Behind the Scenes: How We Run a High-Energy Live Team Building Show for 150+ People

You’ve been tasked with organising a team building event for 150, 200, maybe even 500 people.
The brief sounds simple enough: make it fun, make it engaging, and make sure it doesn’t descend into chaos.

But if you’ve ever tried to plan team building for large groups, you’ll know the reality is very different.

How do you keep energy high in a room that big?
How do you avoid awkward silences or activities that only work for the loudest 10%?
And how do you make sure the event feels slick and professional rather than like a forced ice breaker for big groups?

At The Big Smoke Events, this is exactly what we specialise in. We design and deliver large group team building activities that feel more like a live show than a workshop – high-energy, tightly run, and genuinely fun for everyone in the room.

In this article, we’re taking you behind the scenes of how we run a live team building event for 150+ people. You’ll see what actually goes into the planning, the production, and the on-the-day delivery – and you’ll walk away with practical insights on how to run a team building event that works at scale.

Why Large Group Team Building Is a Different Beast

Let’s be honest: most team building ideas for large groups fail because they’re just scaled-up versions of small-group activities.

What works for 12 people in a meeting room rarely works for 200 people in a conference suite.

Here’s why team building for big groups is uniquely challenging:

• Attention spans drop quickly in large rooms
• Instructions get lost or misheard
• Energy becomes uneven across the space
• People default to passivity if they don’t feel involved
• Logistics multiply (sound, timing, movement, tech)

That’s why effective large team building activities require a completely different mindset. We approach them like live entertainment productions, not icebreaker sessions.

Step 1: Designing for Energy, Not Just Participation

The first thing we focus on is energy flow.

A common mistake in large group activities is trying to get everyone “participating” in the same way at the same time. In reality, engagement looks different at scale.

Instead, we design activities that:

• Alternate between high-energy moments and focused gameplay
• Create momentum from the first minute
• Reward quick thinking and collaboration rather than loud voices
• Give everyone a clear role within their team

This is especially important when planning team building activities for large teams, where confidence levels and personalities vary massively.

Starting Strong: The Opening Ice Breaker

Your opening moments matter more than you think.

A weak start is hard to recover from, particularly when running large group ice breaker activities. That’s why we never open with awkward introductions or forced networking.

Instead, we use fast, low-pressure fun activities for large groups that get people laughing and interacting within the first 5 minutes.

Our rule of thumb?
If people are smiling and talking before they’ve even sat down, you’re winning.

Step 2: Structuring Teams That Actually Work

Once energy is up, structure becomes critical.

For team building for large groups, we typically split audiences into teams of 8-10. This size is:

• Small enough for everyone to contribute
• Large enough to handle competitive challenges
• Easy to manage in a room of 150+

We’ll often pre-plan team allocations to avoid bottlenecks on the day, especially for indoor team building activities for large groups where space is limited.

Clear team structure allows us to run team building games for large groups smoothly, without constant interruptions or confusion.

Step 3: Planning the Logistics (The Unsexy but Essential Bit)

Behind every seamless event is a frighteningly detailed plan.

When we’re preparing group activities for large groups, we map out:

• Room layout and sightlines
• Sound coverage (no dead zones)
• Screen placement and visuals
• Timing down to the minute
• Team movement and transitions
• Staffing to match event size – so host support is available for everyone

Large-scale events don’t forgive vague planning. If something is unclear for even 30 seconds, you’ll feel it ripple through the room.

That’s why our facilitators rehearse extensively. Running large group team building activities is part performance, part crowd control, and part crisis management.

Step 4: The Scavenger Hunt – Controlled Chaos Done Right

One of our most popular team building activities for big groups is our In-Person Scavenger Hunt
👉 https://www.thebigsmokeevents.com/our-events/in-person-events/in-person-scavenger-hunt/

Scavenger hunts are brilliant for large groups – if they’re designed properly.

Why Scavenger Hunts Work at Scale

• They naturally encourage movement and interaction
• Teams self-manage within clear boundaries
• Energy stays high without constant facilitation
• Everyone contributes in different ways (inclusivity is key)

But the key is control.

We build our scavenger hunts with:

• Clear time management from set up, briefing, the hunt itself, and the awards
• Carefully balanced challenges
• Clear time pressure to maintain urgency in the game
• Facilitators positioned strategically, not hovering

Check out our video to see how it all works

Case Study: Dojo Company-Wide Scavenger Hunt

A great example is our Dojo company-wide scavenger hunt:
👉 https://www.thebigsmokeevents.com/case-studies/case-study-dojo-company-wide-scavenger-hunt/

With a large, diverse workforce, Dojo needed large group team building activities that felt inclusive and energetic without being overwhelming.

By designing challenges that blended problem-solving, creativity, and physical movement, we created a fast-paced experience that worked seamlessly for a very large group of 400 people – and crucially, felt fun rather than forced.

Step 5: Personalisation Is What Makes Big Events Feel Small

Here’s a behind-the-scenes truth: scale doesn’t impress people anymore. Personalisation does.

That’s why we invest heavily in custom content, particularly for our Personalised Quiz events:
👉 https://www.thebigsmokeevents.com/our-events/in-person-events/in-person-personalised-quiz/

A quiz might sound simple, but when you’re running team building activities for large teams, customisation changes everything.

Why Personalised Quizzes Work So Well

• Everyone instantly recognises the content
• Inside jokes and company references boost engagement
• Teams collaborate naturally without pressure
• It works brilliantly as an indoor option

This makes quizzes one of our go-to large team building ideas, especially when you need reliable energy indoors.

Check out our Quiz video here to see how we do it!

Softonic Case Study

On the Personalised Quiz page, you’ll see how we worked with Softonic to build a quiz tailored to their culture, people, and milestones.

The result?
A room full of people actively engaged, laughing, and competing – not passively watching slides go by.

That’s the difference between generic team building games for large groups and experiences designed for your people.

Step 6: Facilitators Make or Break Large Group Events

You can have the best content in the world, but without strong facilitation, large group activities fall flat.

Our facilitators are trained to:

• Command attention without shouting
• Read energy levels in real time
• Adjust pacing on the fly
• Handle unexpected issues calmly

When you’re running team building for big groups, facilitation is closer to hosting a live show than leading a workshop.

We script key moments, but we leave room for improvisation. The goal is to keep the room feeling alive, not rigid.

Step 7: Keeping Everyone Involved (Not Just the Front Row)

One of the biggest fears with team building for large groups is disengagement at the back of the room.

We counter this by:

• Using multiple screens and audio points
• Designing activities where progress updates affect everyone
• Building in moments of shared reaction (leaderboards, reveals, countdowns)

This approach ensures that fun activities for large groups feel collective, not fragmented.

Step 8: Virtual Events That Still Feel High-Energy

Large-scale engagement doesn’t stop at in-person events.

We apply the same principles to virtual team building for large groups, especially for global organisations.

At the Races for L’Oréal

Our virtual “At the Races” event for L’Oréal is a great example:
👉 https://www.thebigsmokeevents.com/case-studies/case-study-loreal-virtual-at-the-races/

Despite teams being spread across locations, the event maintained pace, competition, and shared excitement – all key elements of successful large group team building activities.

Global Quiz for Kraft Heinz

Similarly, our global virtual Christmas quiz for Kraft Heinz brought together teams from around the world:
👉 https://www.thebigsmokeevents.com/case-studies/case-study-kraft-heinz-global-virtual-christmas-quiz/

This shows that with the right structure, team building activities for large teams can be just as impactful online as in person.

Step 9: Measuring Success (Beyond “Everyone Had Fun”)

Fun is essential – but it’s not the only metric.

After running large group team building activities, we look at:

• Participation rates
• Team interaction levels
• Feedback on energy and pacing
• How well objectives were met

This data helps us continuously refine our approach and improve large team building ideas for future events.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid When Planning Large Group Team Building

If you’re planning your own event, here are some insider warnings:

• Don’t rely on volunteers from the audience
• Avoid activities that require long explanations
• Never underestimate sound and visuals
• Don’t cram too much into one session
• Skip anything that singles people out uncomfortably

Successful team building ideas for large groups are inclusive, fast-moving, and professionally delivered.

Final Thoughts: How to Run a Team Building Event That Actually Works at Scale

Running a high-energy team building show for 150+ people isn’t about luck. It’s about design, planning, and experience.

When done well, large group team building activities can:

• Energise entire organisations
• Break down silos quickly
• Create shared memories people actually talk about

At The Big Smoke Events, we’ve spent years perfecting team building for big groups – blending entertainment, structure, and genuine engagement into events that feel effortless from the outside.

Ready to Plan a Large-Scale Team Building Event?

If you’re looking for team building activities for large groups that feel polished, high-energy, and genuinely fun, we’d love to help.

Explore our events, dive into our case studies, or get in touch to talk about your next corporate event.
Let’s turn your big group into one unforgettable experience.