Best Team Building Ideas in Phoenix, AZ: A Local Facilitator’s Guide
After 18 years facilitating some of the best team building activities Phoenix, AZ, has to offer, I can tell you one thing with absolute confidence: this city offers something unique for corporate teams.
The desert landscape, year-round sunshine (even the HOT summer heat), and vibrant culture create the perfect backdrop for truly memorable team building experiences.
I’m Ben, and I’ve been helping Phoenix-area teams break out of their shells, laugh, and have fun since I started my career here. I’ve learned what works—and what doesn’t—in the Valley of the Sun, and that’s what I’ll be sharing in this guide.
What Makes Team Building Events in Phoenix Stand Out?
You might assume Phoenix is just another desert city, but it’s really not—it’s a unique blend of southwestern culture, modern innovation, and natural beauty (and challenges) that creates incredible opportunities for team building.
I’ll keep my love letter to this beautiful city short since you came here for the best team building ideas in Phoenix, not Ben’s favorite things about Phoenix, but I couldn’t resist a quick highlight on why I love it here.
Charity Events Are the Norm
The number one thing that stands out to me here is that the vast majority of team building ideas Phoenix, AZ, clients gravitate toward are charity events. It’s honestly so refreshing to spend so much of my time helping those in need.
Now, corporate social responsibility (CSR) does offer some pretty great benefits to companies and employees alike, but that’s not why CSR is the norm. It just seems to be the general community spirit in Phoenix that encourages teams to give back to others.
This focus on charity events always adds an extra layer of meaning to corporate events. Phoenix has a lot of different charities, too—you could be helping animals in need one day, kids the next, and healthcare workers the day after that!
Here are a few of my top events that aren’t on this list (for the sake of brevity, really, they’re all so fun):
- Mission ImPAWssible: Building wheelchairs for dogs in need
- Charity Guitar Build: Building guitars for music schools
- Charity Bike Build: Building bicycles for kids
The Weather Is As Hot As Everyone Says
Okay, hear me out—the extremely hot weather is a good thing! Seriously.
Phoenix’s high summer temperatures make climate-controlled indoor venues so much more appealing. It’s hard not to appreciate where you’re at when it’s protecting you from the sweltering heat outside.
The summer heat also makes outdoor activities so much more memorable when they’re timed right! When you’re outside in Phoenix having a blast, you get to appreciate the natural beauty of the Valley of the Sun, and you start to feel like a kid again.
Best Team Building Activities Phoenix Has To Offer: My Top 3
Alright, a promise is a promise! Let’s move on to what you came here for. With hundreds of team building events here in Phoenix under my belt, I’ve definitely found some favorites.
1. Corporate Survivor: Desert Edition
This event is super popular here—it’s (of course) based on Survivor, which has been around for over 20 years now, and it’s always a hit. It seems like everyone has had a survivor phase, so getting to do Corporate Survivor always gets people pumped.
The good news is that this event works either indoors or outdoors, so it’s an option even on the hottest Arizona days. Here are a few of my favorite outdoor spots if it’s a cool day:
- Margaret T. Hance Park
- Encanto Park
- East Lake Park
- Desert Breeze Park
We start off by dividing your group into “tribes,” each of which will face challenges that range from incredibly silly to seriously intense. The challenges call for different skillsets, so we make sure to balance the tribes so everyone gets a chance to shine.
Just like Survivor, the tribes are competing against each other, forming alliances, and even sabotaging each other, and the team with the highest score at the end is crowned Sole Survivor.
It’s honestly really funny to watch people go into full-on Survivor mindset, too. They start talking alliances almost right away since that’s such a big thing on the show, and that’s always my favorite part because it gets people laughing and being silly out the gate.
Pro tip: If you opt for an outdoor location, bring lots of sunscreen and plan to head somewhere with air conditioning after the event.
2. Salsa & Sangria Challenge: Embracing Local Culture
Alright, so this is a combination of two challenges: the Salsa Showdown and our Sangria Wine Challenge. I call it the Salsa & Sangria Challenge, and it’s always a good time.
It feels a little more “of the culture” out here in Phoenix, and I like to kick it off with Pharrell’s Sangria Wine if we have the right group for it! The music keeps going from there, typically with a great Latin music playlist, and it keeps the vibe up the whole time.
I usually start with the Salsa Showdown, where teams are making fresh salsa (so they’re not drinking before using knives), having fun with trivia, and competing for the titles of winners in categories like:
- Most Creative Salsa
- Best Presentation
- Tastiest Salsa
Then we kick it up a notch with the Sangria Wine Challenge! We start with wine tasting before dividing the team into groups so they can craft signature sangrias and battle it out in three categories:
- Best Tasting Sangria
- Best Marketing Campaign
- Trivia Champions
I’ve never seen this event flop, especially since it works well at almost any venue with air conditioning. Who doesn’t love getting out of the office (or conference) to take some cooking classes and indulge in chips, salsa, sangria, and good music?
Pro tip: I’m a fan of pre-event outings to get everyone in the mood—if you can swing it, hit up the Uptown Farmer’s Market to gather fresh ingredients before kicking things off.
3. Miniature Golf Course: Engineering Meets Fun
This is a super popular charity event here since Phoenix is known for its gorgeous golf courses. Our Build Your Own Mini Golf Course is a super rewarding experience, and it’s another indoor event, which is always nice here.
We’ll provide materials like these that your team gets to use to construct their own mini golf course:
- Tubes
- Pipes
- Boxes
- Lumber
- Canned goods
- Non-perishable packaged food items
The food items are donated to a local food pantry after the program, so it’s a great way to combine team building, golf, and charity.
I really love mixing things up with the events I facilitate, and years ago, we challenged the teams to build a cardboard bridge on their course—it had to be big enough and strong enough that the CEO could drive a golf cart over it! It was so much fun.
Pro tip: Consider heading to Northern Scottsdale for this one. It has some of the nicest resorts in all of the southwestern United States, and plenty of golf clubs to set the scene.
How To Plan for Team Building: Phoenix, AZ, Insider Tips
Even the best team building activities Phoenix has to offer can go downhill fast with bad planning. Luckily, I’ve picked up a few things over the years!
Here are my top insider tips to make sure your event goes off without a hitch.
Plan for the Season
Arizona is amazing for team building year-round if you’re going for indoor events. It’s beautiful, and the venues here are fantastic.
If you’re planning an outdoor event, avoid June, July, and August, or at least make sure you have umbrellas and water stations set up. Even with these in place, though, don’t be surprised if the heat saps some of the energy out of your event.
Also, seriously, have a plan B indoor location no matter what. The heat here is no joke, and it’s not uncommon for people to get heat stroke on the hottest days—in mid-July, temps as high as 107°F occur regularly.
One more tip for outdoor events! Shoot for early morning or late afternoon to avoid peak temperatures.
Have a Pre-Event Gathering
Lots of facilitators like post-event gatherings, and with good reason—it lets everyone reflect over good food. Personally, though, I like pre-event gatherings because no one is tired out or ready to go home (or back to their rooms) yet.
My favorite spot is First Watch—it won “Best breakfast” in Arizona Foothills Magazine’s Best of Our Valley competition, and everything they make is fantastic. My go-to recommendation is the Power Quinoa Bowl with an extra egg.
See the Sights
If you’re visiting Phoenix for the first time, there are some must-see places I’d suggest making time for. Number one would be to drive out to Sedona—it’s one of the most beautiful places in the country, and Uptown Sedona has an amazing dining district!
Other spots I’d suggest checking out include:
- Desert Botanical Garden
- Musical Instrument Museum
- Calle 16 Mural Project
- Roosevelt Row (RoRo)
- Tempe Town Lake
- Phoenix Art Museum
- Phoenix General
Pro tip: If your team loves art, head to Calle 16 or RoRo and try our Giant Mural Painting event! Your team will divide into smaller groups, create parts of a mural, then put them all together as a symbol of teamwork—it always makes a HUGE impact.
Try the Food
Phoenix has some great regional cuisine, and you won’t want to leave without trying some of it! Here are some signature dishes I’d suggest tracking down with your team, maybe on a stroll through The Melrose District:
- Sonoran Hot Dog: It’s a grilled bacon-wrapped hot dog in a warm, soft bolillo bun, topped with pinto beans, sautéed onions, chopped tomatoes, and onion
- Fry bread: This has a long history in the Sonoran Desert—I like the sweet version for dessert or fry bread tacos for a meal (The Fry Bread House is THE place for these).
- Nopalitos: Also known as nopales or nopal, this is an edible cactus (and apparently a superfood). You’ll find nopales tacos, quesadillas, burritos, and more around the city (Tacos Calafia is a particularly good spot).
Ready To Plan Your Team Building Activities? Phoenix Awaits!
If you’ve made it this far, you know I love this incredible city—it’s an ideal environment to help your team members grow stronger together.
From charity-focused activities to high-energy challenges, there’s something for every group here. The key is working with facilitators who understand the weather and local landscape (literally and figuratively).
If you’re ready to see the amazing team building activities Phoenix has to offer for yourself, get in touch with the crew here at TeamBonding to find out how we can help.
We’re always happy to customize activities or help you find the perfect fit for your team.
