A good team evening doesn't need a big production. It needs three right decisions: which format, in what order, and when to book. Most of what you'll find online for team building is a list of activities; this guide starts from the team and what they want after a day at work, and builds an evening for 20 to 50 people from that, with times and numbers.
Which format suits your team?
Three formats cover almost every team evening. The choice depends on the size of the group, the average age, and what the team did last time.
Seated team dinner
Everyone around tables, food arriving in rounds, music in the background. It suits a team of 15 to 30, a team that works remotely a lot and finally wants to talk, and a group with a wide age range. The risk is that the evening ends when the food does, so plan some short content between courses.
Extended standing happy hour
A bar, bites and sharing plates, with people moving between groups. It suits 25 to 50 people, teams from different departments who don't know each other well, and a 3-hour evening that starts straight after work. It's the easiest format to turn into a party at 21:30 if the mood is right.
Team party with a DJ
It starts like a happy hour and moves on to the dance floor. It suits 35 to 50 people, a young team, the end of a project or a quarter that went well. It needs 5 hours, a bar that keeps going to the end, and someone who decides when the music comes up. It suits a team that mostly won't stay past 23:00 less well.
From the enquiries we get, most teams want the mix: start standing by the bar, sit down to eat, and go back to the dance floor. At Ezra all three formats run in the same space, with a different layout for each; the details are on team events at Ezra.
How does a 5-hour team evening run, hour by hour?
This is the schedule that works on most of our evenings. For 3 hours, keep the order and shorten the food and the dancing.
| Time | What happens | Why at this time |
|---|---|---|
| 19:00 | Arrivals, first drink, bites | People trickle in over 30 minutes; nothing starts yet |
| 19:40 | Toast, 2 to 3 speakers | Everyone's arrived and still listening |
| 20:00 | Food | After the speeches, before anyone gets too hungry |
| 21:00 | Content: round, slideshow, prizes | The group is relaxed; 30 to 45 minutes is enough |
| 21:45 | Music up, dance floor | Anyone who wants to leave can, without missing anything |
| 00:00 | The end | An end time agreed with the venue in advance |
Over 3 hours, 19:00 to 22:00, the order stays the same: toast at 19:30, food at 19:45, content at 20:45, and 45 minutes of dancing before the end. What gets shorter is the time between stages, not the stages themselves. Send the schedule to the venue a week before, so the food comes out before the content and the music drops when someone's speaking.
What makes a team evening one people remember?
Not the workshop and not the DJ. In 800 events we've seen that what people remember is the toast and the first hour: who said what, who laughed, who stood next to whom. Three rules follow from that.
Speeches early, music late
A speaker who gets up at 19:40 is talking to 40 people who are listening. A speaker who gets up at 22:30 is talking to 20 people waiting for the music to come back. Put the part that matters to management at the start of the evening, and the part that matters to the team at the end.
One person hosts
Not a producer, a host: someone from the team with a microphone who says "5 more minutes and we sit down" and "now for the round". Without that, the slideshow starts at 21:40 instead of 21:00 and the whole schedule slips.
Nobody stands alone in the first hour
In a team of 40 there are always 3 or 4 new people. Two long-timers whose job at 19:00 is to go up to anyone standing alone do more than any team building activity.
What team building content works without an outside supplier?
Each of these ideas needs a projector, a microphone and someone from the team. 30 to 45 minutes in total, no more.
A "thing you didn't know about me" round
Everyone says one sentence about themselves that nobody on the team knows. With 30 people it takes 15 minutes, and it's the content people quote most afterwards. Put the question in the invite so people come prepared.
A slideshow of the year on the projector
40 to 60 photos, 5 seconds each, set to music. Ask everyone for photos 2 weeks before, and have one person put it together. At Ezra the projector and fold-out screen are in the room; you plug in and test when you arrive.
Small prizes in funny categories
"Most messages sent after 23:00", "word of the year", "fastest on the stairs". 5 to 8 categories, a small prize for each, and a host reading them out. 10 minutes that hold the whole group.
Karaoke with two microphones
Not a contest, an opener: the manager and the newest hire sing one song together, then whoever wants to. Two microphones matter because almost nobody gets up alone. This is the moment the happy hour turns into a party.
What does a team evening at Ezra include?
The whole space, closed for your team
All three formats run in the same space, which closes for your team only. Most teams are 20 to 50 people, and the space takes up to 60.
AV in the room
A projector and fold-out screen, two microphones, and a PA with two main speakers, a subwoofer, four monitors and a mixer. The slideshow, the round and the karaoke work from the moment you walk in.
One menu for everyone
The food from the taboon (a wood-fired oven) is dairy-vegetarian, so everyone eats from the same table. Ezra has no kashrut certificate and is open on Shabbat, which is worth telling anyone on the team who keeps kosher.
One contact person
One person gets your schedule a week before and makes sure the food comes out before the content and the music drops when someone speaks. The whole conversation can happen in English.
Packages and open dates are on team events at Ezra.
When should you book a date?
December and before the holidays: 6 weeks ahead
Dates in December and in the 2 weeks before Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Passover get booked about 6 weeks ahead at most venues. If the evening doubles as a holiday toast outside the office, that's the window to work with.
Thursday: 4 to 6 weeks
Thursday is the most requested day here too, since most of Tel Aviv works Sunday to Thursday. If you want a specific Thursday, book it first and build everything else around it.
Midweek: 2 to 3 weeks
Sunday to Wednesday are more available, the team comes straight from the office, and turnout is high. For an ordinary team evening with no holiday, that's the comfortable window.
The bottom line
Team building in Tel Aviv for 20 to 50 people comes down to three decisions: a format that fits the size and age of the team, a schedule with speeches in the first hour and music at the end, and a date booked 4 to 6 weeks ahead (6 weeks for December and before the holidays). The content people remember needs no supplier: a personal round, a photo slideshow, prizes and karaoke. And if you want a place already set up for all three formats, here's how it looks at Ezra.
Want a team evening that starts with a toast and ends on the dance floor?
Ezra is a private bar in Tel Aviv that closes just for your team, most groups 20 to 50, up to 60. A projector and two microphones in the room, food from the taboon, a bar and one contact person. Tell us how many you are and when, and we'll come back within 24 hours.
Team events at Ezra Message us on WhatsAppFrequently asked questions
How far ahead should you plan a team building evening?
4 to 6 weeks for an ordinary date, and 6 weeks for December, before Rosh Hashanah and before Passover. For a midweek evening with no holiday, 2 to 3 weeks is sometimes enough.
How long should a team evening be?
3 hours for an extended happy hour that starts straight after work, 5 hours for a dinner or a party with a DJ. On most evenings the speeches and food take 2 hours, and the rest goes to the dance floor.
What are team building ideas that don't need a workshop or supplier?
A one-sentence round of 'the thing you didn't know about me', a slideshow of the year on the projector, small prizes in funny categories, and karaoke with two microphones. 30 to 45 minutes in total, between the food and the dancing.
When should the speeches be at a team evening?
In the first hour, after everyone has arrived and before the food. 2 to 3 speakers, 3 to 5 minutes each. After the food and the music, attention drops by half.
What does a 5-hour team evening schedule look like?
Arrive at 19:00 for drinks and bites, toast at 19:40, food at 20:00, short content at 21:00, and from 21:45 music and dancing until midnight. Speeches in the first hour, music at the end.