# Virtual Family Feasts The Virtual Holiday Dinner Uses Skype to Connect With Loved Ones By Meghan Young | Published 2010-12-23 | Tech Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/virtual-holiday-dinner References: [fastcompany](http://www.fastcompany.com/1711725/virtual-holiday-dinner-brings-families-together-via-robot-proxies) & [virtualholidaydinner](http://www.virtualholidaydinner.com/) It's not uncommon for many family members to be separated over the holidays, but with the Virtual Holiday Dinner, you can enjoy the company of your loved ones as though you were all in the same room. Set up by Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam, the virtual get-together was created via Skype. Essentially, the Virtual Holiday Dinner centers around a special table surrounded by robots with monitors as heads. Family members and friends log onto Skype to control these robots with head movements. To use it, people reserved 15 minutes on the Virtual Holiday Dinner website. According to Fast Company, "In total, Wieden+Kennedy rounded up 156 people from six continents to participate." ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.8/10 - Popularity: 29% | Activity: 47% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Tech](https://www.trendhunter.com/tech) > [Computers](https://www.trendhunter.com/computers) ## Key Themes ### What's Driving This Trend - **Virtual Social Gatherings:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop virtual platforms or technologies that enhance and simulate social interactions for remote participants. - **Telepresence Robotics:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create advanced telepresence robots with improved control interfaces and functionalities for various remote communication applications. - **Remote Collaboration Tools:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Design intuitive and immersive tools that enable seamless collaboration and interaction between remote teams. ### Who This Affects Most - **Virtual Reality:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Explore the integration of virtual reality technology into virtual social gatherings, enhancing the sense of presence and immersion. - **Robotics:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop telepresence robots with improved mobility, dexterity, and human-like interaction capabilities for various industries, including remote family gatherings. - **Collaboration Software:** Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create next-generation collaboration software that combines video conferencing, document sharing, and virtual environment integration for enhanced remote teamwork experiences. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Virtual Holiday Collaborations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/wishfultree.md) - [Thanksgiving Conveyor Belt Centerpieces](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/hellofresh-thanksgiving.md) - [Virtual Table Top Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tinytable.md) - [Virtual Escape Room Games](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/masters-of-mysterys-help-save-christmas.md) - [Virtual Holiday Shopping Experiences](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/holiday-shop.md) - [Virtual Dining Platform Expansions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/virtual-dining-platform.md) - [Meal Kit Installations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/giant-delivery-box.md) - [Festive Showroom Eateries](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/seasons-eatings-at-ikea.md) - [Christmas Family Dinners](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/christmas-family-dinners.md)