Company retreats are an important part of building culture and keeping employees engaged. Well-organized retreats help your staff to enhance collaboration and teamwork, learn new skills, and nurture relationships. The benefits of hosting a properly organized company retreat include team members that are more motivated and engaged, and increased interdepartmental cooperation. 

Surf Office has helped more than 700 companies plan and execute retreats that actually engage employees. Over the past decade, we’ve worked with teams of all sizes in various industries, and we see firsthand what excites employees and creates a better culture. After all, our job is to plan innovative company retreats that your staff will appreciate and remember. In all those years, we’ve seen some activities work over and over again. Here are the best group retreat activities for your work team, according to experts in the field. 

Typical corporate retreat activities 

1. Welcome party

One of the most obvious choices, a welcome party is always a fun way to kick things off. Welcome parties are a popular group activity because they bring everyone together, set the tone for the rest of the event, and help people to get to know new team members. Create a welcome party for the first day of your retreat. Note: Depending on your team, it might be worth it to limit the alcohol served at the party. Otherwise, people may overindulge and be tired in the following days. If you’re going to have a boozy evening, make it the last one of the retreat. 

2. Scavenger hunt

The scavenger hunts you can put together are nearly limitless. From encouraging a singular activity to putting together competitive teams, you can create a scavenger hunt nearly anywhere and around any items. For large groups, break people down into smaller teams that can compete against each other. Depending how long you want to spend, you can have people hunt for objects outside, around your venue, or you can have them gather items easily found in the building. The beauty of a scavenger hunt is that you can be really creative while encouraging teamwork and collaboration. 

3. Guest speaker

Your team would love to hear from a person who can inspire, educate, or entertain them. Bringing in a guest speaker that’s an expert in your field will capture attention and may even teach your participants something new. Look around online for ideas about who might be available. If you’re on a tight budget, check with local industry associations for experts who might have more affordable appearance fees.

4. “Shark tank” pitching

A mock pitching event will involve teams pitching a fake product or service. Set up a panel of team members to act as investors and choose which “company” they’ll invest in. This is a fun activity that promotes critical thinking, creativity, entrepreneurship, collaboration and teamwork. Plus, you never know what brilliant new ideas can be applied to your business! 

5. Produce a movie

For promoting more creativity and collaboration, consider creating a movie. For large groups, break people up into smaller teams and make sure everyone has proper equipment such as a camera, microphone, and editing tools. Each team will need to come up with a unique concept, script, and roles, and produce the best movie they can in whatever time frame you choose. You can make this a competition where judges choose the best video, or just show the videos throughout the retreat for fun and inspiration. 

6. Create a company podcast

For people who don’t want to appear on camera, consider a podcast. This is great for small teams but can also work for large teams broken into smaller groups. Planning and executing a podcast is ideal for honing communication skills, time management, and digital skills. Plus, the end result is content that can be used for other purposes such as “how-to” material for customers or marketing. 

7. Group jigsaw puzzle

Working together to solve a puzzle is simple but effective. For large groups, divide everyone into smaller groups and provide a time limit for solving their unique puzzle. You can make this even more fun by having custom puzzles created based on photos from your team or photos they submit. 

8. Create a team crest

Team emblems help to foster morale and teamwork. Think of these symbols as you would for your favorite sports team. Have your team work together to come up with their own flag, shield, or other visual representation of their group. This is a great exercise not only for creativity and collaboration, but fostering a true team identity. 

9. Mix and mingle

Boost your team’s networking skills by hosting a mixer with mingling as the goal. You may want to curate some icebreaker activities to guide the group, or you can just leave everyone to their own devices and let them work the room. Remember, though, the goal is to meet new people and learn new things - not simply converse with the same people you already know or see all the time. Encourage your group to break out of their comfort zone a bit and try to meet 3 new people. 

10. Lunch and learn

These activities are popular with many corporate environments because people can use lunchtime to learn new things or hone new skills. Whether you want to invite a speaker, watch videos online, or have everyone share information with each other, all it requires is a catered lunch. Many people host lunch and learns led by an industry expert, but you could also host one focused on anything from video games to knitting - whatever interests your group! 

11. Corporate trivia

Trivia is always fun, and it’s applicable to most groups - even hybrid ones. Come up with some fun questions about your company history, team members, or your industry. This is a good way to help people learn more about the company they work for and each other. You can also have team members send in questions in advance and make them part of your trivia game. If you have a few people who can’t make the retreat in person, they can be online for an equal opportunity to answer the questions. 

12. Motivational content

Inspiration is one of the biggest benefits of a company retreat. Use the time wisely - even during digital events - by sharing motivational or educational content. If you aren’t planning to secure a professional speaker, collect some videos or other material that can be shared with everyone and spend some time showing your team. One smart idea is to ask for ideas in advance of the retreat. What types of speeches or videos would help your team the most? 

13. Team bingo

Bingo is always a good choice for large groups. To get started, ​​you need to prepare a Bingo card. You can download a card online with prompts that suit the group’s choice, print out the cards and distribute them to the players. Everything from “has more than one pet” to “knows how to set up a campfire” or “appeared on TV before” can be prompts. Each person marks any box containing a prompt they can relate to or an action they have performed, depending on the theme of the bingo card. This game is great because the playing field is level for everyone no matter where they are. 

14. One-word story

This is a really straightforward game that doesn’t require any special preparation or materials (plus, it’s free). Choose one player to start the game first. They will say one single word, and then choose someone else to go. The next player says their word, in order to contribute to the larger sentence, and on it goes. The arrangement of each word chronologically should form a cohesive - but possibly silly - story. If you want to add an additional challenge, choose a particular theme that members must stay within.

For more ideas on the best team-building activities for work, make sure to follow our blog. Additionally, we understand that remote teams create a unique dynamic. If you are looking for ideas specifically designed for virtual groups, check out our past post on team-building activities for remote teams.

Icebreakers and Get-to-Know-You activities

15. Two truths and a lie

This is a common game for getting to know new people. The idea is that everyone must come up with 3 “facts” - one of which is a lie. They introduce themselves and then make the 3 statements, and it’s up to the rest of the group to decide which one was the lie. This is a great way to learn new things and also makes a quick and easy introduction activity. 

16. Silver linings

Sometimes retreats focus on unfortunate events or circumstances. If your event is centered on something considered negative, try incorporating a silver linings exercise. It helps to shift everyone’s mindset and perspective while also improving morale. To do this, write several scenarios that are typically considered negative on separate pieces of paper. Then, have everyone draw one and share the situation and the silver lining with the larger group. This can be a powerful way to help everyone embrace the upside in unfortunate situations. 

17. “Perfect pairings”

This is a fun game that gets people moving and talking, and is great for helping people to meet new folks. Start by coming up with several things that normally go in pairs, like peanut butter and jelly or peas and carrots. Write each item on a piece of paper and then stick one piece to the back of each team member. Their first job is to find out what is on their back by asking questions of the people around then. For example, “am I a food?” or “what am I made of?”. Once they’ve established which item they are, their job is to look around and find their matching item. When the perfect pairings find each other, they can spend a few minutes chatting and getting to know each other. 

18. “Shipwrecked” exercise

Imagine you’ve been in a major crisis - what items would you need to survive? That’s the basis of this game that can be played by groups of any size. Teams need to work together to determine which items will be most important.  Consensus and agreement is important, so this is helpful for developing leadership and negotiation skills while also getting to know your team members better. 

19. Guess the country (or state)

If you have a widespread team that is geographically diverse, you can help team members to get more comfortable by playing this game. Have everyone mingle and ask questions that will help them to guess the area that the person they are conversing with is from. They can ask things like “What’s the weather like?” or “Which foods are you known for?” It’s a fun way to not only learn more about the people you work with, but also different parts of the country or world! 

20. 3 Question mingle

We recently shared a blog with lots of creative ideas for getting to know new people, and one of the most popular options was the “3 question mix and mingle”. Start by having each person write down 3 questions on 3 separate slips of paper. They should be “getting-to-know-you” type questions, not simple yes or no options. As they mingle in a  casual atmosphere, have them ask one of their questions and then hand the slip over to their conversation partner. As this process continues, everyone will end up with new questions to ask the next person they chat with. 

Physical fun and games

21. Back-to-back drawing

This is a great activity for pairs. Divide your group up into groups of two and have them sit back to back. Give each person an image, which they must describe to their partner. Both people try to draw the image that their partner is describing, without seeing it themselves. This exercise is fun and tends to lead to hilarious results. 

22. Blind drawing

Similar to back-to-back drawing, this game is geared toward teams rather than pairs. Have one person be the “artist” on each team, and their goal is to draw a picture based on instructions from their group. The artist has to figure out what he or she is drawing based on the information they get from their team. 

23. Bridge building

For this team exercise, divide a large group into two halves. Supply materials like cardboard, paper, glue, and anything else that you think might be helpful for building. The goal of both teams is to build half of a bridge that can connect to the half the other team is building, creating a whole, functional bridge. The trick is that they can’t work together. Each group must work separately on their creation, and then they can make adjustments when they come together. This facilitates teamwork and creativity, as well as problem-solving. 

24. Memory building

For this activity, you’ll need to supply an image of a building or other structure to your team. Then, their job is to use the building materials provided to recreate the item according to memory. You’ll want to supply plenty of building blocks, legos, or other materials that are useful for building, so this is best done in larger spaces with plenty of room to move around and be creative. You can have the entire group work together, or break them into smaller teams and make the exercise a competition. 

25. “Perfect square” exercise

In this simple game, team members are blindfolded and have the goal of using a long piece of rope to create a perfect square. Obviously this is much easier said than done when people can’t see! You’ll see natural leadership skills emerge and communication is really important, plus it involves a lot of movement that can provide a nice refresher during a long retreat. 

26. “Hole in many”

This is one of the more physical games, and it requires a bit of prep work. You’ll need a large tarp in which you’ve punched some random holes, and a tennis ball. The goal of the group is to maneuver the tennis ball from one end of the tarp to the other without having it fall through any of the holes.  This team exercise requires physical and verbal teamwork which are great skills for nearly all professions. 

27. Outdoor team sports (laser tag, flag football, etc.)

If you really want to add a physical element to your retreat, you can’t go wrong with setting up some sports. Outdoor activities like pickleball, laser tag, mini golf, and many others are all perfect for letting people express their competitive side while getting some exercise. If you have access to some outdoor areas during your retreat, look at what makes sense for your team and what supplies you have access to. 

Out of the office activities

28. Karaoke

If you have a team that isn’t shy and loves to laugh, why not try some karaoke? Research local bars or venues that offer a karaoke night and reserve a few tables. It’s the perfect way to cap off a company retreat. Note: Make sure not to force more introverted team members to get up on stage. Some people simply don’t feel comfortable performing in public; it’s important not to put them in such situations if you are focused on building trust. 

29. Team cooking classes

Learning something new together is a powerful bonding experience. Talk to local restaurants or learning kitchens about the classes that might be available for your group. If your team is particularly large, you might need to rent your own space and bring someone in, rather than choose a venue. Cooking classes are especially nice because it’s easy to converse and enjoy cocktails while you work. 

30. Hiking

If you think your team is up for it, then a local hike is a great way to get moving, get out of the office, and show off a beautiful location to people from outside the area. This activity is dependent on the fitness of your team: it’s obviously not ideal if you have any group members who struggle with physical movement. Make sure to have everything hikers might need (or send them a list to prepare in advance). This is also the perfect opportunity to hand out some branded water bottles or other merchandise. 

31. Water sports

If there is a body of water or nice pool nearby, why not hop in and mix things up a bit? Everything from paddleboard yoga to rowing or canoeing could provide loads of fun for your team. Water polo or water basketball are more appropriate for a pool, and the equipment required will depend on the game you choose. 

32. Camping

A camping expedition is great for team bonding activities. Camping offers nearly limitless opportunities for problem-solving and critical thinking, plus casual conversation and getting to know each other better. Depending on the strengths of your team, you can go old-school with tents and cook over an open fire, or you could go for “glamping” with cute cabins and prepared meals. The important thing is the aspect of togetherness and limited distractions. Bonus points for having everyone put devices away and focus on being present! 

33. Photo session

Get the creative juices flowing and make it easy to explore by setting up an outdoor photo shoot. Getting some fun shots of your team makes it easy to create new marketing materials or update your website. Let your team play an important role by setting up a photo session with call times, set locations, etc. Check online for a template that can help you prepare. 

34. Team volunteering

If you read our post on corporate charity, then you know there are a ton of benefits to teams working together to better their communities. Take part by researching local organizations that could use your help. Consider local schools, parks, soup kitchens, shelters, and more. There is no limit to the non-profits who could use extra man-power, and many have programs designed for groups to come in together. Begin by researching what’s available in your area that matches the strengths of your staff. 

35. Escape room

In organized escape rooms, players have to find clues, accomplish tasks, and solve puzzles within a short period to escape the room. It’s a great activity for large groups, since more brains working together make the challenges easier to solve! Escape rooms have become more popular in recent years, and chances are that your town has one to offer. Ask around for recommendations to make the most of the experience! 

36. Take a tour

If you’re hosting a group from out of town, take some time to show off what your locale has to offer! If people are from different areas, chances are they’ll be excited to see local landmarks and learn more about culture and what makes your area special. Pick a few important buildings, parks, or natural landmarks and set up tours to get everyone moving and more familiar with the area. 

37. Art class

Engaging in artistic activities is not only enjoyable but can be relaxing and increase creativity. Many studios offer classes for groups, including ceramics, painting, or embroidery. It’s helpful to make sure everyone is prepared in advance, and that may include sending a list of supplies they’ll need or even shipping a package with the necessary canvas, paints, etc. to each person.

Get a hand in planning a compelling corporate retreat

Company retreats are a vital part of building a great company culture, but we know they are not easy. Between finding time to bring everyone together to planning an agenda and making venue reservations, there is a lot that goes into pulling off a corporate retreat - and that’s why many people skip them altogether. However, rather than becoming overwhelmed by the planning process, we suggest finding a partner to support you.

Surf Office has helped hundreds of organizations to execute unique, meaningful company retreats that make an impact with employees. Reach out to us to start a conversation about planning your best retreat!