This year, it's unlikely you'll be hosting a big holiday party for your customers at your small business. But if you have Webex, there are many ways you can celebrate the season and show appreciation virtually. Here are a few ideas.

1. Have a virtual holiday party.One of the biggest things a lot of us will be missing are the social activities that typically happen throughout the holidays. Right now, video conferencing is the next best thing to being there, so consider inviting your staff and customers to enjoy some holiday cheer at a virtual party. For example, one of my colleagues is doing a customer event that's a wine tasting with an ugly sweater contest and holiday trivia. Let your mind wander. How can you take your traditional events and make them virtual? By combining Webex with a little creativity, your holiday party can be fun for everyone. And you don't need to have designated drivers because everyone is already at home.
2. Give the gift of better meetings.Consider creating a customer gift box to make your virtual meetings with them even better in 2021. This idea is taken from the gift packages Cisco gave analysts for the WebexOne event this week. The Webex Desk Cameras and Desk products are incredibly cool and should be available soon. Collaboration tech can be a particularly good gift if your customers are into the latest gadgets.
3. Get crafty.This year, many people are opting to give homemade gifts. At a virtual cooking event, you can share all your favorite tips for the perfect gingerbread and check out everyone's kitchen appliances, tools, and utensils. Or maybe have an event creating or packaging up food or crafts for a local nonprofit. Food insecurity is at an all-time high and food banks need donations. Or check with your local animal rescue groups to see if they'd like homemade blankets or cat toys.
4. Show your stuff.If your business involves training or services, show your customers how you do what you do. For example, a graphic design company could use Webex to run a free class with their best timesaving tips for using Adobe Photoshop. A small manufacturer could do a demo that shows how they make their products. And restaurants host a free cooking class. Some of the latest enhancements in Webex include noise cancellation, speech enhancement, transcription, and closed captioning, so everyone can enjoy your information.
5. Share stories and embrace creativity.This year has been one everyone is going to remember. If you sell to other small businesses, invite your customers and community to share stories of how they've dealt with pandemic life. If you used to attend a mentoring or networking group in person, make it virtual. You don't have to limit your options to just business either. My sister and I have used Webex to brainstorm ideas for our writing projects too. If you have Webex Teams, try out the whiteboard features to jump-start your creativity or to play a virtual game of Pictionary.

Get connected securely

A lot of us are going to be working remotely at least for a while. When it comes to collaboration, you don't want to take risks. You need to be able to work securely and efficiently, no matter where people are located. Learn more about how easy it is to use and deploy Cisco Designed Secure Remote Work so you can enjoy the holidays virtually at your small business without worrying about security.