When was the last time you saw your team laughing and bonding together outside of the office?
Corporate away days can provide the perfect backdrop for resetting and refreshing. A day out gives teams the chance to connect on much deeper levels than working at the usual site.
So if you want strategy, bonding, or just a nice change of pace, we’ve got 30 corporate away-day activities lined up, just for you!
What is a “corporate away day” and how are they organized?
A corporate away day is a planned break from the office where teams head offsite for activities that mix excitement with teambuilding and collaboration.
Corporate away days don’t just function as a ”few days out of the office.” They give a much-needed change of environment and let your team members see each other differently. When they’re well planned out, they can be used to build the kind of culture that sticks, long after the event ends.
Organizing one doesn’t need to be overwhelming, either. Sticking to the 3 main steps keeps it simple and sets the stage for memorable away days:
1. Define your purpose
Decide what you want out of the day: fresh strategy, team bonding, or just a reset. Your goal shapes everything else.
2. Pick the right format
Choose away-day activities that match your team’s energy and size. That could be something active, creative, or reflective; the important part is that it fits your people and your culture.
3. Plan logistics, and get it started!
From venues to transport, the smoother the planning, the more relaxed the day feels. Clear communication and a solid agenda make sure everyone knows what to expect.
Done well, a single away day can feel like an investment in the future of your team.
30 of the greatest corporate away days for your teams
So below we’ve listed 30 of the best ideas for your next few corporate away days. Try one, try many, or try all!
Away days for strategy and creativity:
These away days are for when your team needs to think big, solve fast, and get playful with innovation:
- Host a creative hackathon
Let your team’s inner problem-solvers loose with a time-boxed hackathon focused on innovation, not perfection. This isn’t just for coders, either, as your sales, ops, and marketing teams can set their sights on company challenges. Set a theme, form your teams, and let the magic unfold. A nice big countdown clock can add a fun bit of pressure, then finish it off with quickfire presentations and light awards. It’s collaborative chaos in the best possible way.
- Design your own board game
Step away from the spreadsheets and into board game mode. Split into small groups and challenge your team to invent a brand-new board game from scratch. The challenge is to create something that involves teamwork, light competition, and at least one rule that makes no sense. Teams can sketch out the board, write rules, and prototype some cards or tokens. It’s creative, collaborative, and definitely not your average day at the office.
- Pitch like it’s Shark Tank
Take your team offsite and turn the space into a high-stakes pitch room (without the million-dollar pressure). In this away day, small teams dream up a product, service, or wild internal idea and present it to a panel of “investors” (these are just your volunteers). It’s a fun twist on the usual types of corporate events that encourage collaboration. You might get some genius ideas, or you might get something as impractical as a chocolate teapot. The real value stems from getting your team to think and then present in fresh new ways.
- Team podcast recording session
Swap the meeting room for a pop-up podcast studio and let your team become the hosts. Organising an away day to create a podcast might encourage members to branch out into new areas of interest. Give them topics to cover, like recent team wins, or “things I wish I knew sooner,” and you’re guaranteed to gain some funny insights. It’s simpler than ever to set up a podcast, too; you just need a quiet space, a mic, and a few good questions. This can be a great way to highlight internal voices and capture team energy in a totally different format.
- Your own “team awards night”
Trade in the quarterly review for something a little more “glitz and glamour.” On this off-site away day, you’ll host your own team awards night, complete with fun made-up categories and nominations. Some of the best awards could go to “Sneakiest snack stealer” or “Most likely to reply with ‘let’s circle back.’” Your teams can vote anonymously, and you can hand out your silly trophies for a real night to remember. It’s a wonderful way to recognize your people, without taking things too seriously.
- Crack codes in an escape room
An off-site escape room is a classic for a reason. It’s fast-paced, pressure-tested, and packed with fun moments. Plenty of companies have expanded into fun new themes for escape rooms, like murder solving, and bomb diffusing (pretend, obviously). It forces your team to communicate and delegate, all while staying calm under pressure. For a full reset from office routines, it’s a brilliant change of pace. It’s one of the best corporate event games to bring teams together in all the right ways.
Getting physical and active:
Fresh air, big laughs, and plenty of movement, these away days are perfect for teams that bond best when they keep it moving:
- Get wild on a scavenger hunt
Turn your away day into an urban adventure. Send teams out into the city (or countryside) with quirky clues and a ticking clock. It’s part puzzle-solving, part sprinting to the next location, and part unexpected photo ops. Whether you go analog with paper clues or use a scavenger hunt app, the chaos is always part of the charm. You could even reward whichever team has the silliest selfie. This one’s energetic, team-driven, and far from your standard away day.
- Compete in the “Office Olympics”
Sometimes, you’ve just got to make your teambuilding a little bit more Olympian. This away day turns your team into semi-professional athletes for the afternoon. Start thinking about relay races, paper javelin, desk chair sprints, or whatever else your budget (and health & safety policy) allows. Teams earn points after each round, and they can be in charge of making a mascot too. It’s a great way to ramp up the competitive spirit while having a blast outside of usual work roles. Just don’t be surprised if someone takes it a little too seriously!
- Unwind with a wellness day
On occasion, the best away day should be one that involves… very little. Organize a thoughtful day dedicated to wellness, pulling from activities like outdoor yoga, breathing workshops, light hiking, or simply letting them slow down in a calming venue. It’s a chance to reset energy levels and help teams feel genuinely cared for, which goes a long way in letting your teams know you’re there for them, for the long run! If you’re planning a simple, effective one-day retreat, this format is a real winner.
- Plan your own Surf Office retreat
Use your away day to design something bigger: your team’s dream retreat. Gather off-site and co-create what your ideal multi-day experience would look like. Destinations, activities, goals, downtime, let the team map it out together. Your team’s creative input will give you a clearer sense of what matters most to the group. And if you want help making it happen, we’ve got you covered: Surf Office retreats are what we do best.
- Get “unplugged” with a nature immersion experience
This away day gives a much-needed escape from feeling constantly plugged in. Swap desks and notifications for trees, fresh air, and a picnic that doesn’t come with a side of inbox stress. A nature immersion can be as simple as a guided walk, a quiet spot for reflection, or a group hike that ends with everyone pretending not to be out of breath. The point is less about productivity and more about pressing reset, because sometimes, we all need a little reset.
- Use a Surf Office team-building retreat
We mentioned earlier about planning your own Surf Office retreat, but how about completely taking your hands off the wheel and letting us sort it all for you? Letting us plan your retreat means we can offer:
- Stress-free transfers? We got you! ✅
- Quality-assured accommodations? Check! ✅
- Engaging team-building activities?Our specialty ✅
- Restaurant reservations? That's on us! ✅
- Expert retreat planning assistance? Of course, we have this covered! ✅
- On-site support, tailored to your needs? Absolutely ✅
Not only this, but we also have access to 200+ locations around Europe, APAC, the US, Latin America, and now Africa, meaning the sky is your limit when it comes to choosing the right location for you and your team. Spaces fill up quickly, so get in touch with us today!
Give back and grow together:
These away days carry purpose and meaning that build character and connection, at the same time!:
- Build-a-bike, change a life
Few away days feel as good as this one. Your team heads out of the office to assemble bikes for children or families in need. It’s part teamwork exercise, part flat-pack challenge, and all heart. There’s usually a lot of laughter as people try to get into the nitty-gritty of bike building, but the end result pays off: a wonderful gift for someone in need, and a team that feels like it’s given back to the community. Win-win!
- Get stuck into green volunteering
Swap your office getup for gardening gloves and overalls. A green volunteering away day might see your team planting trees, tidying up local parks, or anything that gets you a little muddy. There’s something about digging side by side that gets people talking in a way that spreadsheets never will. Get in touch with your local green volunteer groups and see what’s on offer. This one can certainly make teams feel like they’ve accomplished something, for the planet!
- Reverse mentoring café
Flip the usual script for a day and let junior staff show the ropes to more experienced members. This away day works best in a relaxed café-style setting. Source some nice coffee and get conversations bouncing between tables. Reverse mentoring can bring your team members new insights they wouldn’t have otherwise considered. This kind of role reversal sits perfectly alongside other corporate teambuilding activities that (gently) push people out of their comfort zones and build real respect across teams.
- Run your own ‘human library’
Head offsite and turn colleagues into “books” that can be “borrowed” for short, one-on-one chats. Each person titles their story, like “career pivots,” “working abroad,” or “juggling roles,” and small groups rotate between them. It’s a combination of storytelling and an empathy exercise, which is a great way to surface experiences that might not always emerge in a meeting. Keep it relaxed with a few gentle prompts, and by the end, people know each other far beyond job titles.
- A “job-swap” relay
Nothing helps two people understand one another better than walking in their shoes (sometimes literally). On this away day, team members pair up and “swap jobs” for a few hours. The emphasis for the day is to just discover the roles and responsibilities of someone in another department. Designers try customer support scripts, or salespeople take a crack at writing a blog. It’s a relay of perspective that usually ends in laughter, respect, and a few people quietly relieved to get back to their real roles the next day.
- Take a foreign language crash course
Take your team offsite and drop them into a fast-paced language workshop. In just a few hours, they’ll pick up basics in Spanish, French, Japanese, or whatever language they’re most curious about. The fun comes from practising together, and possibly laughing at (with) some else’s mispronunciation. It’s a light and social way to stretch brains in a new direction. This style of away day pairs well with other team outing ideas that focus on shared experiences over serious training.
Food, fun and social connection:
These away days emphasise full stomachs and loud laughter, bringing teams together smiling:
- Cooking competition with a twist
Take the team out of the office and into the kitchen for some light chaos. Each group is given surprise ingredients and a timer, then left to figure out how to make it edible. The real fun comes from watching your colleagues panic over saucepans or improvise rules mid-way through. The results don’t have to win Michelin stars. What matters is the teamwork, the laughter, and the shared relief that catering is someone else’s job tomorrow.
- Interdepartmental bake-off
Instead of PowerPoint battles, let marketing and finance face off over cupcakes. A bake-off away day gives each department the chance to showcase its secret recipes (or prove that store-bought can pass as homemade). By the end, the office chatter isn’t about deadlines but about who used too much frosting and whether cinnamon counts as creativity. It’s playful rivalry at its sweetest, with bragging rights that last until the next round.
- Taste the world, one story at a time
Food is an instant icebreaker, and an away day centred on international flavours is a great way to bring people closer. Each team member brings a dish connected to their heritage, travels, or simply something they love, and shares the story behind it. The output is a potluck that doubles as a storytelling session. You’ll get a mix of cuisines and a chance to really test a person’s spice levels. It’s heartfelt, memorable, and guaranteed to end with everyone leaving full.
- Silent disco and team dance-off
Take your away day up a notch with a silent disco. Everyone gets headphones, the music’s pumping, and suddenly the quietest person in the office is leading a conga line. It’s a mix of hilarity (when you take the headphones off and hear off-key singing) and genuine bonding. Throw in a dance-off segment for the brave, and you’ll have stories that last for months. No fancy venue needed, just space, playlists, and a team ready to let loose.
- Murder mystery corporate dinner
Trade office small talk for secret identities and dramatic accusations. At a murder mystery dinner, everyone gets a character, a backstory, and a chance to test their poker face. Over the course of the meal, suspicions rise, alliances shift, and someone always turns out to be far too good at lying. It’s immersive, theatrical, and the perfect excuse for colleagues to see each other in a whole new (suspicious) light.
- Fireside leadership Q&A
Trade the boardroom for something a little prettier and more relaxing. A fireside Q&A away day gives leaders the chance to ditch the formal slide decks and answer questions in a more relaxed setting. The atmosphere is casual, the conversations are honest, and the topics can range from company strategy to “what keeps you motivated on Mondays.” It’s an approach that sits comfortably alongside other corporate entertainment ideas, proving that leadership sessions don’t need to feel stiff to make an impact.
Team culture & internal development:
If you want to hone in on team dynamics, use these away days focused on storytelling and company values:
- Skills swap and show-and-tell
Every team has hidden talents that never make it into meetings. An away day dedicated to a skills swap brings those into the spotlight. The aim of the day is for people to show a skill outside of their job role. One person might run a quick sketching lesson, another shares photography tricks, while someone else shows the group how to solve a Rubik’s Cube. It’s personal and a refreshing reminder that teams are more than their job titles.
- Paint your team’s identity with a mural
Take your team offsite, hand them brushes, and let a blank wall (or giant canvas) become the day’s agenda. Creating a mural together is less about artistic skill and more about expressing what the team stands for. Your teams might have their own inner values, inside jokes, or even a little mascot. The collaborative process builds bonds and leaves you with something lasting to point to. It’s great as an artistic and fun corporate retreat event, where people can unleash their creative side.
- Hunt for your company’s core values
Turn your away day into a playful treasure hunt where the prize is… your own culture. Hide clues, riddles, or challenges around a venue that tie back to the company’s values and watch teams piece them together. It brings a mixture of problem-solving and reflection, and that makes for a great day out. The exercise works because it gets people to talk about values in a more engaging way than researching the company’s values in a handbook.
- Rewind and step down “memory lane”
Every team has stories that deserve more than a passing mention in the break room. Use your away days to bring them back to life. Collect old photos, project highlights, or even some legendary office moments and turn them into a showcase. The emphasis is on your previous achievements, and to remind your teams how far they’ve come. As with many fun corporate retreats, the magic lies in sparking conversations that reconnect people to the journey, not just the job.
- Take a business field trip
Swap your usual surroundings for a peek behind the curtain of another organisation. A business field trip away day could mean visiting a local startup, a partner company, or even a factory floor that shows a completely different side of work. This can provide a breath of fresh air, to see how other teams go about problem-solving. See it as one business visiting another, for an exchange of ideas and a glimpse into a new work ethos. This away day is great for widening your horizons.
- Write a team anthem (yes, really)
It might sound bold, but nothing bonds a group faster than writing a song together. For this away day, bring in a professional musician to guide the process. They’ll help your team brainstorm lyrics about your quirks, wins, and inside jokes, then set it all to a melody. Some lines will be brilliant, others hilariously off-key, but that’s half the fun. By the end, you’ve got an anthem that captures your culture in a way like no other, becoming the perfect highlight for the next company retreat.
