Holiday Team Building on a Budget: 7 Ideas

Costs are rising across every part of business, and budgets are tight this year. But the holiday season is the one time of year when everyone wants to bring their team together. Here are seven practical ways to get more from your holiday team building budget, without losing the connection.

The short answer: companies can reduce the cost of holiday team building activities with seven simple changes:

Use your own office instead of renting a venue.
Bring catering in instead of eating out.
Connect offices in different cities by video link instead of travelling.
Choose a Remote host. It typically costs $500, compared with $1,400 or more for an Onsite host.
Book on a quieter day, or move the celebration to January.
Choose a technology-led provider, with no trucks of equipment.
Add short virtual activities between in-person get-togethers.

Why cost matters more this holiday season

Costs are rising across every part of business this year. Energy, staff, suppliers and travel all cost more. Nearly two thirds of Canadian businesses (64.3%) expect rising costs to be an obstacle in the coming months, up from 58.9% just one quarter earlier (Statistics Canada).

Venues, caterers and restaurants face the same pressures, and they’re passing them on. Travel costs more too, and in a country this size, bringing people together can mean flights, hotels and long drives. Budgets for team get-togethers are under pressure everywhere.

For teams, this creates a real tension. The holiday party is the one time of year when almost everyone wants to get together. But every venue booking, restaurant bill and journey adds to the total.

The good news is that the cost of a team activity isn’t usually in the activity itself. Most of it sits in venue rental, food and drink bought away from the office, and travel. Reduce those, and you’ll find the same budget covers much more.

1. Use your office instead of renting a venue

The simplest way to reduce cost is to stay where you are. Let the team activity provider come to you. It’s the easiest saving there is.

Most Wildgoose activities can take place in an office, or start and finish there. Indoor activities like Level Up and Office Games Holiday Edition run on interactive screens through the Wildgoose app. There’s no large room to rent and no equipment to set up. Outdoor GPS activities can start at your door, take teams through the streets nearby and bring them back for the results.

There’s a second benefit. A team activity is a strong reason for people to come into the office. It gives colleagues a shared experience in the place where they work every day.

During the holidays, this works especially well, and it’s simple to arrange. Run a festive team activity in the office in the afternoon. Then move straight into the holiday party in the same space. One venue, no travel and no extra booking.

2. Bring the food and drink to the team

Catering delivered to the office usually costs much less than a restaurant or venue package.

A simple format works well. Order lunch or snacks. Brief the teams in the office. Complete the activity indoors, or head outside for an outdoor activity. Then come back to the office for the results, the wrap-up and a few drinks. People still get the camaraderie. You still get the energy of a team day. But the total cost is much lower.

At holiday time, this format can replace an expensive restaurant booking. Order a festive lunch to the office, complete the activity, then announce the winners over drinks. One client who booked a festive office activity for their holiday party called it “a must book for any office or team day” (Trustpilot).

3. Connect offices in different cities, without travel

If your teams are in different cities, you don’t need to bring everyone to one place. In Canada, that can save a lot more than a train ticket.

With a multi-city activity, everyone is briefed together by video link. Each office then completes the same activity in its own space, on the same live leaderboard. A team in Toronto can compete with colleagues in Montréal, Calgary and Vancouver on the same afternoon, with the start time set to suit every time zone.

We’ve delivered many multi-city activities like this. Amazon, for example, connected 113 colleagues in London, Luxembourg and Madrid with The Ultimate. One of our Remote hosts briefed everyone through Amazon’s existing conference video call. Every team then competed on one shared leaderboard. No flights. No hotels. One shared experience.

Six months later, Amazon booked a second multi-city activity. As Karley Ray, Executive Assistant at Amazon, said: “We did the Ultimate with you in October and my team loved it.” Read the Amazon multi-city case study.

Language isn’t a barrier either. Wildgoose activities can be delivered in English or French, so teams in Quebec and the rest of Canada can all take part in the same activity.

During the holidays, a multi-city activity lets every office celebrate together. Nobody needs to travel in the busiest weeks of the year.

4. Choose a Remote host

A Remote host joins by video link instead of travelling to you. A Remote host typically costs $500. An Onsite host typically costs $1,400 or more and comes with a minimum spend. That’s a saving of at least $900 on the hosting cost.

An Onsite host in the room is a great option, and we have Onsite hosts in Canada. But a Remote host still delivers the briefing, manages the live scoreboard and presents the final results. One client who chose a Remote host for their Paris team described the host as “absolutely brilliant” (Trustpilot).

5. Book at quieter times

If your dates are flexible, ask about quieter days and times. It’s always worth asking.

December is one of the busiest months of the year for team activities. In Toronto, venues fill their December calendars between August and the end of September, and the dates that go first are the second and third Thursdays of December, then the Fridays around them (Storys). Across the country, most companies are aiming for the same few nights: the Fridays and Saturdays of the first three weekends of December (Jeff Newman).

There are other ways to find a quieter slot:

Choose a Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. They’re December’s most overlooked nights, with better availability and often better rates.
Look at the first week of December. A midweek date early in the month is easier to book than a Friday in the third week.
Choose a morning. Demand’s always lower in the morning than in the afternoon. Run the activity in the morning, then move on to lunch in the office and a few drinks in the afternoon.
Celebrate in January. A January get-together gives you more choice of dates, and gives the team something to look forward to after the holidays.

6. Choose a technology-led provider

The way an activity is delivered has a big effect on its price.

Traditional team building often needs trucks of equipment and large teams of staff. Those costs go into the price you pay. At Wildgoose, every activity runs through the Wildgoose Platform on people’s own phones and laptops. There aren’t any boxes of gear to transport, and there are fewer people to send. That makes our activities simple to organize, easy to repeat and more cost-effective.

7. Add regular virtual activities between in-person get-togethers

A virtual activity is one of the most cost-effective ways to bring people together.

We’re not saying virtual activities replace meeting in person. They don’t. But you don’t need everyone in one room every time. A short virtual activity once a month keeps teams connected between bigger get-togethers. Colleagues join from home or from different offices, across time zones, and the cost is significantly lower than any in-person format.

A virtual holiday activity also solves some very practical problems. Colleagues may live in different provinces. Some have child care commitments. Travelling to a party costs time and money, especially in winter. A virtual activity lets everyone take part from wherever they are, on the same leaderboard. During the holidays, it’s a thoughtful and inclusive thing to offer your team.

Lower cost. Same connection.

Rising costs are a reason to plan differently. They aren’t a reason to skip the holiday get-together.

The value of a team activity comes from the shared experience. Colleagues laugh together, solve problems together and get to know each other better. None of that depends on an expensive venue or a long journey.

Wildgoose has more than 22 years of experience delivering team experiences for the world’s biggest brands. We’re rated 5.0 out of 5 from more than 650 reviews on Trustpilot. Tell us your budget, your team size and where your people are. We’ll suggest the most cost-effective way to bring them together. Use your office. Connect your cities. We’ll come to you.

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Frequently asked questions

How can we run a holiday team activity on a budget?

Hold it in your own office, bring in catering and choose a Remote host. You’ll then move straight into the holiday party in the same space, with no venue rental or travel costs.

How much does a holiday team building activity cost?

Wildgoose team activities start from $22 per person, with GPS outdoor activities slightly higher. A Remote host typically adds $500. Every activity page has a live price calculator that’ll give you an exact price for your group size and format.

When should we book holiday team building in Canada?

As early as possible. The most popular dates are the Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays of the first three weeks of December, so they don’t last long. For better value, consider a Sunday, Monday or Tuesday, a midweek date in the first week of December, a morning slot or a January get-together.

Can activities be delivered in French?

Yes. Wildgoose activities can be delivered in English or French, so bilingual teams can take part together.

How can companies reduce the cost of team building activities?

The biggest savings come from avoiding travel and venue rental. Run the activity from your own office, bring catering in, connect offices by video link instead of travelling, choose a Remote host and book on a quieter day.

Can team building activities take place in the office?

Yes. Most Wildgoose activities can run inside an office or start and finish there. Indoor activities run on interactive screens through the app, and outdoor activities can start at your door.

Is a Remote host cheaper than an Onsite host?

Yes. A Remote host typically costs $500, compared with $1,400 or more for an Onsite host, which also comes with a minimum spend. That saves at least $900, and they still deliver the briefing, manage the live scoreboard and present the results.

How do you run one team activity across several offices?

Everyone is briefed together by video link. Each office then completes the same activity in its own space, and all teams compete on one live leaderboard, even across time zones.

Is virtual team building cheaper than in-person team building?

Yes, it’s usually significantly cheaper because there’s no travel, venue or catering. It works best as a regular addition to in-person get-togethers, and it isn’t a replacement for them.