Planning guide · Employee appreciation
Employee Appreciation Ideas for Toronto Teams
The best way to thank your staff is to give them something they actually enjoy. These 15 employee appreciation ideas work in your office or at a venue, over a lunch break or after hours, and every one of them is delivered, set up, run and taken away by our own crew. We plan staff appreciation events for teams from twenty people to several hundred.
Pick by what you need
- Thank everyone, on every shiftA carnival or arcade lounge people drop into all dayIdea 01 →
- An evening celebrationA casino night with real tables and dealersIdea 03 →
- Something they take homeA branded photo booth or a claw machine full of prizesIdea 06 →
- A team that likes to competeA hosted game show or a trivia battleIdea 07 →
- A summer thank youAn outdoor appreciation day with inflatables and gamesIdea 15 →
The list
15 employee appreciation ideas
Turn the office into a carnival
Carnival games, a high striker and a popcorn or cotton candy machine in the lunchroom or lobby. Staff drop in between meetings, win prizes and go back to work smiling. It is the easiest way to include every department and every shift.
SuitsWhole-company thank yous and busy workdays.
Carnival Game Set Popcorn Machine Cart Carnival game rentals
Open an arcade lounge for the week
Full-size arcade games in a spare room or break area, left set up for a few days so people can play on their breaks. Add a high-score board and a prize for the top score on Friday.
SuitsShift teams and offices where people are never all in at once.
Arcade Rental Package Pac-Man Battle Royale Arcade game rentals
Host a casino night
Real blackjack, roulette and craps tables with professional dealers, played with fun money. Hand out raffle tickets for the chips people finish with, and draw prizes at the end of the night.
SuitsEvening appreciation parties and year-end celebrations.
Fill a claw machine with prizes
An LED claw machine stocked with your own prizes, gift cards or company swag. Everyone gets a few tries, and it can be wrapped with your logo.
SuitsLobbies, lunchrooms and appreciation weeks.
Spin a prize wheel
A prize wheel wrapped in your brand, with a spin for every employee. Mix small prizes with a few big ones, like an extra day off or a gift card.
SuitsTown halls, kick-offs and appreciation days.
Put your logo on a photo booth
An AI photo booth, a 360 spin booth or a classic booth with your logo and a thank-you message on every print. Staff leave with a keepsake, and you get photos for the company newsletter.
SuitsAny appreciation event where you want a keepsake.
Host a game show
A produced game show with a host, buzzers and questions written about your company and your people. Fabulous Feud takes up to 48 contestants, and the rest of the room plays along as the audience.
SuitsLarge teams and all-hands meetings.
Fabulous Feud Game Show Spin to Win Game Show Game show production
Set out giant games for lunch
Giant Jenga, Giant Connect 4, giant chess and cornhole in the lunchroom or on the patio. No host needed, and people play in whatever time they have.
SuitsLunch-hour appreciation and relaxed afternoons.
Bring in a golf simulator
A golf and sports simulator with longest drive and closest-to-the-pin contests running all afternoon. It works in a boardroom with the table pushed back.
SuitsSales teams and competitive offices.
Book caricature artists or Draw Me Bot
A caricature artist, or Draw Me Bot, our AI drawing robot, gives every employee a drawing to take home. Both draw a line, so set them up where people pass by.
SuitsAppreciation lunches and open-house days.
Add glitter or airbrush tattoos
Glitter tattoos and airbrush tattoos are quick, painless and wash off. They are a hit at family days and summer appreciation events.
SuitsFamily days and summer events.
Run a team trivia battle
Hosted trivia with rounds about your company, your industry and pop culture. Departments play as teams, and the winners get bragging rights for the year.
SuitsOffices that like a friendly rivalry between departments.
Hold a karaoke night
A hosted karaoke package with a host who keeps the songs moving and gets the shy ones up for a group number. Best as the second half of the evening.
SuitsAfter-work celebrations.
Celebrate milestones
Work anniversaries, retirements and record years deserve their own moment. A giant awards statue makes a great photo spot, and we can build a custom mini golf hole around the person or the milestone.
SuitsRetirements, anniversaries and award nights.
Take it outside in summer
An outdoor appreciation day in a park or on your campus, with inflatable games, sports challenges and a sno-kone or ice cream cart. Invite families and it becomes a company picnic.
SuitsSummer thank yous and family days.
Appreciation week
Employee appreciation week ideas
One event is a nice thank you. A full week of small surprises is something people talk about. Here is a simple five-day plan that reaches every shift, with a bigger finish on Friday. It also works for Employee Appreciation Day, the first Friday in March.
Monday: open the arcade lounge
Set up arcade games in a break area and leave them all week, with a high-score board that resets on Friday.
Tuesday: giant games at lunch
Giant Jenga, Giant Connect 4 and cornhole in the lunchroom or on the patio.
Wednesday: photo booth day
A branded photo booth with a thank-you message on every print, and the photos shared afterwards.
Thursday: trivia battle
Department against department in a hosted trivia round over lunch or at the end of the day.
Friday: the big finish
An office carnival with popcorn and prizes, or an evening casino night with real dealers.
All week: a prize to chase
A claw machine or prize wheel in the lobby gives everyone a reason to come back each day.
We deliver once, keep the longer-running pieces set up all week, and swap the daily activities in before people arrive.
Planning
Planning staff appreciation in Toronto
During the workday or after hours?
A workday event reaches the most people, including anyone with family commitments in the evening. Drop-in activities like a carnival, an arcade lounge or giant games let staff join when they can.
An evening event feels more like a celebration. A casino night, a game show or karaoke works best when people have finished for the day.
Plan around your shifts
If your team works shifts, leave the activities set up for the whole day, or over several days, so the night shift and the weekend team get the same thank you as the office.
We set up in offices, warehouses and plants across the GTA, before opening or after hours, and take everything away again.
Before you book
- Your headcount, and how many people will be in at once
- Whether it runs during the workday, after hours, or over several days
- Office, warehouse or venue, room size and where the power is
- Prizes you want to give out, and whether you want your logo on anything
- Whether your building needs a certificate of insurance
Every booking includes
- Delivery, setup and pickup by our own crew
- Staff to run each activity, from casino dealers to game show hosts
- $5 million liability insurance, with a free certificate of insurance for your venue
- In-house branding if you want your logo on the activities
Orders start at $1,500 + HST
Plan an appreciation eventQuestions
Frequently asked questions
What are good employee appreciation ideas?
An office carnival, an arcade lounge, a casino night, a branded photo booth, a hosted game show and a claw machine full of prizes are some of the most popular. The best ones are fun, include everyone and do not feel like another work meeting.
When is Employee Appreciation Day?
Employee Appreciation Day is the first Friday in March. In 2027 it falls on Friday, March 5. Many companies stretch it into a full appreciation week.
What can we do for an employee appreciation week?
Plan one activity a day, such as an arcade lounge on Monday, giant games at lunch on Tuesday, a photo booth on Wednesday, trivia on Thursday and a carnival or casino on Friday. See the week plan above.
Can you run it in our office during work hours?
Yes. We set up before people arrive or over a lunch break, staff the activities, and pack out the same day, so work carries on around it.
How much does an employee appreciation event cost?
It depends on the activities, the headcount and how long it runs. Orders start at $1,500 plus HST, including delivery, setup, staffing and pickup. Holiday parties from mid-November to Christmas have a $3,000 plus HST minimum.
Can you add our logo?
Yes. Photo booth prints, prize wheels, claw machines, popcorn machines and many games can carry your logo or a thank-you message.
Are you insured?
Yes. We carry $5 million in liability insurance and provide a certificate of insurance for your building or venue free of charge.
Plan your employee appreciation event
Tell us your headcount, your date and where it is. We will suggest the activities that fit and send a quote.