Team building for agencies

The best team building for agencies works around client work: a 60-minute hosted game that doesn't eat billable time, a kit class to celebrate a pitch win or a launch, and a holiday party where account teams, freelancers and even clients play on one call. Every activity has a live host and a live price, and you can pay by card, invoice or PO.

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Agency colleagues laugh around a long studio worktable while remote teammates join on a wall screen video call

Agency team building activities, by the moment

Agency life runs on deadlines, pitches and wins. Pick the moment, then the activity. Each one runs about 60 minutes with a live host or instructor.

Between client deadlines: one lunch hour

Hosted games on your video call. Nothing to ship, nothing to prepare, and everyone is back on client work in 60 minutes.

After a pitch win or a launch

Something worth toasting. Kit classes ship to every home, so book about 3 weeks ahead, which usually means booking before you know the result.

Pitch season: practice for the room

Skill sessions that make the next pitch better. Book one two weeks before a big presentation, while there is still time to rehearse.

Want the whole menu? See every activity, or the virtual mixology and wine tasting pages for more celebration options.

Planning around billable time and client deadlines

An agency's calendar belongs to its clients. Four rules that get people to show up anyway.

  • Give it a time code

    Book the hour to an internal code and say so in the invite. Nobody should feel they are taking it from a client budget.

  • Pick an hour clients rarely use

    Lunch midweek, or 4 pm on a Friday. Every activity here runs about 60 minutes and ends on time.

  • Ask every account lead for dates

    Shoots, launches, presentations and pitch deadlines. A date that half the account people miss is a wasted date.

  • Leave one person on the inbox

    Each account names one person to watch client email for the hour, so everyone else can close Slack.

Pitch season and the win party

A pitch has a fixed date, so the events around it can be planned the day it lands on the calendar.

  1. Pitch date set

    Book the win party now

    Kit classes need about 3 weeks, so hold a date for the week after the pitch. If you lose, the hour is still worth having.

  2. 2 weeks out

    A practice session

    An improv session or Speak Up! for the pitch team, while there is still time to change the deck.

  3. Pitch week

    No events

    Order dinner for the people working late and keep their calendars clear.

  4. The week after

    Win or lose, get the agency together

    A hosted game for everyone, or the kit class you booked. A Trivia with a Twist! custom round about the pitch needs about 4 weeks; some requests cost extra.

Account teams, offices and freelancers on one call

People at an agency sit on different clients and rarely work together. The event is the one hour they do.

Run it once, with every office and every remote person on the same call. Our hybrid team building page covers the room setup when some people are together and some are not.

  • Mix the accounts. Tell the host who works on which client and ask for mixed teams, so the retail team finally meets the healthcare team.
  • Count the freelancers in. Designers, writers and producers on contract join the same link, and kits ship to their own address. The price follows the headcount, not employment status.
  • One call for every office. Each office gathers in front of one screen and remote people join from a laptop. Zoom by default; Teams, Google Meet or Webex on request.
  • Studio and production staff too. The people who rarely sit on client calls are the ones who most need the invite.

Inviting a client to the event

An hour of play with the client's team can do more for the relationship than another status call.

Formats, run of show and prices for a client event are on client appreciation events. Thanking clients at year end without an event? See client gifts.

  • Check their gift policy first. Many companies cap what staff can accept from a vendor, and a kit sent to someone's home counts. Ask your client contact before you send anything.
  • Alcohol needs care. Wine and cocktail kits need an adult (21+) signature at delivery, and non-alcoholic kits are available. A hosted game with no kit sidesteps the question.
  • Your agency books and pays. The client is a guest. One invoice, by card or by PO.
  • Let the host run it. Nobody on the account team has to emcee in front of the client, and the host puts client and agency people on mixed teams.

Agency holiday party: December 2026 book-by dates

Black Friday is November 27, 2026 and Cyber Monday is November 30. Agencies with retail clients are busy until then, so every date below falls in the second or third week of December.

Book-by dates for a December 2026 agency holiday party
Party dateHosted gameKits, US addressesKits, Canada or abroad
Thu, Dec 10, 2026Thu, Nov 26Thu, Nov 19Thu, Nov 5
Fri, Dec 11, 2026Fri, Nov 27Fri, Nov 20Fri, Nov 6
Tue, Dec 15, 2026Tue, Dec 1Tue, Nov 24Tue, Nov 10
Thu, Dec 17, 2026Thu, Dec 3Thu, Nov 26Thu, Nov 12

Hosted games need about 2 weeks, kit classes about 3 weeks for US addresses, and about 5 weeks with guests in Canada or abroad. Full party plans are on virtual holiday party.

Agency culture is part of how you hire. A standing calendar of events is easier to point to in an interview than one party a year: plan four at once with an annual team building program.

What it costs, and how the agency pays

Totals for a boutique shop, a mid-size agency and an office of a larger network, from our live catalog prices.

  • Card: reserve online with a 50% deposit.
  • Invoice or PO: a booking with a purchase order gets an invoice instead of a card charge.
  • Headcount not final: book with an estimate and confirm numbers before kits ship.
  • Several offices or departments: a free team account lets each one book and track its own events. Enterprise adds monthly invoicing and budgets per team.
Total price for the whole agency, by headcount
Poll Points!Hosted game, lunch hour15 people$85040 people$1,700120 people$4,250
Mixology Cocktail TrioKit class, win party15 people$1,86440 people$4,339120 people$12,259
ImprovSkill workshop, pitch season15 people$95040 people$950120 people$1,350

Kit prices include continental US shipping; Alaska, Hawaii, US territories, Canada and other countries cost extra per kit. Need an exact number? Get a free quote.

Agency team building questions

What are good team building activities for agencies?

A 60-minute hosted game that fits between client deadlines, a cocktail or wine kit class to celebrate a pitch win or a launch, and an improv or public speaking workshop before pitch season. Each one has a live host, so nobody at the agency has to run it.

How do agencies fit team building around billable hours?

Keep it to one hour, put it on an internal time code, and pick a slot clients rarely use, like lunch midweek or late Friday afternoon. Ask account leads for launch, shoot and pitch dates first, and leave one person per account watching client email.

Can freelancers and contractors join?

Yes. They join the same video call and play on mixed teams, and kits ship to their own address. The price follows the headcount, so count them in when you book.

Can we invite a client to an agency event?

Yes. A hosted game or tasting with client and agency people on mixed teams works well. Check the client's gift policy before you send kits to their homes, and remember that wine and cocktail kits need an adult (21+) signature at delivery.

When should an agency book its December 2026 holiday party?

Black Friday is November 27, 2026 and Cyber Monday is November 30, so agencies with retail clients often pick a date in the second or third week of December. For Friday, December 11, book a hosted game by November 27 and a kit class by November 20, or by November 6 with guests in Canada or abroad.

How much does agency team building cost?

A hosted game for a 15-person shop costs $850 for Poll Points!, and $1,700 for an agency of 40. Kit classes are a base fee plus a price per guest, with continental US shipping included. Every activity page shows the price for your headcount.

How is this different from team building for a marketing team?

An agency serves many clients at once, so its events work around billable time, pitches and account teams. A company's own marketing department works around its own launches and campaigns. If that is you, see team building for marketing teams.

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