Playfair Online – Playfair

Playfair Online

Is your new student orientation going online?
So is Playfair!

Even if your students are back on campus, they may not be able to gather physically together as an entire new student class… but they can still meet each other in Playfair Online!

After weeks and months of enforced isolation, the new student class will be hungry for connection and community with their fellow entering students. Like the original in-person Playfair, Playfair Online is a high-spirited, high-energy event that allows these new students to engage with each other and laugh with each other and feel a part of an exciting new campus community. It’s team building, it’s comedy, and it’s lots of fun!

In Playfair Online, the new students meet each other in many different ways—as the entire entering class gathered together, and in many fast-moving breakout rooms. The new students engage in mental and physical challenges as they play games that bring them closer together.This fall, your incoming class of new students will have missed out on some traditional celebrations like Graduation and Prom. So we’ll throw them a party—including a Playfair Online dance celebration!

In Playfair Online the new students discover the many things they have in common as they work together in ever-changing team building events. They are creatively challenged to create rhyming poems on the fly, perform physical challenges in unison with their virtual teammates, and share their favorite pop-culture moments in a truly unique format that produces lots of shared laughter. In a very fun and safe online environment they get to share their own thoughts and feelings and get to know their fellow students as well.

Welcome to Playfair Online, featuring Playfair’s signature brand of upbeat community-building interactions. It’s time to have some fun together! It’s time to make some new friends! It’s time to reach out virtually and celebrate your incoming new student class.

Give your new student class a gift they will long remember—Playfair Online.

“OMG PLAYFAIR TEAM!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I had a handful of OLs share that the program was fantastic, and one even said she liked it better virtually than in-person LOL! I was dancing the whole time and it set the perfect tone for the rest of our program.Your enthusiasm and passion was contagious, and Playfair is so lucky to have you on staff! In Gratitude,”

Lindsay Barndt, Director Student Transitions The College of New Jersey,

“Thank you for such a great show today. Lexi and Fran were absolutely great and were so good with our students. The students who participated were fully engaged. I popped into a bunch of breakout rooms and the students were definitely into it! Great job in the transition of Playfair from in person to virtual. It's a great event!”

Stephen T. Cucchiara Director | Student Activities & Community Service University of Colorado, Colorado Springs,

“I wanted to reach out and thank you all for creating such an amazing virtual experience. Our students had a BLAST! They are still talking about how much fun they had.”

Ethan Miller, Program Coordinator, Student Involvement Lindenwood University,

“I just wanted to send a quick note to say how wonderful your team was. I really enjoyed both shows and the students did too. I really hope that we can use your services again. I enjoyed working with you and this was truly a learning and rewarding experience.”

La Tina Leslie, Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs CSU Dominguez Hills,

“I just wanted to thank you both so very much for Playfair this weekend. It was, dare I say, TOO good! Our first year students loved the experience and bonded REALLY quickly. A very large group of them wound up playing kickball outside until after 2 a.m., which was a great sign of them making new friends, and is totally thanks for Playfair. The Residence Life staff in the building while students were participating said that the students were very engaged and loved the experience. Thank you so, SO much. In a year where we must find ways to bring people together without bringing them physically together, and where the importance of connections with others has never been more important, I’m so grateful to have you!”

Deanna Wicks, Director of Campus & Multicultural Student Life St. Vincent College,

“Jamila and Fran,

Thank you so much for a great evening. WELL DONE!”

Donna L. Meyer, Director, Student Programs Penn State University, Schreyer Honors College,

“So many of our students are still talking about Playfair Online—it was amazing! We will DEFINITELY be working with you guys again next year! They had a blast!

Taylor Plugge, Director of Student Engagement College of the Ozarks,

“Megan, Kristen, and I attended virtual Playfair last night with Jamila and Fran, and we just want to say THANK YOU! It was so much fun and completely exceeded our expectations of a virtual program. Jamila was awesome as she is every year and Fran made everything flow so seamlessly; I don't think I've ever seen a Zoom go so well!We hope to be back to in-person next time but if not, we would definitely love to do this program again virtually, and we would love to work with Jamila and Fran every time! Thanks again!”

Tamera Risk, Assistant Dean of Students Clarkson University,

“Although we had to shift gears and offer Playfair online, instead of in-person, I’m so pleased with the results. I was struggling to find a way for first year students to meet one another and engage in a fun environment virtually. Playfair Online offered the perfect solution, and the whole process was easy and seamless to set up. Our two hosts were excellent and kept the energy flowing. There was never a dull moment. I loved all of the games and questions in the event, and it looked like the students had fun being goofy. I was surprised with how creative the program was, seeing as everything was done online. I’m happy we partnered with Playfair for our orientation experience.”

Kelsey Anderson, Student Activities Coordinator University of Providence,

"You guys ROCK! Impressed with the energy you can sustain with a group you don't know”

Tina Zwegat, Assistant Director Student Union Oberlin College,

"I know it will be something that I will suggest again for next years orientation!”

Sarah Toby, Assistant Director of Student Programming College of Wooster,

“I want to let you know that Playfair Online was a huge hit at DeSales with our freshmen. So much so our mentors and captains were wondering if we could do it again for just them!”

Nicholas J. Luchko, Assistant Dean of Students for Engagement and Leadership DeSales University,

“Our students loved Playfair Online!”

Jake Allen, Associate Director of New Student & Family Programs East Tennessee State University,

“Thank you again Newton for facilitating another incredible Playfair for UMass Lowell. In person or online you always bring the energy! Tonight’s event was the perfect balance of interactive and engaging. Our students really opened up and shared in each breakout room. It was so cool to get to connect in this way with our incoming class. The prompts were dynamic and just the right amount of sharing without feeling uncomfortable. I loved this, and would definitely suggest online Playfair to anyone!! Thank you for kicking off our Welcome week as you always do with the positivity and excitement.”

Joanne Dunbar, Associate Director, Student Activities& Leadership UMass Lowell,