The reward events people remember are the ones that feel chosen for them, not picked from a list because someone had to book something. A gift voucher is nice, of course. But it doesn’t give your team a story. An evening where they made cocktails from scratch, or a
race night where someone who’d never bet on a horse ended up winning the pot, that’s the bit that gets retold.
These events are built to feel like a proper thank-you. Sociable, celebratory and free of any learning objective. The aim is simple, give your team a great time and send them home feeling properly looked after.
When to plan a reward eventReward events work well as a standalone thank-you, or as the social part of a bigger company event. They often come after:
End of a strong quarter or financial year
Completion of a major project or product launch
Reaching a team target or business milestone
Staff anniversaries or long-service recognition
Christmas party or summer social
Welcoming a new team after an acquisition or merger
They don’t need a grand occasion either. Sometimes the best moment is simply when the team has worked hard, stayed with it and earned a break.
What makes a good reward eventA good reward event should feel easy for the people attending it. They shouldn’t feel put on the spot, dragged into awkward competition or made to perform when they came out to relax.
Evening entertainment formats work particularly well because they give the night a natural rhythm. There’s structure, plenty to get stuck into and room for every comfort level.
NewWave Events can recommend reward formats based on your team’s size, personality and preferences, from a small department night out to a full company celebration.
Planning your team reward eventWe manage setup, delivery and logistics so you can enjoy the event alongside your team. Evening events can include support with venue sourcing, décor, catering coordination and extended programme planning. Get in touch to talk through what you have in mind.
A group of people can share an office, attend the same meetings and produce work that sits alongside each other without really working as a team. A team does something different. It coordinates, covers for each other, uses individual strengths and moves towards a shared goal with shared ownership. That doesn’t always happen by itself. It usually has to be built.
Teamwork focused events create the conditions for that kind of collaboration, not by lecturing people about it, but by putting them into situations where working together is the only way through. Every challenge on this page is structured so individual effort alone won’t be enough. Your team needs everyone pulling together, and the activities make that obvious pretty quickly.
What these events developAlongside a properly good day, teamwork events help teams practise useful habits:
Shared accountability, understanding that the group’s result belongs to everyone
Clearer role distribution, learning when to delegate, lead and follow
Trust under pressure, making decisions together when there isn’t time for a long debate
Cross-department understanding, particularly useful when teams from different areas are coming together for the first time
Those habits can carry back into work, especially for teams that need to collaborate more effectively across functions or geographies.
Best scenarios for teamwork eventsTeamwork events can work at most stages of a team’s life, but they’re especially useful when:
Two departments or business units are merging and need to build a shared identity
A team has grown quickly and doesn’t yet have clear working rhythms
Hybrid working has reduced the natural touchpoints between colleagues
A team is preparing for a major project that will need genuine coordination
Leadership wants to understand how the team organises itself when given a real challenge
Formats and group sizesTeamwork events are available indoors and outdoors across the UK, and can be adapted to suit groups from around 10 to several hundred people. Many formats work as standalone events or as part of a larger
company away day or conference. Get in touch and we’ll help you choose the right activity for your group size, venue and goals.