Team Building in New York
The New York teams we work with aren’t looking for another ice breaker.
They’re looking for better communication, stronger trust, and a better way to work together.
Whether you’re gathering in NYC for a team-building session, a department offsite, or a leadership retreat, the time needs to be genuinely worthwhile. When teams step away from their day-to-day, they’re not just looking to be entertained. They’re trying to work better together.
Activities like scavenger hunts, trivia contests, or game shows can be fun. But because they rely on competition, they often divide people, reward the loudest voices, or leave many participants on the sidelines.
Make Believe Works designs creative, psychologically safe team-building workshops for teams gathering across New York City. Our experiences are fun, playful, and deeply human, but purpose-built to help teams build trust, strengthen connection, and have conversations that carry forward into real work.
Our workshops are non-competitive by design. They bring people together.
Groups: 5–500 · Duration: 60 minutes to half-day · Formats: In-person, hybrid, or remote
Areas served: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, New Jersey
Corporate Team Building in New York City
Our workshops are designed for teams doing real work together, whether they’re part of the same department or coming together across roles during moments of growth, change, or alignment.
Whether you’re in Midtown, FiDi, SoHo, DUMBO, or Williamsburg, we’ll help you make your time together count. And if your team spans locations, we can support hybrid or remote formats without forcing a one-size-fits-all experience.
Trusted by teams at Google, Amazon, Meta, Netflix, Salesforce, Spotify, Stripe, Pixar, IDEO, LinkedIn, Intuit, YouTube, American Express, BlackRock, Johnson & Johnson, P&G, Mars, Mayo Clinic, and Capital One.
What Makes Our Team Building Approach Different
Effective team building creates psychological safety, encourages honest participation, and helps people understand one another beyond their roles.
Most team building activities focus on competition, performance, or surface-level fun. Those approaches can be exciting in the moment, but they often reward the loudest voices and fade quickly.
Our experiences are non-competitive and talent-agnostic by design. Everyone contributes without feeling forced. People feel safe lowering their guard, sharing openly, and gaining new insight into one another.
The result is connection that lasts beyond the day itself.
Our workshops are especially well suited for:
Team-building sessions for teams that work together regularly, or groups coming together for the first time
Department offsites and planning meetings
Leadership offsites and executive retreats
Company-wide gatherings and annual meetings
Teams navigating growth, change, or re-organization
NYC Offsites and Corporate Retreats
These gatherings are often inflection points, moments to reset priorities, rebuild trust, and align around what matters next.
Whether you’re meeting in the Meatpacking District or packed into a Times Square office, our activities help people get vulnerable without feeling exposed, take creative risks without fear, and experience the joy of making others successful.
“Professionally, there’s a lot of value in doing activities with coworkers that aren’t directly work-related. Make Believe Works helped us build real rapport and get to know each other more personally. That built a foundation that has enriched our work relationships and supported us during more intense professional moments.”
-Sloane Hastings
Co-Head of Design & User Research
Juxtapose Ventures, Tribeca, NY
Meetings, Celebrations, and Culture-Building Gatherings in NYC
Quarterly meetings, department gatherings, and company celebrations are opportunities to reinforce how teams work together.
Use your next NYC event to get people laughing and connecting in a meaningful way that has a lasting impact. Our team activities are non-competitive and talent-agnostic so that they bring people together, rather than divide them against each other.
From Union Square to Columbus Circle, we can help you shape an event that celebrates what you’ve achieved while building the bonds that fuel what comes next.
New York City Team Building FAQ
Do you run team-building events across Manhattan and Brooklyn? Yep—we regularly run events in Midtown, FiDi, SoHo, DUMBO, and Williamsburg. We also come to Queens, The Bronx, Staten Island, and Jersey City.
What group sizes do you support?
From small groups to large all-hands. Share your headcount and goals, and we’ll recommend the best format.
How long are the sessions?
Most workshops run 60 minutes to half-day sessions. For offsites, we can extend or stack activities to fit your agenda.
Do you support hybrid or remote groups?
Yes. We offer experiences that work for in-person, hybrid, and fully remote groups.
How far in advance should we book?
We recommend booking 2–4 weeks in advance for best availability, though we’ve also facilitated last-minute and next-day sessions when schedules require it.
Do you provide food or alcohol?
Nope. We only focus on what we’re good at: designing and facilitating the team-building experience itself. But this is NYC — there are plenty of great options nearby.
Are your New York workshops facilitated or self-guided?
All Make Believe Works sessions are professionally facilitated. We do not offer self-guided activities or drop-in experiences.
What makes our team building effective for New York teams?
Effective team building creates psychological safety, encourages honest participation, and helps people understand one another beyond their roles. Our experiences focus on trust, empathy, and shared insight rather than competition or performance — so the connection actually carries back into real work.
Are your workshops a good fit for introverts or quieter participants?
Yes. Our workshops are structured, non-competitive, and talent-agnostic, which means everyone can participate without being put on the spot. Introverts often tell us they feel more comfortable and more genuinely included than in traditional team-building activities.
What does facilitated team building in NYC cost?
Pricing depends on group size, session length, and goals. We’re pricier than a scavenger hunt, but clients consistently tell us the results are worth the investment.
Can you tailor a session to our goals or theme?
Yes. We regularly customize prompts, pacing, and debriefs to support goals like trust-building, collaboration, onboarding, creativity, or alignment during times of growth or change.
Where do events take place?
We come to you. We work in offices, offsite venues, conference spaces, and retreat locations across the New York area. For virtual sessions, we host on Zoom or your preferred platform.
We’d love to help your team connect and thrive. Tell us about your event or goals and let’s make a plan.
You can also always reach us at:
hello@makebelieveworks.com
What Participants Are Saying:
“Make Believe Works reinvents connection and development with its unique, fun, engaging and highly impactful workshops. Most recently, their ‘Super-Secret’ activation facilitated what our team called ‘the most meaningful & fun’ virtual get-to-know you’s they’ve ever participated in. We can’t wait to work with them again!”
— Naomi G., Director, Business Planning & Strategy, American Express, New York
"I usually dread team building activities, but this was different. The facilitation was magical and made all the difference. I sincerely enjoyed the process and learning so many new things about my colleagues. Thanks for pushing me out of my comfort zone. Absolutely want more of these."
— Amy O., Design Manager, Spotify, New York
Make Believe Works
306 Gold Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201
We serve all five boroughs — Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island.