So, you’re planning an away day. Did you take it on voluntarily or was it thrown your way because “you’re the go-to person for these kinds of things” or “it’ll be good for your development”?
Ah, management speak. Don’t you just love it?! 😆
We love away days at Laughtercise and we’ve done some innovative away day research, surveying organisers of away days. People who have been in your shoes. If you’ve been roped in to plan this away day, you’re not alone…
But roped in or not, here we are; we’ve got an away day to plan! And I’m here to help you absolutely smash it and get your team looking like this ⬇️
Team Building Away Day Activities!
Team building away day activities will be a big part of your budget, and your manager might be apprehensive of the cost, but here is some astonishing finding from our research ⬇️
💥 Over 90% of the impacts your management team want to see from an away day (a better connected, de-stressed and energised team etc.) will come from the team building activity and general networking between attendees 💥
So, if you’ve got a budget to spend, spend most of it on a team building activity as most general networking activities are zero cost.
💵 Want some top tips for your team building activity shopping quest? Check out our👉 Complete Guide To The Cost Of Team Building Activities.
Are you worried about overspending? Well, if you do overspend, but smash this away day, it’s likely no one will care ⬇️
It probably goes without saying, but… whatever you do, do not tell your management team that you’re planning to overspend BEFORE the away day! Tell them AFTER, when they are still basking in the warm glow of a brilliant away day 💥
So it’s time to make your away day a huge success. Let’s go big or go home 💪
⚡21 fun team away day ideas to energise & connect your work team! ⚡
If you’re looking for ideas for a specific city, check out these resources:
Team Away Day Ideas in Birmingham
Team Away Day Ideas in Bristol
Team Away Day Ideas in Cardiff
Team Away Day Ideas in Liverpool
Team Away Day Ideas in London
Team Away Day Ideas in Manchester
Team Away Day Ideas in Nottingham
Below are 20 ideas that either come to your away day location or are situated in several cities 👇
1. Laughtercise!
Would you like as much fun as possible for your team?
Would you like everyone a bit less stressy? And a load more smiley?
If so, the answer is Laughtercise.
Laughtercise are the most trusted at energising and connecting corporate teams and the largest team building workshop provider to the.
⭐ Rated 4.88 out of 5 stars for impact on teams ⭐
💥 Ranked as‘the best team building activity I’ve ever experienced’ by over half of people who attend a workshop 💥
Just imagine your team playing these wild games 👇
Location: Comes to your office or away day location.
Find out more about a Laughtercise Team Building Workshop and get your team looking like the teams below 👇
🛑🛑 Please note that Team Laughtercise are close to capacity for 2025 and have limited sessions available 🛑🛑
2. Escape Rooms
Getting your team doing an Escape Room is perfect for getting them problem solving in a fun and different environment. They are also an enjoyable team away day activity for a high percentage of team members (not too active, not too heavy, not too demanding etc). And they’re in most cities and towns now too.
Escape Rooms will probably be more suited to teams of 20 or less. Most Escape Rooms have more than 4 rooms, so you can book out the entire building and rotate the team members around the rooms.
Location: In most towns and cities
3. Crazy Golf
It’s time for your team par-tee, it’s ball or nothing (that’s two awful puns there for you!)
Crazy golf is a safe option when it comes to team building. And safe is not always bad. Most teams have a wide range of personalities, and crazy golf is not too heavy on the physical activity and it doesn’t put people too much out their comfort zone. The great thing about crazy golf is that there are courses in just about every city and large town.
Our picks are Swingers in London and Junk Yard Golf Club who have locations all over the UK.
Location: In most towns and cities
4. Sat Down Fun!
Pull up a chair.
Take a deep breath.
Stretch your arms to the ceiling ✋✋
Because for the next team building activity you don’t even have to stand up.
But you’re not getting lazy.
You’re getting a wonderful dose of wellbeing.
It’s Fun Seated Yoga.
Loved by the NHS, Amazon, Aviva, BHF & Specsavers, it’s the best in the UK.
Can you grab your secret snack of the floor without getting caught…
Click here to inquire and to book Fun Seated Yoga for your team.
Location: Anywhere! Comes to your office or away day/conference location.
5. Hunt the streets of London or York!
☕ Let’s talk caffeine ☕
You like caffeine right?
Well, someone has committed a crime against caffeine in London or York!
How dare they!
It’s up to your team to find the offender!
StreetHunt Games offers immersive and self-guided mysteries —think a grown-up scavenger hunt meets escape room meets murder mystery, all played outdoors across London & York!
Click here to book.
Location: London & York
6. Pinot & Picasso
This one is for the creative teams! Pinot and Picasso offers a delightful way for your team to bond through some painting fun.
And it’s not just art. It’s art and wine. It’s a team building activity that includes wine. You’re sold, right?
To make the experience even more memorable, you can add a drag queen, DJ, or topless waiter to the mix!
Location: Brighton, Leeds, Liverpool & London
7. Throw some axes!
No, slow down, not at your boss!
Have a fling with your team and let off some steam by throwing some axes and Whistle Punks have locations in London, Manchester, Leeds & Bristol.
Do I need to write anymore about this activity? It’s throwing axes. Oh, no actually, there is pizza too. And nice drinks. Poyfect!
Location: London, Manchester, Leeds & Bristol
8. Wake-Up Pilates!
Are you in need a of a mid-morning energy boost for your away day?
Looking for activities for a team wellbeing event?
Loved by the NHS, Amazon, Aviva, BHF & Specsavers, this is the best Pilates at Work session in the UK.
No sweat. No hint of strenuous. Just a great dose of wellbeing 👇
Click here to inquire and to book Wake-Up Pilates for your team.
Location: Comes to your office or away day/conference location.
9. Go Karting
Sort out your team grievances with some go karting!
Been passed up for promotion? Beat your boss.
Been made a bad cup of tea by a colleague? Bump them as you pass!
Go karting is perfect for the teams full of adrenaline junkies. TeamSport are a great provider and have courses in just about every city.
Location: All over the UK
10. Go Ape
Are your team adventurous? If so, get them climbing in the trees at a Go Ape location. At most Go Apes there are three high rope experiences, including high-speed ziplines, free-fall tarzan swings, and a host of tricky tree-to-tree crossings!
Click here to find out more.
Location: All over the UK
⚡A Mid-Quest Challenge! ⚡
Are you up for a mid-quest challenge? If so, challenge your mind with a Laughtercise Corporate Team Building Workshop warm-up exercise. Think the below looks easy? Think again! Give it a go, it’s harder than it looks!
11. James Bond 007 Treasure Hunt
In this Bond themed treasure hunt, your team will be split into smaller teams where they’ll be met by “Q” who will issue them with the tech for the job. The locations of field agents, clues and challenges are displayed on the screen and your team have to track them down!
Each team will need to complete fiendish bond themed puzzles and questions whilst racing against the clock. The fastest team to complete the mission wins the day for King and Country!
Location: Comes to your office or away day location
Click here to find out more.
12. Master of the Tasks
Based on the Taskmaster TV show, this team building activity has hilarious challenges for your team!
During the event, members of each team will need to rack their brains and work together using collaboration and problem-solving skills in order to complete their given task successfully. The better you do, the more points you’re likely to be awarded! At the end of the day, each team’s scores from each task will be tallied up, and your activity host will then announce who the overall winners are!
Location: Comes to your office or away day location
Click here to find out more.
13. It’s A Knock Out!
This is one for the active teams! Loved by young and old, an ‘It’s A Knockout’ tribute event will bring energy, colour and supreme fun to your team away day! Using a great selection of giant inflatable games and activities, it recreates the fun of the wild and whacky game show! Get your teams battling it out with Human Table Football, Giant Inflatable Volleyball, Human Demolition and Sumo Relay.
Location: Comes to your office or away day location
Click here to find out more.
14. Apprentice Themed Experience
Who will be hired? Who will be fired? Lord Sweetener will give your team a list of items, both mad and mundane, to scavenge in the immediate vicinity. You’ll need to blag, brag and barter to get the best deals and save your limited spending money!
Location: Comes to your office or away day location
Click here to find out more.
15. Sports Day Event
This activity draws inspiration from traditional school sports days, featuring games such as the classic egg and spoon race, sack race, three-legged race, and relay races!
Location: Comes to your office or away day location
Click here to find out more.
16. Casino Night
Treat your team to the full casino experience! Which team member has the best poker face? Who will win the most? Red or Black?
Location: Comes to your office or away day location
Click here to find out more.
17. Murder Mystery Evening
During pre-dinner drinks there’s a dramatic scream and a gunshot – what’s happened?! Inspector Willy Catchem arrives to explain the hullabaloo; to the shock and horror of your group he declares there’s been a murder! And the bloody blaggard is still in the building… the inspector needs your help to catch them!
Location: Comes to your office or away day location
Click here to find out more.
18. Stocks & Shares Experience
How would your team fare on Wall Street? This is your chance to find out! Buy and sell as the stock prices on the giant screen constantly rise and fall. Pay attention for news flashes and company rumours – every event will affect share values. Can you predict the results of events to short the market, and beat the competition…?
Location: Comes to your office or away day location
Click here to find out more.
19. Crime Scene Investigation Experience
There’s been a murder and your team need to find the culprit! A body has been found and you’re the first CSI team on the scene! Will you demonstrate a detective’s intuition and prove yourself CSI material?
Location: Comes to your office or away day location
Click here to find out more.
20. Haka Experience
This will certainly tick the ‘let’s do something different’ box ✅
A Haka experience is where your team learn the traditional Haka with the help of some genuine Maori warriors! It’s out there. It’s loud. It’s energetic!
Location: Comes to your office or away day location
Click here to find out more.
21. Pizza Making
Pizzas, doughballs, prosecco and nibbles! It’s time for your team to toss some dough and play some pizza challenges!
Create your own pizza from scratch and name it. Meat feast? Vegan delight? The choice is yours. This team building activity is sure to go down a treat because who doesn’t like pizza? I’ll tell you who. A weirdough. Get it? WeirDOUGH. I’ll get me coat…
Location: Comes to your office or away day location
Click here to find out more.
The best corporate away day games and exercises that you can do in-house
If you don’t have budget for external activities, you can do some of our Laughtercise activities that you can facilitate yourself. Check out our complete guide to Fun Team Building Activities and our Energisers for Conferences & Meetings.
The activities get your teams looking like this 👇
Team Building Away Day FAQ’s
We’ve done our best below to answer as many FAQ’s that are Googled. We’ve sprinkled in our research about away days ⬇️
Where to start when planning a company away day?
Away days are absolutely wonderful. We love them at Laughtercise. Away days have a buzz that cannot be replicated on any other working day. But they can also create a huge amount of stress for the organiser (you!).
Before you even start planning this away day, it’s important for you to pinpoint where the potential stress will come from so you can manage it (and manage the troublemakers!😆).
If you’re already feeling stressed because you can’t pin people down to a date, you’re not alone ⬇️
So the great news is that, when you successfully book a venue/date, you’ve sifted through over 25% of the stress! It’s then all about the presentation content. Ensure everyone sticks to the deadlines you give them.
Most importantly, now is the time to figure out WHO will potentially create you stress. Take a look at the interesting findings from the next question we asked people who plan away days ⬇️
Who will the 2-3 people be…? Figure them out. Manage them. Keep them on track. Keep them at bay. If they start causing you stress, ban them from the away day. Ok, ok… maybe that’s extreme, but if you’re planning this away day outside of your normal job role, they should respect that you’re going above and beyond and they should begin behaving!
What is the purpose of a corporate team away day?
The purpose of a team away day is for your team to get ‘away’ from a normal work day so they can brainstorm, re-energise, de-stress and connect outside of the work environment. A great away day shouldn’t be focused on what is said or what is done; it should be focused how a team are left feeling. Over to the wisdom of Maya Angelou…
“People will forget what you said, they will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.”―
What should I include in our team away day sessions?
Included in a great team away day are elements like an uplifting opening, light and positive sections about business performance, energising brainstorm sessions, networking opportunities and a main attraction (a team building activity that lifts everyone’s spirits!). Remember about how important networking and general chatting is to connect, energise and de-stress the team. Ensure you build in plenty of opportunities for everyone to chat outside of their normal work environment.
✅ It’s good to talk about work on a company away day
✅ It’s great to include idea creation about work
✅ It’s brilliant to plan work and feel excited about it
❌ But it shouldn’t feel like ‘normal’ work
Normal work happens every day and they’re called ‘weekdays’. Away Days are special. Maximise the specialness! 🚀
Should a corporate away day be onsite or offsite?
There is just something different about offsite corporate away days. The feeling changes. Offsite changes everything.
If you have budget, it’s best to have it offsite. For maximum effect, it’s best to have an away day that is as ‘un-normal’ as possible to help your team bond outside of normal work patterns.
An easy way to make things ‘un-normal’ is to have your away day away from your normal place of work.
How can I make our company away day agenda fun?
- Have a ‘wear your happy clothes’ dress code
- Start the day at a random time like 08:58. When people ask why, tell them it’s a surprise. It creates intrigue and, most importantly, for some psychological reason, more people are prompt (try it, you’ll be amazed). When people ask for the surprise, tell them the surprise was everyone being on time for a meeting for a change 😂
- As everyone arrives to office in the morning, have some fresh smoothies waiting for them
- As everyone enters the room where you’re having your away day, have some music on (and some tasty snacks ready!)
- Make it policy that, unless it’s an emergency, no one can step near their desk (we’ve even seen teams put ‘out of bounds’ tape over everyone’s desks!) 😀
What are the benefits and objectives of a corporate away day?
✅ Increased connection between team members
✅ Increased connection that staff have with strategy and the Leadership Team
✅ Creative thinking and new idea generation
✅ A chance for your team to de-stress
✅ An opportunity for your team to bond outside of the normal work patterns
✅ Increased energy levels
✅ Improved team morale
The list could go on and on (and on!).
What are some examples of good team building away day activities?
Good team building away day activities are activities that energise your team and leaves them feeling better connected. Team building away day activities are incredibly important for creating that ‘away day’ feeling. Examples of good activities are sports days, escape rooms and a challenge for the team, like a drumming experience.
Whatever activities you decide on, these questions are good to ask yourself:
📍 Will there be a legacy from this activity?
📍 Will everyone remember this activity in 3 months?
Why are team away days important?
What are some good corporate away day companies?
Good corporate away day companies are ones that are inspired to meet the needs of your away day. Their away day activities offer a variety of impacts. Funktion Events, Rhino Events, The Team Building Company & Laughtercise are examples of good corporate away day companies. Between these companies, you will find 100s of corporate away day ideas and activities.
For tips about shopping around for team building activities, check out our👉 Complete Guide To The Cost Of Team Building Activities
What are some popular indoor away day ideas?
If your team fancy a challenge, check out a Crystal Maze Challenge or a Rollercoaster Challenge. These will challenge the minds of your team and see how well they can work together! Why not transform your team into a team of drummers with some Drumming Team Building!
Any MasterChef’s in your team? Get your team grilled with a Cuisine Cooking Challenge with professional chefs.
Grab a slice of the action and get your team making Making Pizza.
Who in your team has the best ‘pencil pout’? Who would be the ‘CUP’ champion? Give your team some wild fun with a👉 Laughtercise Team Building Workshop 👈
If you’ve booked an away day venue or you’re looking for an activity to come to your office, check out 👉 16 Team Building Activities That Come To You.
What are some great sports team away day ideas?
Bronze, silver or gold? An Olympic Games experience will fire up the competition in your team! This fun packed day allows your team to experience a little taster of what it’s like to be an Olympian. Sort of 😁
If you’re up for some different kinds of sport…BANG!…check out the Country Games experience. Archery, laser clay shooting, segways, quad bikes and duck herding! This is maximum outside fun for your team!
Get your team back to school with the Sports Day team building activity. Sack race, egg and spoon, football dribble…it’s non-stop hilarity!
What are some unusual team building away day activities?
Looking for something unusual for your team? Why not get them junky and funky with Junk Funk! With the most random piles of strange household and garden junk, your team will create a show fit for the West End as you get transformed into a junk-percussion orchestra! Or are there any NASA wannabies in your team? Who can go the highest by firing a rocket? By doing Rocket Launch, you will certainly lift spirits in your team!
How fast can your team go? Who is the most competitive? Who will become CUP champion? Find out the answers as you get your team Laughtercised!
Did somebody say chocolate? Why not treat your team to their very own chocolate factory as they have a day of making chocolate!
Rack your teams brains with the Master of Tasks team building event! Based on the famous TV show, your colleagues will have to work together using collaboration and problem-solving skills in order to complete their given task successfully. The better you do, the more points you’re likely to be awarded! At the end of the day, each team’s scores from each task will be tallied up, and your activity host will then announce who the overall winners are!
What are some good team away day icebreakers?
Good team away day icebreakers are ‘Drawing Ahead’ and ‘Head, Shoulders, Knees, CUP’.
Check out our resource on Icebreaker Games For Adults At Work to see facilitation instructions and to find out why you should stop using the word ❌Icebreaker❌
Here’s tip 1 👇
Company Staff Away Day Ideas Specific to UK Locations
Are you looking for away day ideas specific to a location in the UK?
Escape rooms, gin tours, go karting, crazy golf, canal cruises, 007 treasure hunts…we have resources that give activity ideas specific to counties, cities and towns:
Team Building Activities in Manchester
Team Building Activities in Surrey
Team Building Activities in Yorkshire
Team Building Activities in Birmingham
Team Building Activities in Bristol
Team Building Activities in Kent
Team Building Activities in Liverpool
Team Building Activities in London
NHS Team Away Day Activity Ideas
At Laughtercise, we 💙 NHS Team Away Days and getting NHS staff ‘Laughtercised’!
What is an NHS Team Away Day?
An NHS Team Away Day is a chance for your team to get a well-deserved timeout from the stresses of everyday working life. Great NHS team away days are ones that give staff an opportunity to come together and bond outside of the work environment.
We’ve had the absolute pleasure of delivering Laughtercise NHS Team Away Day sessions at 40+ trusts since 2020.
Over 10,000 NHS staff have been ‘Laughtercised’. See all the smiles here👉 10,000 NHS smiles.
👉 Here are 5 reasons 👈 why Laughtercise are the most impactful team building provider in the UK for NHS staff. Click here to see our packages of team building workshops that will get your NHS team ‘Laughtercised’.
If you have no budget for team building, check out our Fun Team Building Activities that you can facilitate in-house. Check out a room full of nurses playing one of these activities 👇
Would you like to see what 604 smiling NHS staff looks like? Check out 👉 this blog 👈 about how we delivered 13 Laughtercise sessions to 604 NHS staff in just 6 days.
👉 Our sessions are rated 4.88 out of 5 stars by NHS staff.
👉 52% of session attendees rank Laughtercise as ‘the best team building activity I’ve ever experienced’
👉 In an NHS study, 77% of Laughtercise session attendees reported feeling less stressed after their session
📢 “We really needed that, it was the best team building session the team have ever been to”
📢 “It’s the happiest I’ve ever seen the team, one was nearly in tears afterwards!”
Find out more about a 👉 Laughtercise Team Building Workshop 👈
What are some good NHS Team Away Day ideas?
Great NHS team away day ideas are brainstorm sessions, networking time for the team and doing a team building activity.
Virtual Team Away Days Ideas
What to do on a virtual team event?
Good activities to do on a virtual team event are activities that energise your team and leaves them feeling better connected. Examples of good virtual team event activities are virtual escape rooms, interactive quizzes and team challenges! Large corporate away day companies offer a wide selection of virtual team events.
Check out hundreds of virtual activities from Off Limits, GoTo Events & Funktion Events.
And of course, don’t forget about Laughtercise Online Team Building Workshops 👋😁
Team Away Day Ideas (outro!)
Well, I sure hope that gave you some ideas for planning your team away day!
I hope you absolutely smash your day for your team!
Have fun!
From Aaron & Team Laughtercise 😁
