Corporate events should be all about having fun, building great relationships and saying a big fat “thank you” to your team for their hard work.
And most companies will offer something along the lines of: going for a few pints on a Friday afternoon, popping out for a meal on the managers, an awesome Christmas party etc. which are all fabulous, and do work wonders for morale.
But have you ever wanted to do something a bit more quirky?
Well you could just grab a big book on team building (highly recommended by the way...) and use some ideas from there.
But to make your life slightly easier, we’ve come up with a list of 80 slightly more original (sometimes weird, sometimes wonderful) ideas for your next corporate event… enjoy!
Outdoorsy Corporate Event Ideas
1. Segway Experiences. Seriously, these are absolutely hilarious.
2. Horse riding. You might want to check on your team’s allergies and phobias first though.
3. Kayaking. With the obligatory manager-dunking at the end, of course.
4. Sheep herding. Now, you can even now do ‘human sheep herding’ - just in case you don’t trust your staff with the animals.
5. Strawberry picking. Very quaint and very English.
6. Tough Mudder. Who wouldn’t want to run 12 miles through 500,000 Litres of mud, whilst completing an obstacle course – and all for charity?
7. Zorbing. Down hills, across lakes or on a football pitch, this is steadily becoming a very popular activity.
8. Soap Box Derby. Loads of companies offer this as a corporate event, but you could always enter a proper race instead.
9. Building things. From beehives and boats to bridges and sand sculptures, there are a wide variety of building activity days on offer – just search online.
10. Orienteering. There’s nothing like getting lost in the middle of nowhere to build team spirit!
Quirky Corporate Event Ideas
11. Bingo. Outdated and cheesy but great for a good (relaxed) giggle.
12. Hire a barge. More popular these days, there’s nothing quite like spending a day, messing around on the river.
13. Get cultural. Do some touristy things in your city; bus or walking tours, museums, art galleries are all a good shout.
14. Murder mystery night. Get your team working together to hunt down that murderer.
15. Make a movie. A few companies offer events where you get to create your own team video/music video. Cringe-worthy but fun.
16. Outdoor cinema. Very trendy at the moment - the only downside (or upside, depending on your co-workers) is that you won’t be able to talk to each other.
17. Escape Games. You and your team must solve puzzles and find clues to escape from your locked room – even better; there’s an option to include zombies too.
18. Disco Yoga. I don’t know exactly what this is but I want to try it!
19. Crime Scene Investigation. An updated version of the murder mystery night – you get to use real equipment and everything.
20. Visit the circus. Or, if they’re in town, Cirque De Soleil are definitely worth a visit.
Big Kid Corporate Event Ideas
21. A magic show. With the likes of Dynamo and David Blaine out there, magic has gotten a lot trendier than it used to be.
22. Laser Quest. For those who can’t quite handle paintball.
23. Board Game Day. From Snakes and Ladders to Monopoly, get everyone to bring in their favourite board game and host some tournaments (alcohol optional)!
24. Treasure hunt. Around the office or out in town, you can organise this yourself or get an events company to do it for you.
25. Visit the zoo. Most zoos will let you book some kind of corporate event with them, just take a look online.
26. Visit the petting zoo. These can be mobile or you can travel out to them. And the best bit is; a little dose of love from a furry animal pal is said to make your staff more productive!
27. Adult-sized ball-pit and play area. For the young at heart, who also like a good old alcoholic beverage.
28. Egg and flour fight. Why not?
29. Build a giant water slide. All you need is some tarpaulin, fairy liquid and a big grassy hill and you’re away. (Not sure what health and safety would say about this though…)
30. Theme Park/ Water Park. For the adrenaline junkies.
Food & Drink Corporate Event Ideas
31. Sausage making. I’m not sure this one’s for everyone… could get a little bit gross.
32. Food-eating competition. Create your very own man vs food competition (or visit a restaurant that has already come up with a food challenge).
33. Mad Hatter’s tea party. A twist on the good, old-fashioned afternoon tea.
34. Baking class. The Great British Bake Off has really ignited the Nation’s love of cake. Learn how to cook like the pros.
35. Cookery class/ competition. You could even do an office ‘come dine with me.’
36. Chocolate making. We’re lucky - we have Cadbury world. What do you have in your area?
37. Host a picnic. If the sun keeps shining (fingers crossed) what better way to bring your team together?
38. Brewery tour. Simple, unique and really fun.
39. “I’m an employee, get me out of here.” Find some ‘tasty’ treats (like edible chocolate ants) for your team to try.
40. Visit an Ice Bar. Very ‘cool.’ NB: you’re only stay in the bar for a maximum of 40 minutes.
Extravagant Corporate Event Ideas
41. Snorkel with the sharks.
(At a Sea life Centre.) This is for smaller groups (roughly 4 at a time) but could be a great reward for your high-performing staff members.
42. A team sky dive. This is one that I definitely won’t be suggesting to my colleagues.
43. Cabaret/ Burlesque Night. Definitely a bit different – might raise a few eyebrows.
44. Spa weekend. If you really want to treat your staff, why not take them out to a lovely, relaxing spa? They’ll certainly get chance to rejuvenate before work on Monday morning – win-win.
45. Hire the Tower Bridge out! Very swanky – click here for details.
46. Trip to Vegas. Some might say that this is a little excessive… but you’d be surprised how many companies now use this trip as an incentive (for sales staff).
47. “Helicopter Treasure Hunts.” For when a plain old treasure hunt just isn’t quite good enough.
48. Hot air ballooning. You’ll definitely check the weather forecast for this one…
49. Hire a luxury yacht. …and this one.
50. Hire a castle for the weekend. Then set up some great team-building events, games and activities for during the day.
Themed Corporate Event Ideas
Hiring a venue and putting on an amazing party is a great idea. Here are some slightly quirkier themes…
51. The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Love this.
52. Pokémon. Pick them out of a hat else you’ll probably end up with masses of Pikachus.
53. Tetris. Done right, this is amazing – you can actually have a life-size game of the old classic.
54. Dinosaur party. This could be a little bit difficult but it’ll be fun to see what people come up with.
55. Game of Thrones. Obviously quite popular at the moment… You could even split different teams into different houses.
56. A Tarantino party. Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs, Death Proof, Kill Bill… imagine the possibilities.
57. 5 Year Olds. Get everyone to find a photo of themselves as a 5 year old, come to the party dressed in the same outfit, bringing the photo with them. Then play “guess who.”
58. Three-legged party. Everyone will certainly get to know each other.
59. Jungle party. A nice spin on the 'animal' theme and well-timed with the release of the new Jungle Book movie.
60. Duck Hunting. Saw this online – very peculiar. I’m guessing you go as either a duck or a hunter?
For more theme ideas, click here! (Some of these are SO good).
Sports Corporate Event Ideas
61. Ferret racing. This is the second time I’ve come across this in a couple of weeks! Fantastic.
62. Arm wrestling competition. For the uber-competitive office.
63. Football golf. Golf that everyone can enjoy. (Except people who hate football.)
64. Falconry. Hint: you’ll need an expert for this…
65. The Highland Games. With classics like Scottish Hammer Throw and Caber Toss. What's not to love?
66. Tobogganing. Or if you’re feeling more adventurous you could even go skiing/ snowboarding at a dry ski slope or SnowDome.
67. Sumo wrestling. In sumo-suits, obviously.
68. Ping Pong. Guarantee someone on your team will be secretly awesome at ping pong.
69. Live sport. You could go and watch some live sport – like football, the races or rugby.
70. Rounders. Get everyone involved with a good old game of Rounders.
Volunteering Corporate Event Ideas
Loads of companies are now getting their employees engaged, whilst making a difference with “Corporate Volunteering Events.” You’ll find them easily online, but here are some examples.
71.Volunteering with animals. You could help create homes for the UK’s birds with the RSPCB or help out at an animal centre for the RSPCA.
72. Water projects. You can help charities to restore canals, lakes, streams, rivers and ponds.
73. Fundraising events. Why not get staff involved with hosting a charity picnic, fayre or ball?
74. Sponsored sporting events. Cycling, running (Tough Mudder), walking and swimming are all popular.
75. Be a fundraiser for the day. You and your team could volunteer to take to the streets and fundraise for a charity.
76. Sponsored (non-sporting) events – Our Director Mark waxed his legs for Comic Relief (click here to watch a clip) what kind of thing could you do?
77. Gardening projects. There are tons of these across the UK, getting people involved with the environment and local communities.
78. Community voluntary work. There are thousands of charities that would offer you the chance to get out into the community (and help other, more vulnerable people to do the same).
79. Clean up projects. Probably the least glamorous, but someone needs to do it.
80. General help. Or you could do something great like help out at a Marie Curie hospice.
Honestly, there are so many different opportunities out there and your staff will feel so fantastic after they’ve taken part!
Inspired?
I know that some of the activities on this list are a bit more 'out-there' than others... but the truth is, you could take your staff anywhere really.
As long as you organise things well, choose something you know your team will enjoy (EG. don't take teetotalers to a pub) don't try to impose 1,000 ridiculous rules and of course, your staff do actually get on (could be a bit awkward otherwise) I'm sure you'll have a whale of a time.
Recruiter Pro Tip Corporate events are a really great way to say "Thank You" to your hard-working staff, keeping them engaged, happy and loyal to your business for much longer. And if none of these ideas take your fancy, have a look at this book on team building on Amazon - it's full of some brilliant ideas. But of course, if you have a limited budget, there are other ways to show your appreciation! Click here to discover some less expensive options.
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Happy Friday folks!
