Let’s be honest about team building.

If you have to tell everyone they’re about to have fun, there’s a decent chance they aren’t.

The best company events usually don’t feel like organized team-building exercises at all. Give people some good food, a relaxed setting, a little friendly competition, and something to talk about, and they’ll take it from there.

That’s especially true for small businesses, startups, coworking communities, and teams where people don’t necessarily interact every day.

You don’t need trust falls or another conference room exercise.

You need to give people a reason to put down their phones, get away from their desks, and talk to someone new.

Here are eight ideas that can make your next company event, networking night, trade show, or team-building day a lot more interesting.

1. Host a Company Cornhole Tournament

Cornhole might be one of the easiest team-building activities to pull off.

Almost everyone understands how to play. Games don’t take forever. People can jump in and out. And you don’t need everyone participating at the same time.

Best of all, there’s just enough competition to make things interesting.

Split employees into teams of two and create a tournament bracket. Give the teams ridiculous names. Put the bracket somewhere everyone can see it.

Then add a prize.

It doesn’t need to be expensive. A gift card, extra-long lunch, company swag, or a completely ridiculous traveling trophy can be enough to get everyone invested.

You can also make the game itself part of the company experience with branded boards featuring your logo, colors, slogan, or custom event artwork.

Custom Bag Boards creates premium custom cornhole board wraps for regulation-size boards that can be designed around a company’s brand. You can provide a logo, colors, photos, or even just an idea, and their designers create the layout and send a digital proof for approval before anything is printed.

That means you don’t need someone on your team to create finished artwork.

Once you’ve got the boards, they aren’t limited to one tournament. Bring them to company picnics, customer events, trade shows, recruiting events, charity tournaments, and summer parties.

Or leave them at the office and settle important business decisions the old-fashioned way.

First team to 21 wins.

2. Turn Your Trade Show Booth Into Something People Can Do

Walk through almost any trade show and you’ll see variations of the same booth.

Table.

Tablecloth.

Banner.

Brochures.

Bowl of candy.

Maybe somebody has upgraded to a bowl of really good candy.

There’s nothing wrong with any of that, but it gives attendees very little reason to stop.

Instead of only thinking about what people can look at in your booth, give them something to do.

A simple game can completely change the interaction.

If space allows, branded cornhole boards can become part of the booth or an activity area nearby. Create a quick challenge:

Four bags. Make two and win a prize.

Now you’ve got a reason for someone to stop for a minute.

While they’re playing, your team has an opportunity to start a conversation without immediately jumping into a sales pitch.

The same principle works with other interactive activities too.

The goal is to make your booth easier to approach.

And if your logo is incorporated into the game itself, your branding naturally appears in photos and videos from the event.

That’s a lot more interesting than another stress ball.

3. Use Games to Make Networking Less Awkward

Networking events have a predictable problem.

People walk through the door, grab a drink, scan the room, and immediately find somebody they already know.

That’s comfortable.

It’s also the exact opposite of why everyone came to a networking event.

Activities can help break that pattern.

Cornhole, ping pong, shuffleboard, trivia, giant Jenga, and other casual games give people a reason to interact without having to walk up to a stranger and say:

“So…what do you do?”

Put two people on the same team and you’ve already given them something to talk about.

For coworking communities, this can be particularly useful.

The web developer in one office might need an accountant.

The accountant might have a client who needs a photographer.

The photographer might be looking for someone to rebuild a website.

Those connections don’t happen because everyone happens to share the same building.

They happen when you create opportunities for people to meet.

4. Start a Coworking Member Tournament

If you operate or belong to a coworking community, try turning a simple tournament into a recurring member event.

Run it monthly during the summer or make it a quarterly competition.

Let members form their own teams, or make things more interesting by randomly pairing people from different businesses.

Put the bracket in a common area.

Bring in pizza.

Keep some drinks cold.

Create a goofy championship trophy that the winning team gets to display until the next tournament.

Suddenly you’ve got people from completely different companies talking, competing, and having fun together.

That’s valuable.

One of the biggest benefits of coworking isn’t simply having a desk somewhere other than your kitchen table.

It’s proximity to other interesting people.

But proximity alone doesn’t create community.

Interaction does.

A simple event can give people the excuse they need to start those conversations.

5. Make the Company Picnic Actually Fun

The company picnic doesn’t need an itinerary covering every 15 minutes of the afternoon.

In fact, it’s probably better without one.

Get some good food.

Put on some music.

Set up comfortable places for people to sit.

Have several optional activities available.

Cornhole works well alongside volleyball, bocce ball, ladder toss, giant Jenga, yard games, or anything else people can casually join.

Food trucks can also be a great option because they make feeding everyone easier while giving the event a more relaxed feel.

The key word is optional.

Not everybody wants to play.

Some people would rather sit in the shade and talk.

That’s fine.

Give employees several ways to enjoy the afternoon instead of turning “fun” into another required meeting.

6. Put Your Logo on Things People Want to Photograph

Businesses spend a lot of money putting logos on things.

Pens.

Koozies.

Notebooks.

Water bottles.

Tote bags.

Some of those items are useful. Some disappear into desk drawers before the event is over.

There’s another way to think about branded marketing.

Instead of asking:

“What can we put our logo on?”

Ask:

“What can we create that people actually want to interact with?”

That could be a great photo backdrop.

It could be an interesting lounge area.

It could be an oversized display.

It could be an interactive game.

A beautifully designed set of company cornhole boards is a good example because it has a purpose beyond displaying the logo.

People play the game.

They stand around it.

They take pictures.

You can use the same boards again at the next event.

That makes branded games especially interesting for companies that attend multiple trade shows, recruiting events, festivals, customer gatherings, or community events throughout the year.

The branding becomes part of an experience instead of just another advertisement.

7. Host a Customer or Vendor Appreciation Tournament

Team building doesn’t have to stop with employees.

Some of the most valuable relationships a business has are with customers, vendors, suppliers, and other local companies.

Give those people a reason to get together when nobody is trying to sell anything.

A casual cornhole tournament can work surprisingly well. (Official Cornhole Rules Here)

Partner with a local brewery, restaurant, event venue, or coworking space. Invite customers and business partners. Create teams. Bring in food. Offer a few prizes.

You can even let participating businesses sponsor individual boards or parts of the event.

The tournament itself is almost secondary.

What you’re really creating is a room—or backyard, patio, brewery, or parking lot—full of people who already have some connection to your business.

Give them something fun to do and let conversations happen naturally.

Business relationships get stronger when people know each other as people rather than names in an email inbox.

8. Turn the Tournament Into a Fundraiser

If you’re going to bring everyone together anyway, consider giving the event a bigger purpose.

Choose a local nonprofit, school, community organization, or cause your team cares about.

Charge an entry fee for each team.

Find local sponsors.

Sell food or drinks if the venue and regulations allow it.

Offer prizes donated by area businesses.

You can even create special event boards featuring the charity and sponsors, then auction or raffle them afterward.

A company tournament suddenly becomes a community event.

Employees get something fun to participate in. Local businesses get exposure. Customers and vendors have another reason to attend.

And money goes toward something worthwhile.

That’s a pretty good return on a few bags flying through the air.

Don’t Overthink Team Building

It’s easy to make corporate events too complicated.

You don’t necessarily need consultants, elaborate exercises, or an hour-by-hour agenda.

Most people want the same basic things.

Something good to eat.

Something cold to drink.

Something fun to do.

And interesting people to talk to.

Create an environment where those things can happen and then give people enough room to enjoy themselves.

Maybe that’s a coworking tournament on a Thursday afternoon.

Maybe it’s a summer company picnic.

Maybe it’s a trade show where attendees are actually lining up to interact with your booth.

Maybe it’s a customer appreciation event that turns into an annual tradition.

The activity isn’t really the point.

The conversations happening around it are.

Because the best team-building events don’t feel like team building.

They just feel like a good time with people you happen to work with.