Want to Plan a Corporate Team Building Activity in Vancouver?

Here are 7 unique corporate team-building activities in Vancouver to choose from

Quick summary:

• Discover seven unique team-building ideas, from historical adventures with Forbidden Vancouver to exciting escape rooms.
• Engage in hands-on activities like cooking workshops, bike tours, and water adventures to strengthen your team’s bonds.
• Find the perfect corporate outing from getting artsy with your coworkers to giving back to the community.

By Sinéad Grewcock

Looking for a team-building activity that will build trust, provide opportunities to learn and create, and immerse your team in the city you love? We can help! Here are seven ways to help you connect as a team and even acquire new skills to take back to the office.

Forbidden Vancouver Tour Guide recounts Vancouver’s darkest history and most scintillating secrets

Forbidden Vancouver Private Walking Tours

Forbidden Vancouver offers a number of private walking tours, providing your team the chance to bond over shocking secrets from Vancouver’s past. And with five different tours to choose from, from historic Gastown to the forested trails of Stanley Park to bustling Davie Village, there’s something for everyone. Experience the streets and stories of Vancouver in a new light together and bring the past back to the office to discuss long after the tour is over.

Sinners & Sweets Tour

Ever been to a party with no snacks? That’s not a party at all. The Sinners and Sweets Tour, as its title promises, blends history and indulgence. Taking you on a thrill ride through Central Downtown Vancouver’s most iconic architectural marvels and the stories behind them, all while enjoying delicious treats from some of our most beloved local bakeries and patisseries. You and your team will never look at Downtown the same way again.

Dark Secrets of Stanley Park Tour

Is there a better embodiment of the blending of the urban and the natural than Stanley Park? The Dark Secrets of Stanley Park Tour is an outdoor expedition through time to discover the park’s past. The tour offers a chance to connect with colonial and indigenous history that will change your perspective and enrich your relationship with the land we work on, and bring some perspective back to the office.

Forbidden Vancouver’s Dark Secrets of Stanley Park Tour delves into the dark history of our city’s favourite park

The Really Gay History Tour

Ever wonder why Vancouver’s Pride is in August? How the Rainbow crosswalk came to be? The thriving Davie Village is full of shops, bars, and indeed, history. Bring your team to learn about the city’s LGBTQ2+ history and pioneers. Led by Queer historian and storyteller Glenn Tkach, you’ll gain insight into Vancouver’s role not just locally, but internationally, in the quest for equality. You’ll laugh, cry, and have a one-of-a-kind experience with your team. Get to know the West End beyond what sits at face value.

Photo from foodietours.ca

Culinary Team Activities

Want something a little more hands-on? Why not step outside the office to wine and dine your team? We recommend Vancouver Foodie Tours for a collaborative and creative team building activity. Or, better yet, see who is a secret Iron Chef in the making? Who’s turn will it be to cook the company Holiday Dinner? Dirty Apron is a cooking school that provides regular corporate classes as well as competitive team-building classes to see who will sink or swim when the pressure is on. Perfect for those colder months where you want to get outside the office, by staying inside.

Get on Your Bikes with Your Corporate Team

Vancouver is renowned for its cycling-forward way of life, so what better way to play hooky from the office for the afternoon? (Or even the entire day, we won’t tell!) “But I already bike to work every day!” Level up your cycling game by enlisting a professional cycling guide for the job! We recommend Cycle City Tours! Get exercise, fresh air, and gorgeous scenery as you leave the emails behind — corporate team building and great exercise? Say less.

Vancouver Water Adventures (vancouverwateradventures.com)

Explore the Water

Bogged down by stuffy cubicles? Step outside the office to remember Vancouver’s landscape is defined by its idyllic location by land and sea! Don’t miss a day on the water any time of year! With no shortage of boat sightseeing tours, rental kayaks, or even paddleboards to see what mental fortitude your team is really made of. We recommend checking out Vancouver Water Adventures. Maybe you’ll start taking your Monday meetings out on the open waters.

Escape Rooms

Think your day at work is stressful? Embark on a race against time with your team where every second ticking on the clock is paramount. These immersive puzzle-solving activities are different every time and a fun way to develop teamwork and better understand your team’s unique strengths. Maybe you can even leverage your aptitudes into a promotion…though we make no promises. If nothing else, this team building outing is always a good laugh. Check out EXIT Gastown or our friends at Vancouver Mysteries for an outdoor take on the classic escape room!

Creative Workshops (Art, Crafting, etc.)

Feel like your creativity is stifled by spreadsheets? Get your hands dirty with something craftier. Swap your business attire and your dual-monitors for an apron and pottery wheel or paint brush. Hand Eye Ceramics in Chinatown offers team-building pottery classes — discover who is the secret office Michelangelo! Or perhaps Picasso’s more your vibe, in which case Luminous Elephant offers team-building painting classes and retreats. No matter the artistic outlet, you’ll walk away with a new one-of-a-kind creation to make your desk a little more whimsical.

Charity or Volunteer Team Building

Finding pedantic office tasks a little existential? Never underestimate meaningful team-building through volunteering! These shared experiences will give your team a chance to connect over through impact and social responsibility. Host a Neighbourhood Cleanup Party in an area close to the office to make an impact in your community and zoom out on your company goals by refocusing on a local lens. Or join an existing cleanup in your neighbourhood to get to know other community members and better learn how to serve them.

What’s the Right Team Building Activity for Your Group?

Make sure you understand that selecting experiences isn’t just based on what results you want but on team size, interests, mobility, and schedule so that your group can relax and enjoy. Forbidden Vancouver can tailor experiences to suit your unique needs, so you can get the most out of your time with us!

Summary

Whatever escape your office is looking for, there is something this city can offer! Indoors or outdoors, active or artistic, the possibilities are endless. Make team-building a practice, not a one-time engagement. Take the lessons learned, whether on tour with us or at any number of fantastic opportunities in the city, back to the office to build long-term impact.

We hope to host you on a Forbidden Vancouver walking tour!

Check out our many tours and offerings here!

Sinéad Grewcock is filmmaker and comedian living in Vancouver, BC. She has over a decade of experience in acting, improvisation, writing, directing, and producing for film and stage. Sinéad loves telling stories, researching, and sharing her local community!