Summertime is prime time for corporate events, but let’s be honest—another basic pizza lunch isn’t going to cut it.
Have big goals for your summer events but don’t know how to achieve them? Don’t sweat it, Pop Events is here to help. 😉
We’ve rounded up some of our all-time FAVE summer experiences so you can meaningfully engage your people while crushing your event goals!
We’ve rounded up some of our all-time FAVE summer experiences so you can meaningfully engage your people while crushing your event goals!
Whether you’re planning summer team building activities that get your team moving outdoors, or dream about throwing the BEST summer party your company has ever seen, these #SummerEventGoals will guide you to creative solutions that’ll help you create truly incredible experiences for your people.
Ready to make your summer event goals a reality this year? Keep reading to find out how! 👀
Goal #1 – If You Want to Give Out Free Swag in the Streets…
Skip the branded pens and try experiential marketing that people will flock to!
The best brand activations go beyond simply promoting a product or service (booooring). Instead, they create engaging, interactive experiences that people can’t wait to participate in. Think experiential pop-ups, interactive tastings, sampling campaigns, and other “surprise and delight” experiences.
These events work because people feel like they discovered something special rather than being sold to. They create moments worth sharing and stories worth telling.
Take our Sterling Junction campaign for instance. The client wanted to create buzz and generate awareness around their new condominium, House of Assembly.
Our solution was to develop custom branded popsicles bicycle carts to hand out in the neighbourhood. Our friendly and knowledgeable brand ambassador cycled around High Park on a gorgeous weekend, handing out sweet treats and chatting about the new building with passers-by. Talk about “surprise and delight”!
Sterling Junction has incredible transit and bike scores, so our custom branded bicycle cart was perfect for showcasing the spirit of the area!
Who doesn’t love cold popsicles on a hot day?
Goal #2 – If You Want to See Who Your Co-workers’ Kids Really Take After…
Work picnics are classic for a reason. But this ain’t no average corporate picnic!
We’re talking about inflatable fun for the whole family, games and relay races, awesome summer crafts to keep kiddos engaged, and delicious BBQ menus from our hand-picked roster of fantastic local caterers.
Keep everyone entertained with awesome game rentals, or get the whole family working together while staying cool with our water games! Plus, there’s nothing like watching employees and their families come together in ways regular office events just can’t touch. 😌
After running thousands of company picnics, we’ve got our system down to a science. Plus, with our broad selection of high-quality activities and experiences, the sky’s truly the limit when it comes to planning a BOMB staff picnic.
There’s nothing like seeing everyone’s family and getting goofy together!
Goal #3 – If You Want to Sip Drinks in the Sunshine With Your Work Besties…
Picture this: you and your work fam get to trade fluorescent office lighting for a sunny outdoor patio. No more Zoom calls—just cocktails and good vibes!
There’s something truly magical about seeing your colleagues relax and let their hair down after working so hard. Whether it’s clinking glasses on a gorgeous rooftop patio, or cruising around Toronto’s harbourfront with drinks in hand, these moments just hit differently. ✨
Pop Events help teams unwind in style. From beach events to boat cruises—not to mention staff summer socials that actually feel *social*—we know exactly what works.
Case in point: our rooftop party for Fusion Homes was one for the memory books 👌From casino games and photobooths, to live entertainment, and killer food, we pulled out all the stops for their amazing team.
Because honestly? Your work crew deserves to celebrate somewhere that doesn’t involve a conference room!
The teams that have fun together, win together!
Goal #4 – If You Want to Serve Up a Midweek Pick-Me-Up (with Sprinkles!)…
Nothing says “we appreciate you” quite like surprise ice cream delivered straight to your office! Our ice cream days are the ultimate way to boost morale without asking people to block off their calendars.
By renting an ice cream truck or ice cream cart , people can pop by whenever it works for them, grab their favourite treat, and head back to work with a smile on their face. It’s such an easy win for making employees feel valued and creating spontaneous moments of joy. 😄
Plus, if you’ve got multiple locations, we’ve totally got you covered. Take our recent event for CUPE 5441 : we provided 3,000 servings of delicious ice cream over 3 days across 3 different hospitals in Toronto. It was meant as a small thank you treat for the hardworking staff, and seeing their faces light up made it all worth it.
Another example: our ice cream sundae bar for Colliers brought pure joy straight to their office and had employees talking about it for weeks . There’s just something about ice cream that brings out everyone’s inner kid and creates those feel-good company moments that boost team spirit.
Because important decisions are best made over sundaes.
Goal #5 – If You Want to Boost Morale While the Weather’s on Your Side…
There’s only so much coffee can do before your team starts bouncing off the walls. Sometimes you need to channel that energy into something WAY more fun : getting everyone outside, moving around, and actually bonding over something other than deadlines!
Team building events that get people active are a major #WorkplaceWin. Your crew gets to exercise without feeling like they’re at the gym, share genuine laughs instead of forced small talk, and make memories that stick around longer than that motivational poster in the break room.
Plus, there’s something about a little friendly competition that brings out everyone’s true personality in the best way possible!
Whether it’s scavenger hunts that turn your team into detectives, Olympic-style team races that reveal who’s surprisingly competitive, or Minute to Win It challenges that have everyone cheering for the office introvert, we know how to design events that work for every personality type. 😉
Take our custom scavenger hunt for Trisura in downtown Toronto. They wanted an educational and fun team building event for 300 people, so we created a custom adventure that had groups exploring the city and genuinely having a blast together. Mission accomplished! ✅
Who knew exploring downtown Toronto could be this much fun?
Goal #6 – If You Want to Uplift Your Team and Your Community…
Summer’s the perfect time to get your team outside while making a difference in your community! Corporate social responsibility (CSR) events prove that doing good and having fun aren’t mutually exclusive; they’re the perfect combo.
We’ve mastered the art of turning team building into community giving. Take our bike building challenges where teams earn parts through trivia and teamwork, then assemble bikes for local charities. Or how about build-a-teddy bear workshops where everyone gets to tap into their creative side while creating comfort for kids in hospitals? The smiles are contagious on both ends! 😊
Our favourite example? Every year, we help Waste Connections add a bike-building component to their children’s holiday party, sectioning off part of their event for assembly and creating approximately 300 bikes to donate annually.
This incredible initiative happens during the winter months, but this type of meaningful giving works beautifully any time of year. It’s time to take your team outdoors and soak up that vitamin D while making a difference!
It’s possible to give back while having tons of fun!
Goal #7 – If You Want Families Bragging About YOUR Property This Summer…
Want your properties to be the talk of the town? Summer tenant appreciation events are your golden ticket to creating the kind of buzz that keeps renewal rates high and drives referrals.
Whether you’re managing commercial spaces or residential properties, it’s essential to make your tenants feel genuinely valued. Picture sizzling BBQs that bring everyone together, family picnics perfect for building relationships, and fun food stations that keep kiddos engaged. Add ice cream catering for those scorching summer days, DJ dance parties that get everyone moving, and game rentals that encourage friendly competition between floors or offices!
We specialize in multi-location events where we bring the same incredible experience to several buildings under one company umbrella. We’ve recently executed a series of tenant appreciation events across multiple locations for Brookfield Properties. Every tenant gets that VIP treatment no matter which building they’re in!
Goal #8 – If You Want to Celebrate a Company Birthday That’s Divisible by 10…
Hitting a major milestone deserves more than some warm cake in the break room. Whether you’re celebrating your company’s 20th, 30th, 40th, or even 80th anniversary—yes, we’ve done that too!—these moments call for something special that honours your journey and connects with everyone who’s been part of it. 🙌
The beauty of milestone celebrations is their flexibility. Some companies prefer fun staff-only gatherings to celebrate internally. Others want to thank clients and partners who’ve supported their growth. And then there are the open-house style events that welcome the ENTIRE community to join the party!
Take our recent work with TAPS Bath, which recently celebrated their 40th anniversary 🎉 We brought the party to both their Toronto and Mississauga locations with custom balloons and signage galore, free coffee and treats, plus media coverage featuring Taylor Kaye and the CHUM FM 104.5 Street Team! The result was a special event that truly honoured four decades of serving their community.
Goal #9 – If You Want to Celebrate a Workplace Safety Streak That’s Longer Than any Netflix Series…
Hitting 100 days, 365 days, or even 500+ days without a workplace incident? That’s absolutely worth celebrating! These safety milestones represent your team’s incredible commitment to watching out for each other every. single. day.
Safety events are a great option. Consider surprising your crew with a parking lot picnic where everyone can kick back and connect outside the usual work environment. Or imagine the excitement when a food truck rolls up during shift change, bringing tacos and smiles right to your facility.
What makes safety events so powerful is how they reinforce your safety culture in the most positive way possible. An event like this sends a crystal-clear message: your employees’ well-being truly matters and their commitment to safety is something to be super proud of.
Goal #10 – If You Want to Put Community Spirit on Display This Season…
Planning public events that bring the entire community together requires a special touch. 🪄
Whether you’re organizing events for local politicians, cultural milestones, or historic occasions, these gatherings need to feel welcoming and memorable for everyone who shows up.
Take the recent Coronation Celebration we produced with the Government of Ontario’s Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs. Talk about going all out!
We transformed Queen’s Park into a truly royal experience with colourful strolling entertainers including princesses, superheroes, stilt walkers, jugglers, acrobats, and illusionists! The face painting and airbrush tattoo stations had people lining up around the park. Plus our UK pop dance party brought together people of all ages to celebrate in the sun.
Public celebrations like these showcase what makes your community unique while creating magical memories that’ll have people talking for YEARS to come!
When the whole community comes together to celebrate, magic happens!
Ready to Make Your Summer Work Event Actually Worth Showing Up For? ☀️
Summer corporate events aren’t just nice-to-haves. When done properly, they pay off BIG for team morale, company culture, and employee engagement.
The right event creates genuine moments of connection and celebration that people talk about all year long.
At Pop Events, we have all the building blocks to make your next event incredible: decades of event management experience, top-notch activities and experiences, experienced staff, and a relentless passion for serving our clients.
Ready to make your next corporate summer event one for the memory books? Get in touch today and let’s start planning something amazing! 🌟