Online vs. In-Person Team Building: Which Format to Choose

Ever since remote and hybrid work stopped being the exception and became the norm at many companies, one question keeps coming up whenever it's time to organize a team activity: online or in-person? There's no single answer that works for every company, because it depends on factors such as the team's geographic distribution, the activity's objective, and the available budget. In this article we compare both formats without taking sides from the outset, analyzing the real advantages and limits of each, so you can decide with confidence which team building format best fits your company's specific situation right now.

What we mean by online team building

Online team building covers all those activities designed to take place over video call or through specific digital platforms, without participants needing to share a physical space. It can involve puzzle-solving dynamics, such as a virtual escape room, training workshops with a playful component, team quiz games, or creativity sessions guided by a facilitator who connects with all participants through the screen.

What separates a good online activity from a boring video call disguised as team building is precisely the design: just as with the in-person format, there needs to be a methodology behind it aimed at generating real interaction between participants, not just passive consumption of content through a screen.

Group size also has a big impact on the outcome in this format: an online dynamic works better when participants are split into small subgroups that work together in separate virtual rooms, rather than keeping the whole team on a single video call where it's hard for everyone to participate actively at the same time.

What we mean by in-person team building

The in-person format is probably what comes to mind first when thinking about team building: activities that physically bring the team together in a space, whether outdoors, at a specific venue, or even at the office itself adapted for the occasion. It includes everything from gymkhanas and adventure dynamics to cooking workshops, as well as team coaching experiences or cultural activities.

The wide range of in-person proposals available on the market makes it possible to adapt the experience to virtually any objective, number of participants, or budget, which explains why it remains, by far, the most requested format by companies whenever they can bring their team together in one place.

Advantages of online team building

The most obvious advantage of the online format is that it removes the geographic barrier. A team with people spread across several cities, or even different countries, can take part in the same activity without needing to coordinate travel or cover the costs that come with it. This makes it a very practical option for companies with distributed structures or with a significant portion of staff working remotely on a permanent basis.

It also tends to be a more flexible format in terms of length: many online activities can be run in shorter sessions, of an hour or an hour and a half, which makes it easier to fit them into the calendar without needing to block out a full day. And in terms of logistics, since it doesn't require travel or a physical venue, it usually means simpler organization from a practical standpoint.

Advantages of in-person team building

The in-person format has an advantage that's hard to replicate digitally: direct human contact. The spontaneous conversation before and after the activity, body language, the energy shared in the same space, or simply the act of eating together create a kind of bond that a screen, however well the online activity is designed, still can't fully match.

In-person also allows for a much wider range of activities, especially those with a physical or sensory component: you can't recreate online the experience of coordinating the rowing on a Viking ship, nor the energy of performing a haka together, nor the shared enjoyment of a guided tasting. For many companies, especially those whose goal is to create a memorable experience or deepen bonds within the team, the in-person format remains irreplaceable.

The limits of each format

No format is perfect for every situation. Online team building, while it solves the distance problem very well, has a clear limit when it comes to the depth of connection it can generate: it's harder to build real trust through a screen than by sharing a physical space for several hours. It also depends heavily on internet connection and on participants' familiarity with the digital tool being used, which can introduce friction that takes away from the experience's flow.

The in-person format, meanwhile, has cost and logistics as its main limitation: it involves travel, venue booking, catering in many cases, and more complex coordination when the team is very spread out geographically. For a company with offices in different countries, for example, bringing the whole team together in person may only be feasible once or twice a year.

Cost and budget: what's the difference between the two formats

Budget is often one of the deciding factors when choosing between online and in-person, although it's worth analyzing with some nuance. At first glance, online team building always seems like the cheaper option, since it removes costs such as travel, venue rental, or catering. And in many cases that's true, especially compared to in-person activities that require specific venues or long trips.

However, this difference shrinks once you factor in the cost per person for large groups, or when the in-person activity is organized somewhere close to the company's offices, which minimizes travel costs. You should also consider the opportunity cost: a full-day in-person activity means the team stops producing for that time, something that also happens, though to a lesser extent, with longer online sessions. That's why, rather than focusing only on the price of the activity itself, it's worth weighing the full set of costs associated with each format before comparing figures in isolation.

How to measure whether the activity worked in each format

Both in the online and in-person format, it's worth taking a moment after the activity to assess whether it met its objective. For online activities, it's worth looking at things like the real level of participation during the session, beyond who was simply connected, and whether the dynamic managed to generate genuine interaction between people who don't normally cross paths day to day. In person, besides participants' subjective feedback, it's usually easier to directly observe the atmosphere during the day: the spontaneous conversations, the level of engagement in the proposed challenges, or simply the expressions on participants' faces.

In both cases, gathering brief feedback from the team once it's over, whether through an informal conversation or a simple questionnaire, helps you understand what worked best and decide more confidently on the format for the next activity.

How to choose the right format for your company

The decision between online and in-person should, as with any team building activity, start from the objective being pursued and the team's real context. If the goal is to maintain the bond within a distributed team on a frequent basis, with short, regular sessions, the online format is much more practical and sustainable over time. If, instead, the goal is a landmark annual event, an important celebration, or simply deepening the team's human bond, the in-person format usually delivers a more complete result.

Many companies, in fact, don't choose one over the other exclusively — they combine both formats throughout the year: more frequent online activities to maintain contact between in-person gatherings, and one or two big in-person events that serve as the highlight of the team calendar. This combination makes it possible to make the most of both formats without depending exclusively on either one.

Our recommendation, from more than fifteen years of experience

At Kaizen we work with both formats, and based on the experience gained over more than fifteen years organizing activities for companies across Spain, we can say the key isn't choosing the "correct" format in the abstract, but the one that best solves each team's specific need at each particular moment. That's why, before proposing an activity, we always start by asking about the context: how many people are taking part, where they're located, and what they want to achieve.

You can check out all our proposals, both online and in-person, in our full catalog of team building activities, or find answers to specific questions about how each format works in our FAQ section. And if you'd rather we work through together which option best fits your team, get in touch and we'll help you decide, no obligation.