Team building shouldn’t feel like work. A truly fun event engages attendees and brings them together through shared experiences and natural moments. Whether you go for icebreaker games or refined mocktail parties, fun team activities can turn a regular workday into an experience where people can talk, laugh, and create memories.
In this guide, we’ll explore creative team-building activities for both in-person and virtual events.
How to choose the right team-building activity
Before picking an activity, think about your number of participants and the nature of the event. Here are a few tips to get started:
- Group size: Small groups can handle more personal, conversation-based activities because everyone has room to contribute. Larger groups usually need formats with clearer instructions and easier crowd participation, like live polling or bingo.
- In-person vs. virtual: In-person events give people more ways to interact with the venue. They also offer hands-on interaction and challenges. Virtual team-building activities need an intentionally indirect setup so remote attendees can participate through prompts and items they have at home.
- Event goals: Activities should support the event’s goal. For example, a quick icebreaker activity can warm up a room full of new teammates, while a creative team-building challenge helps attendees communicate and strengthen existing bonds.
- Networking versus collaboration: Networking activities help attendees meet more people in a short amount of time. Collaborative formats are better for retreats and team-building events where smaller groups boost relationships.
Icebreakers and games for team-building events
Icebreaker activities help people relax and feel comfortable. They’re perfect before a longer session because they reduce tension and ease people into the event.
1. Speed networking rounds
Speed networking rounds have short, timed conversations to help attendees meet people without the awkward “go mingle” atmosphere. Pair participants, give them a prompt, and rotate every few minutes to keep the room moving.
This icebreaker works well for medium to large groups where people may not know each other yet. It provides a comfortable space to meet and get to know multiple teammates rapidly. It’s best in person, but digital events can create the same rhythm with virtual breakout rooms.
2. Live audience polling
Audience polling turns quick questions from the crowd into real-time group participation. Ask attendees to vote on topics like work preferences or funny team habits, then use the results to spark a discussion.
Live polls are great for large groups because everyone can join without speaking in front of the room. Use it when you want quick feedback or a simple way to engage the room and get people laughing. It works well in person, virtually, or as part of a hybrid event.
3. Event bingo
Bingo gives attendees a low-pressure reason to start conversations. For an event, instead of numbers, each square includes a prompt like “has attended this event before” or “works on a remote team.” People then talk to others to complete their cards. These squares can contain anything you like. Be creative, and ask your team for inspiration.
Bingo is ideal for groups of any size. The format is easy to understand and scale. Use it for any company gathering, from mixers to retreats. It’s most common for in-person events, but you can use digital cards for virtual team building.
Longer in-person activities
Longer in-person activities make sense when you need to go beyond introductions. They give people more time to share an experience and reinforce relationships. Here are the best ones.
4. Cocktail or mocktail class
A cocktail class gives people a hands-on activity with a splash of conversation on the side. A host guides the group through flavor choices, mixing techniques, and presentations while participants create their own drinks.
Since people will want to be close to the presenter to properly see and hear them, this activity works best for small to medium-sized groups. However, you can use multiple stations and show the host on a screen for larger events.
5. Collaborative mural or group art piece
In a collaborative art activity, you ask everyone to contribute to one shared creative outcome. Each person adds something based on a theme, and the final piece becomes a visual reminder of the experience.
It’s a strong team-building activity because attendees can see how individual contributions build something bigger. It’s meaningful, symbolic, and visually stunning. Use it for small workshops, or adapt it for large groups by dividing the activity into different phases or stations.
6. Chef-led tasting experience
A tasting experience brings people together through food and storytelling. The host might introduce local ingredients or walk the group through a themed menu. This spurs conversation naturally, and people will end up chatting and learning more about each other.
Activities like this work well for small to medium-sized groups, but you can expand the format by scheduling seatings for larger gatherings.
7. Wellness session
In a wellness event, a facilitator leads people through an experience designed around sounds, breathwork, and guided reflection. It offers a calm ambiance to help teams connect, especially after a busy week. You can also use this activity to cool down after a high-energy workshop.
This activity is great for small to mid-sized groups. Use it at retreats where your goal is to rejuvenate energy and charge everyone’s batteries rather than create competition.
8. Improv or storytelling workshop
A storytelling workshop helps attendees practice active listening skills and quick thinking in a playful setting. A host leads everyone through short exercises, where participants respond to prompts and build scenes around a theme.
Keep this activity limited to small groups, because participants should have enough room to contribute and feel comfortable. Use it for leadership sessions or team bonding — situations when you want to focus on team communication.
9. City or neighborhood scavenger hunt
A scavenger hunt sends attendees through a venue or local area to complete challenges and find clues. Split everyone into teams, and tell them to solve riddles and find landmarks to uncover the next clue. You can also work with local communities, where store owners or associates hold clues until a team earns it with problem solving skills.
With the space available, a city or neighborhood scavenger hunt works well for medium to larger groups. Break large groups into smaller teams, and they can move independently while staying connected to the same goal. Use it for destination events and company offsites where the location adds to the experience.
Longer online activities
Longer events aren’t just for in-person events. Once you’re past the icebreakers, detailed virtual activities help attendees bond and laugh no matter where they are in the world.
10. Virtual cocktail or cooking class
A virtual cooking class gives remote workers something hands-on to do together from their own kitchens. Like the in-person version, a host guides the group through a recipe while attendees follow along, ask questions, and compare results.
While you can have large amounts of people in one video call, this activity is best for small to medium-sized groups so it’s easier to compare techniques and ingredients.
11. Live-streamed trivia with audience participation
Live-streaming office trivia brings team-building game vibes into a virtual or hybrid format — no conference room required. You can run themed rounds, show questions on-screen, and let people answer through chat, trivia platform, or a “raised hand” emoji.
Participation is simple and fast, so you can use this activity for medium to large groups where you want to introduce friendly competition and boost morale.
12. Virtual escape room
In a virtual escape room, you ask attendees to solve clues, unlock puzzles, and work together against the clock. Teams usually join a hosted online room where they search for hints and discuss theories as a group. Then, they all need to agree on a solution before moving forward.
This activity is best for small to medium-sized events or larger groups split into smaller teams.
13. Collaborative digital mood board
A digital mood board gives attendees a shared visual space to collect ideas, images, and words around a theme. Create a prompt for the event’s theme, whether it’s workplace culture or future goals, and ask everyone to contribute toward the mood board — similar to a group art piece.
Use a virtual mood board during small interactive workshops or mid-sized creative sessions where people can contribute quietly. It’s great for brainstorming, especially when you want to break away from corporate talk and benefit from visual thinking.
Eventbrite brings team-building event ideas to life
The best team-building activities break the ice and bring people together effortlessly, but that’s only the beginning. You need to organize a seamless event. A well-crafted video call or retreat lets people walk away feeling positive, engaged, and satisfied.
Choose activities that fit your team, and Eventbrite can help you turn them into an experience.
Eventbrite lets you manage registration and attendees in one place. Tackle paid workshops and multi-session activities with simple ticketing tools, and use our dedicated hybrid event platform to plan events for online and in-person groups.
Use an Organizer Profile to help people discover your events, and build momentum around activities with automated campaigns and email marketing. And when the big day comes, Eventbrite’s check-in tools help you welcome attendees smoothly, no matter where they are.
Sign up with Eventbrite, and host unforgettable moments.
