A hilarious team outing: what people actually laugh about

A hilarious team outing isn't something you order, it's something that happens. It lives in the moments when a colleague completely loses it, trips up or does something daft you'll bring up for months. But you can massively raise the odds by choosing the right activity.

The laughs come from your colleagues, not the activity

The funniest moment of the day is almost never planned. It's that one colleague dodging an imaginary wall in the VR arena, or the manager coming last on the leaderboard. So pick something where people let go for a bit, and the rest follows on its own.

VR is a laughter machine

Put a VR headset on someone and the rest of the group is laughing within ten seconds, because what you see is completely invisible to everyone else. At A'DAM VR you watch colleagues make odd moves, shriek at nothing and race as if their life depends on it. You don't need any skill for it, and that's exactly what makes it so funny.

Other outings with something to laugh about

An improv workshop, old-fashioned Dutch games or a chaotic cook-off do well because nobody's good at them. That level playing field is exactly where the humour sits. Avoid activities where one person is the hero and the rest watch.

Make sure you can keep the moment

You'll want to see the best moments again. At A'DAM VR you're free to photograph and film for personal use, so your colleague's blooper is in the team chat in no time. Finish with drinks in the same place and you've got the talking point for the rest of the week.