Hybrid team building activities for consultancies: 5 practical tips for 2026
Hybrid team building combines in-office and remote participants to strengthen collaboration and trust—essential for small consultancy firms (5-25 employees) operating across Belgium and the Netherlands where flexible work models dominate.
Why hybrid team building matters for consultant teams
Hybrid team building isn't a luxury—it's a necessity for modern consultancy firms. When your team splits between office and remote workers, you're fighting against distance, miscommunication, and the "us vs. them" divide that naturally forms. According to research on distributed teams, 40-60% of small consultancy firms now operate with at least partial remote work, making traditional in-person team building obsolete.
The challenge isn't just logistical. Remote employees often feel excluded from informal bonding moments that happen naturally in offices. Meanwhile, in-office staff miss the perspective and collaboration opportunities with distributed team members. Hybrid team building bridges this gap by creating shared experiences where everyone participates equally, whether they're sitting in your Brussels office or working from home in Amsterdam.
For consultancy firms specifically, this matters because your competitive advantage depends on collaboration, trust, and seamless communication across projects. When your team trusts each other—and understands how remote colleagues think and work—project delivery improves, client relationships strengthen, and employee retention jumps.
What makes hybrid team building different from traditional events?
Here's the key difference: traditional team building excludes remote workers or makes them passive participants. Hybrid team building—sometimes called "phygitale" events (physical + digital)—is designed from the ground up so in-office and remote participants have equal roles, equal fun, and equal impact.
The best hybrid activities share three characteristics:
Real-time interaction across locations. Everyone participates simultaneously. Remote participants aren't watching a presentation on Zoom while office staff run around; instead, teams are mixed with both office and remote members working toward the same goal.
Shared digital experience. You're using tools like video conferencing, shared scoring systems, or collaborative platforms so remote participants can see progress, celebrate wins, and feel part of the momentum—not like they're joining five minutes late.
Inclusive design. Games and activities are built so neither location has an advantage. An escape game that requires physical locks in the office but leaves remote staff guessing doesn't work. A well-designed hybrid escape game uses digital controls, shared clues, and roles that rotate between locations.
What works: 5 practical team building activities for hybrid consultancy teams
1. Phygitale escape games and problem-solving challenges
Escape games translated for hybrid teams are perfect for consultants because they tap into your team's natural problem-solving skills. Unlike traditional escape rooms (which exclude remote workers), phygitale versions use mixed teams with office members handling physical puzzles while remote colleagues guide strategy, manage time, and solve digital clues.
Cost: €35–€50 per person for 1–3 hours. Providers like [Tero Wannapplay](https://tero.be/nl/news/gamificatie-en-hybride-evenementen-de-toekomst-van-teambuilding/) operate across Belgium and offer escape formats specifically built for hybrid teams, with real-time scoring visible to everyone.
Why it works: Remote staff see their strategic input directly impact outcomes. Office staff depend on remote colleagues' ideas. It's collaborative by design, not just a fun game with learning tacked on afterward.
2. Gamified team challenges with rotating leadership
Design short competitions (30–90 minutes) where teams rotate leadership between office and remote members. One round, an office person leads strategy; the next round, a remote colleague takes charge. This builds empathy for how others work and breaks down silos fast.
Example: A sales consultancy might run a "pitch competition" where teams develop a client proposal together. The office group handles client research (using your CRM or shared docs), while remote team members write messaging and deliver the pitch via Zoom. Score both the proposal quality and the collaboration process.
Why it works: Leadership rotation forces people to adapt to different working styles. It's also incredibly practical—your team learns they can lead and collaborate effectively whether they're in a room or on a video call.
3. Creative workshops (visual, music, or movement-based)
Hybrid creative workshops serve two purposes: they reduce stress and they develop soft skills like communication and creative thinking—crucial for consultants under project pressure.
Options include:
- Live drawing sessions led by a facilitator on Zoom where office and remote staff complete the same brief (sketch your biggest client challenge, then share)
- Music collaboration where teams create playlists together or write jingles for your firm's values
- Movement/yoga sessions via video—yes, remote staff on Zoom joining office staff in a meeting room for a 20-minute session
Cost: €40–€60 per person, usually 60–90 minutes. StudioDNA and similar providers in Belgium offer maatwerk creative workshops for small teams.
Why it works: Creativity and movement bypass the usual corporate masks. Your reserved project manager might open up in a drawing exercise. The cynical analyst might surprise you with their playlist picks. This builds the human connection that makes actual work collaboration smoother.
4. Quarterly icebreakers and energizers (low-cost, ongoing)
Don't wait for annual off-sites. Short, recurring icebreakers every quarter (15–30 minutes) keep team connection alive and cost almost nothing.
Ideas:
- Two truths and a lie: Done on video, rotates through team members. Takes 20 minutes, costs zero, builds vulnerability and laughter.
- Speed networking: Break into random pairs for 5 minutes (office + remote mixed), swap one personal story and one work win, rotate.
- Show and tell: Team members bring or screen-share something meaningful (not work-related). A hobby, a travel photo, a family moment. Remote and office staff on equal footing.
Cost: €0–€200 if you hire a facilitator for structure; free if you run it yourself.
Why it works: Small, consistent touchpoints prevent remote team members from feeling distant. For small firms with tight budgets, this is your secret weapon—high impact, low investment.
5. Hybrid hackathons and project sprints
For IT consultancies, cybersecurity firms, or tech-heavy teams, a 4–6 hour hybrid hackathon combines team building with real business value. Teams work on a internal challenge (improve a client proposal, design a process, solve a technical problem) with mixed office/remote membership.
Format:
- 30 min: Brief and team assignment
- 3 hours: Build/work (teams collaborate via Zoom + Slack, with shared docs and screens)
- 30 min: Demo and judging
- 30 min: Debrief (what worked? what slowed us down?)
Cost: €25–€40 per person (mostly facilitator time), huge upside if the hackathon solves a real problem.
Why it works: It's team building and productivity wrapped together. Your team bonds while delivering something tangible. Remote staff contributes equally because collaborative software is already their native habitat.
How to plan and run a successful hybrid team event
Before the event: preparation that prevents disasters
1. Set a clear protocol. Decide in advance: Will remote staff join from home or a shared space? Who facilitates technical setup? Have one "tech owner" troubleshoot issues so the facilitator stays focused on the event.
2. Use proven tools. Zoom or Microsoft Teams for video (everyone knows these). Slack or Teams for real-time chat. Shared Google Docs or Miro boards for collaborative work. Don't introduce new tools during the event.
3. Brief your team thoroughly. Send an email 3–5 days before with: event description, timing (including timezone for any international staff), what to bring, tech requirements, and the "why" behind it. Remote staff especially need this clarity.
4. Test everything. Run a technical check 24 hours before with at least one remote and one office participant. Test audio, video, screen sharing, and any third-party tools (Zoom breakout rooms, Miro, etc.).
During the event: execution tips that create magic
Keep it short. Hybrid events work best in 1–3 hours, not full-day affairs. Remote staff fatigue on video is real; office staff get restless. Shorter, focused events with clear start/end times maintain energy.
Assign active roles to remote participants. Don't let them watch. If it's a game, they're scoring or leading strategy. If it's creative, they're contributing equally. Passivity kills engagement fast.
Use breakout rooms. For bigger groups, use Zoom breakout rooms to mix office and remote staff into small teams. This prevents the office group from huddling together while remote people fade into the background.
Keep a facilitator neutral. Whether you hire someone or assign an internal leader, they should stay out of competitive games and focus entirely on managing energy, timing, and inclusion. A good facilitator keeps remote voices heard.
After the event: the part that actually creates lasting change
This is where most companies fail. The debrief and follow-up create the ROI.
Within 48 hours of your event, send a simple survey: What went well? What was awkward? Would you do this again? Did this change how you see remote colleagues?
Schedule a 15-minute team debrief (optional attendance, recorded) where the facilitator or a leader shares observations. Use this to spot patterns: "I noticed people from different departments collaborated well together—let's pair that intentionally on future projects" or "Remote staff took the lead more often than usual—let's make that the norm in our daily standup."
Create one concrete action from the event. If your team built trust, maybe it's "we'll do async video updates instead of text-only Slack messages." If they solved a problem together, it's "this is how we'll structure future client brainstorms."
What to expect: real results from hybrid team building
According to Event Masters, consultancy firms that run quarterly hybrid team events report:
- 15–25% increase in engagement scores (measured via post-event surveys)
- 20% improvement in cross-location collaboration (fewer silos between office and remote staff)
- Lower turnover, especially among remote employees who feel included
- Faster project delivery because teams understand each other's work styles
For small consultancy firms, the ROI often breaks even within 3 months. One €50-per-person event (let's say €1,000 for 20 staff) pays for itself if it prevents one delayed project or one good employee leaving.
Common pitfalls and how to avoid them
Pitfall: Remote staff feels like second-class participants. They join a Zoom call, watch office staff laugh together, and log off feeling more isolated than before. Fix: Design activities where remote roles are essential and visible, not supportive.
Pitfall: Technical chaos kills the vibe. Audio doesn't work. Someone's video is frozen. You spend 20 minutes troubleshooting. Fix: Test everything beforehand, and have a low-tech backup activity ready (a simple conversation game, a trivia quiz in a shared doc).
Pitfall: No follow-up, no change. The event was fun, everyone went back to siloed work, and nothing improved. Fix: Debrief within 48 hours, identify one behavior change, and reinforce it in daily work.
Pitfall: One-off events instead of a rhythm. You run an amazing hybrid event, then nothing for a year. Team connection fades. Fix: Schedule quarterly touchpoints. They don't need to be elaborate—icebreakers and energizers are enough.
Getting started: your next steps
You don't need to hire an expensive event company or plan something complicated. Here's how to start:
Step 1: Identify the real problem. Do you need to build trust between office and remote staff? Reduce stress? Improve communication? Run a quick survey or ask your team directly. The best team building solves an actual problem, not just creates fun moments.
Step 2: Choose your format. Based on your answer to step 1, pick one activity from the list above. Start small—maybe a gamified challenge or a creative workshop, 1–2 hours.
Step 3: Pick a provider or run it yourself. For small budgets, try running a simple activity yourself (icebreaker, speed networking, hackathon). For more polish, get a quote from Catalyst België, Event Masters, or Expert Academy. Most offer free consultations.
Step 4: Schedule it within 4 weeks. Don't let planning paralyze you. Pick a date, send a calendar invite, and commit. Hybrid team building only works if it actually happens.
Step 5: Measure and repeat. After your event, send a quick survey and track one metric (engagement, collaboration, or retention). If it works, make it quarterly. If it doesn't land well, adjust and try again.
Why this matters for your business
Your consultancy's competitive advantage isn't your methodology or even your expertise—it's your team's ability to collaborate, communicate, and deliver under pressure. When remote staff feels part of the team, when office and remote colleagues understand each other, and when your team trusts each other across distances, everything improves: project delivery, client relationships, retention, and ultimately, growth.
Hybrid team building bridges the distance that modern work creates. It's not about forcing fun; it's about creating genuine connection in a way that fits how your team actually works.
Ready to strengthen your team's collaboration and culture?
A strong, connected team is the foundation of a thriving consultancy. At Luniq, we work with consulting firms across Belgium and the Netherlands to build digital platforms that support collaboration, client delivery, and growth.
Whether you're improving internal team dynamics or looking to streamline how your consultancy presents itself to clients, the right digital infrastructure matters. Get in touch with us to explore how we can support your firm's growth.