13 Toronto team-building activities and outings for every personality on your team
All companies are completely different worlds, each with their own very unique cast of employees. If you think about it, it almost resembles family dynamics - including the very interesting yet distinct characters you often find in them: from the funny uncle, to the rebel pre-teen cousin, and everyone in between.
Just like in a family, having multiple employees means having different personalities and their peculiar ways of expressing themselves. And it’s exactly this that is one of the most vital pieces of information you have to keep in mind, when planning a team-building event that won’t make your employees cringe (or even worse, want to cancel at the mere thought of having to socialize with their coworkers!).
Think about this: if your company has a team full of introverts… maybe don’t throw them straight into karaoke night. You’d be surprised, lots of employees don't necessarily LOVE attending these events…
We won’t let this happen to your company. Just like we’re connoisseurs of every board game genre to ever exist, we’re also pros at hosting corporate events and their very distinct personalities within them. This is why we’ve used all we know to carefully craft a list of team-building activities in Toronto, along with the office personalities we think would fit them best. From playing board games to watching movies, going on scavenger hunts, improv classes, bartending workshops, and more, we’re pretty sure there’s something for everyone!
Snakes & Lattes: Where board games bring your whole team together
We’re not exaggerating. We’ve seen all kinds of employees bond with their peers and bosses at our restaurants, almost to the point where board games seem to do the impossible (ie, make them forget about any even remotely stressful work thought for a little while). This really got us thinking: our board games might be THE secret sauce that brings people together. Knowing the power we’ve got in our hands, this is how we curate an actual fun team-building experience:
Board Game Olympics
Yeah, board games are awesome and all, but sometimes you need your employees to feel some adrenaline to make things even more exciting, and our game experts are all here for it. They’ll design a special, custom competition where even the shyest employee in the room will find themselves screaming to win.
Team-building Games
We use all our expertise here to curate a series of board games that will fit your team like a glove! As we mentioned, each company is its own world, and oh, do we have a diverse enough selection of board games to match every single one.
Special Add-ons
Now, if you really want to be THAT employer everyone’s obsessed with, you’ve gotta consider these add-ons. On top of all the board game fun, you can add a karaoke and/or trivia session hosted and customized by us. And if you want to capture your team having fun like a proud parent, you can even add a private photographer for the event.
2. Let a movie do all the talking
Small talk and socializing for a little too long are definitely some employees’ worst nightmares. That’s why we think renting your own private movie theatre at Revue Cinemas is a team-building gem that isn’t talked about enough! They’ll assist you with movie selection, food packages, and creating a cozy, relaxed experience for your team. Plus, booking an event there comes with the rewarding feeling of supporting one of Toronto’s beloved local theatres and cultural treasure.
3. A team-building event where the city itself is the venue (literally)
If you’ve got a team of high-performing overachievers or employees who thrive on attention to detail, a scavenger hunt with Urban Capers might be the event for them. Taking place in locations across the city, such as the Distillery District, ROM, Centre Island and more, your employees will have to track down clues, solve tricky questions, explore public art and solve riddles, all while exploring Toronto’s most iconic spots!
4. Be the cool, fitness-in-the-know employer
For GenZ fitness lovers, employees who somehow thrive at hitting the gym at 5 am before work or teams that enjoy taking care of their health, Sweat & Tonic private events might be the reason your employees will actually feel excitement about a corporate event. Not only is S&T modern, trendy, and its venue is really nice-looking, but they go out of their way to offer a wide range of fun activities such as yoga, ride and HIIT classes.
5. Want to make your team truly bond? Take ‘em to the kitchen!
Every company has employees who always have designated snacks on their desks, love a lunch or coffee break, and are probably foodies in their free time. Well, why simply take them out for dinner and call it a day when they could all make their own meal instead? With My Place for Dinner, your team will participate in a personalized cooking class led by a chef instructor. And what’s even cooler? It takes place inside the iconic St Lawrence Market! Yep, we also didn’t know they had a “Market Kitchen” where your team-building event could happen.
6. They'll remember you as the employer who got them making flower bouquets
And, how iconic. We found this team-building idea to be one that isn’t explored nearly enough and would make all the aesthetic lovers absolutely thrive! If you’ve got employees like these on your team, or simply people who would appreciate time to unwind and gift - or keep to themselves - cute, personalized flower arrangements, Vintage Bash is the way to go! Plus, (hot take, perhaps?) knowing how to make a flower bouquet is a well-needed life skill that isn't talked about enough.
7. Let’s be honest, you and your team need to touch some grass from time to time
Just because you’re in Toronto doesn’t mean the outdoors are out of reach, and honestly, nature does calm down all anxieties more often than not. Well, Evergreen Brick Works has it all for you: located in the heart of Toronto’s Don Valley, your team can immerse themselves in adventure, sustainability, and wellness-focused activities surrounded by nature. Some of their offerings include clay workshops, cyanotyping postcards, fire challenges, seed ball activations, and more. Plus, we’re SURE every company has its fair share of hikers, campers and outdoor lovers, so this team building event will be like music to their ears!
8. The company yappers will finally yap somewhere other than the office
Make all those social butterflies and yappers in your company happy with Annex Improv! This team-building activity guarantees laughs while also helping participants develop skills for more confident and engaging presentations. Even if you’ve got a more introverted team, this could be the perfect opportunity for them to step outside their comfort zone and discover talents they never knew they could have.
9. Most employees live for those after-work drinks. Time to teach them how to make them
Let’s be so for real: sometimes what gets employees through a workday is their happy hour plans afterwards. Which is exactly why we think taking your team to one Bar Chef’s cocktail workshops will fit their desires like a glove! What we found especially interesting is that your event can happen either at their venue or they can bring the experience directly to your office.
10. When touching grass isn’t enough, take them to the lake
Sunnyside Paddling Club offers a team-building experience that’s so fun, we believe it’ll be exciting for both the outdoorsy, active crowd and the more indoorsy types. The club offers either a two-hour session or a full-day event where your team gets the full dragon boat experience: personalized coaching and instructions, friendly competition, and a few (or a ton, actually) splashes from the water. If you think about it, nothing bonds a team quite like having to work together to move an entire literal boat.
11. Sometimes all it takes is a dome and a cool CN Tower view
If you’ve got a team of sport lovers, or simply people who wouldn’t say no to a beer and a hot dog, a Blue Jays game can easily satisfy both! They offer Tickets Packages starting at 12 tickets for one game, and the more tickets you purchase, the better the benefits they offer.
12. We’d say that some good ol’ ping-pong never fails
Ping-pong might be one of the hardest activities to dislike, in our opinion. And when you combine it with a vibey, modern venue, music, custom competitions, and delicious on-site catering and drinks, your team-building event is bound to be a hit! Plus, if you’ve got some Gen Z kids on your team, a ping-pong bar is already one of the places many of them frequent, so you’d totally be speaking their language.
13. Fitness, mental stimulation, but make it real fun
Now, this one’s especially interesting because it brings together your fitness-loving employees and those smart, high-performing ones. Activate offers a big venue where your team would go into different rooms that look like micro-arenas, where each one contains its own high-tech game and obstacles to solve. For corporate events, Activate offers a curated set of interactive challenges based on your team’s preferences and talents.
So, how does the saying go? Happy employees, happy life. Well… close enough.
We’ve all been in the employee's shoes, and it is, in fact, really nice to feel when a company takes the time to get to know your personality and preferences. If you’ve managed to cater to those, we’re pretty confident you’re on your way to a 5-star employer rating. Or at the very least, you’re setting your team up for an actually fun event where they won’t feel like you just ruined their Friday plans. And dare we say it, an event where they might even become friends with their coworkers.
When your team-building event is a success, and everyone’s telling you how much fun they’ve had, we hope you don’t forget about that random Snakes & Lattes blog you stumbled across on the internet one day. Better yet, come give us a visit and let our board games and dice work their team-bonding magic, the kind we know how to create at our venues.
Can’t wait to see you all!