14 Crowd-Pleasing NYC Office Team Building Activities for 2022

When you’re considering office team building activities in NYC, they have to be a good time! Team building activities have gotten a bad rep. Oftentimes, employees think they’re required to go, and that management didn’t put any real time and effort into planning to make them fun and enjoyable. That’s where we come in! We’ve created a list of 9 crowd-pleasing NYC office team building activities that we know your team will love.

We wanted to make sure that these were activities that your team would enjoy because there are countless benefits to team building activities. It can increase motivation, encourage creativity, and uncover hidden talents that you didn’t even know your team members had! Due to its very nature, you’ll also learn who will take the lead on a new activity, in turn identifying possible leaders among your team.

So next time your team groans at the idea of a team building activity, check back to this blog!

We’ve broken down our list of NYC office team building activities into the following two sections, in office and offsite, so you can decide which works best for your team!

IN OFFICE

RELEASE YOUR INNER GOURMAND WITH A DONUT AND LATTE ART BREAK

We’ve all seen the instagram pages full of latte art and colorful treats created to temp the camera’s lens. Well, now it’s your turn to have a Donut and Latte Art Break. Have a gourmet guide take you and your team on a decorating spectacular where you’ll learn how to create latte art as well as decorating your favorite donuts. You’ll be taught about techniques for foaming different types of milk with different types of beverages – all resulting in gorgeous latte art. After, you can take a walk by the donut decoration bar to create a custom donut magnum opus of your own. Sprinkled into the activity there will also be team building games to get your team engaged.

What’s included: Expert Avital Host (optional), all ingredients and tools needed, donut decoration bar with fun toppings, unique non-coffee latte creation like Golden Milk, Matcha, and Goji Chino, experiment with non-dairy milks, and team building bonus activity.

TASTE H20s FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Did you know that water tastes different around the world? Well, it most certainly does! You can learn all about why when you join a Certified Water Sommelier and an Avital: Emcee Host for a guided water tasting (think wine tasting but without the wine!). Waters Tasting Kits are delivered in 5 premium glass bottles from around the world with food pairings included. Discover how different water can taste by sampling the world’s most premium H2Os.

CREATE PICKLES AND CUSTOM VEGGIE SCULPTURES FROM SCRATCH!

What’s better than an in-office activity that gives your team a tasty and beautiful treat home with them?! Let your team’s inner culinary artistas shine with the Avital Transform Your Veggies experience.Over the course of 30 to 90 minutes a culinary expert will take the lead as they guide you and your team to create artisanal pickles to take home with you. You will also be guided through a vegetable sculpture making class where everyone will get the chance to hand carve their own veggies. With these new skills, everyone will be able to go home and impress their next dinner party guests! During the event, team building activities will also be sprinkled throughout.

What’s Included: Expert host (optional), all ingredients and tools, hands-on pickling with a custom spice blend, veggie sculptures, team building activities, and 2 take-home jars of pickles.

ZEN OUT WITH DRUNK (OR SOBER) YOGA

I know you may be reading that thinking – drunk? yoga? But yes, hear me out here! This is how it works. You select an in-person yoga experience, and you can customize it to be their Signature Wine + Yoga or it can be Coffee Yoga, Chair Yoga, or Sober Yoga. The premise of this event is to “let your hair down and shake off the day.” The best part of all is all the certified yoga teachers have professional performance experience so you know they will make any event – drunk or sober – a laugh-out-loud, enjoyable good time! 

THE G.O.A.T. OF GOAT EXPERIENCES

Heard of the farm to table food movement? Do you and your foodie team want to see first hand how it’s done?! Well, this Goat Experience from Avital Tours is right up your alley. Not only will you be able to milk an actual goat (we’re not kidding folks) – you will be able to make ricotta cheese and have a tasting with gourmet accouterments chosen especially to pair with the cheese you created. First you’ll be given a small education on cheese making, goat farming, and milking. Then, if you choose to do so, your team will have the chance to milk an actual goat under the guidance of the expert host. After you’ve worked your muscles a bit, you’ll be taught how to cook real, fresh, ricotta cheese! And lastly, after living the life of a rustic farmer, you’ll be able to sit down to a fresh ricotta cheese tasting with accompaniments.

What’s included: An expert Avital host (optional), all ingredients and tools required, milking a real goat (optional), hands-on ricotta cheese making, and a ricotta cheese tasting with herbs, dried fruits, nuts, and edible flowers.

TRY OUT A TONGUE TWISTER

Try out this fun, tongue twisting experience where it will feel like your mind, or at the very least your mouth, is playing tricks on you! Experience flavor like never before during this unique virtual team building experience. Explore the magic of miracle berries and you push flavor boundaries with incredible activities and experiments, led by an Avital: Flavor Expert. A high-energy, punchy group event with Tasting Kits delivered.

HAVE A SPECIAL HAPPY HOUR WITH A MIXOLOGY CLASS

Gather your group together for a conference room cocktail mixer and learn a little something along the way! Create communal energy and fun memories from the comfort of your home base by scheduling a Conference Room Cocktail Class. Let your team sit back as an expert teaches them about the basics of cocktail making. Then, it’s time to get your hands shaking those tumblers baby! Unsure if everyone will want to participate in a cocktail making class? No frets! This class also offers the option to learn about and make alcohol free mocktails as well as their cocktails.

What’s included: An expert Avital host (optional), an award-winning mixologist (optional), a class on mixology basics, cocktail and/or mocktail kits, hands-on cocktail crafting, and everyone gets to make 2 different cocktails or mocktails.

IMPROV[E] YOUR COMMUNICATION AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS

I could shout from the rooftops all the benefits of participating in an improv workshop. It can help you personally and professionally to think better on the spot and work more cohesively with your team. It will improve your presentation, collaboration, and creative-thinking skills. Invite the team from Brooklyn Comedy Collective for one of three workshops: Intro, Teamwork, or Leadership and sprinkle some fun into your next office team building activity.

CREATE STUNNING EDIBLE ARCHITECTURE EVERYONE CAN TAKE HOME

We’re sure you’ve heard of a gingerbread house – what about a charcuterie chalet?! Go head to head in this competitive team building challenge and sign up for Avital’s Edible Architecture Experience. In this 60 minute class let a culinary expert guide you through the process of creating your own edible structures made of savory goodies. If you’d like, they can create a competition where you go head to head with your colleagues to see who’s veggie villa takes the cake (or should we say cheese?!). 

What’s included: Expert Avital host (optional), all ingredients and tools (you will have the choice of charcuterie chalet, cheese cottage, or veggie villa), edible structure team building competition, instagrammable photos, and eating your architecture!

OFFSITE

CLIMB UP TO THE TREETOPS 

Take your team to the Bronx Zoo for a fun activity of treetop climbing and ziplining. You’ll see beautiful views of the Bronx River as you choose between climbing, climbing and ziplining, or ziplining and going to the zoo. You can also choose different experience levels from beginner to expert, so there really is something for everyone! Leave the concrete jungle behind and immerse yourself in Treetop Adventure.

LIVE OUT YOUR BARTENDER DREAMS

Bartenders in New York deserve all sorts of praise. They’re creating picture-perfect cocktails all while potentially playing therapist to the guest sitting across from them! Now it’s your turn to see what the hype is about by going behind the bar for this interactive cocktail class in NYC! Guests will craft 2 different style cocktails (1 shaken, 1 stirred) alongside a Professional Mixologist. While sipping your creations, enjoy robust bar snacks while your Avital: Culinary Host keeps the event engaging with rich cocktail history, trivia, team building games, and more!

CREATE ART WITH YOUR TEAM

Work together with your team during Picture This to illustrate a secret word using just about all types of art materials. You can use paint, markers, clay, charcoal, pencils, random objects, body movement and theatrical improvisation in order to have your team guess the word. As your team guesses words correctly, you’ll receive more clues to solve the final puzzle! It’s a fun, creative experience that will get help your team get out of their heads and into the moment! 

TOUR THE GRUNGY EAST VILLAGE

The East Village has to be one New York City’s hottest restaurant and craft cocktail scene. It can be overwhelming to pick the best spots so let us do the work for you. Join us on our NYC East Village Food Tour as we explore one of New York City’s hottest restaurant and craft cocktail scenes – known for its role as the birthplace of punk and artist hangouts. Hear the stories of restaurant owners and chefs as you enjoy our 4-course progressive meal. Taste incredible ethnic cuisines from immigrants who have made the East Village one of the most diverse eating grounds!

HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF EVERYTHING

If you’re not sure exactly what you want to do, this one’s for you. Do you want a cocktail class? Got it. Or are you thinking more of a 4-course meal? Well, this has that too! Start this interactive food + drink experience with delicious welcome drinks as you nibble on seeded crackers, hummus, and verbena! Then get hands-on with a fresh bruschetta-making experience. Continue the hands-on journey with a floral mixology experience alongside an Expert Bartender. Next, get ready for a 4-course floral feast with campanelle pasta bursting with kale, dates, sumac, and goat cheese. Finish with a house-made apple bombolone – yum!

In NYC, office team building activities are everywhere – and anything can become a fun endeavour. However, the activities above will have your team working together and building trust to continue to work better as a team! 

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