and the electronic capabilities required. You could even aim to find something that includes a backyard space, PowerPoint-ready patio or other outdoor space for a portable projector setup if the weather is nice.

Peerspace presents: The best way to find a PowerPoint party space

If your group of presenters will be showing up in person, Peerspace can help you find an ideal location that meets all of your local hosting needs.

From indoor spaces with enough capacity for comfortable seating arrangements and big-screen TVs to private movie theater venues to backyard PowerPoint party venues with fairy lights and plenty of space for a digital projector setup, you’ll have all of your bases covered.

In addition to connecting you directly with event space hosts, Peerspace provides transparent hourly rates and real customer reviews with photos so you can see exactly what to expect from each location.

Let Peerspace guide you to your perfect event space, and all you and your guests will have left to do is follow the red dot – and have fun while you’re at it.