According to Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2026 report, global employee engagement fell to 20% in 2025, the lowest since 2020, costing the world economy an estimated US$10 trillion in lost productivity each year. For many companies, team building is therefore more than a year-end outing. It is an investment with a clear reason: keeping people.
October to December is team building and year-end party season. It is also rainy season. Many companies book an outdoor field in September, then scramble for a plan B days before the event because the forecast turns bad.
Why outdoor team building is riskier than most people think
Outdoor venue fees are usually non-refundable if you cancel because of rain. Some companies have had to reschedule at the last minute, losing both the deposit and the staff time they had already arranged. The risk grows with group size: the bigger the group, the higher the cost of moving the date and the greater the disruption to work.
The numbers behind it: why team building deserves to be taken seriously
A survey by Team Tactics in the UK found that more than two thirds of office workers find team building activities enjoyable, and 65% say it helped them work better as a team afterward. That is not a small number. With global engagement at a low, a well-designed team building day is one of the few interventions that can create a noticeable shift in a short time, at a far lower cost than other long-term retention programs.
By contrast, a half-hearted session that nobody remembers contributes almost nothing to that 65%. How the program is designed is what matters, not whether you hold one at all.
What makes a team building day fail
It isn't the weather. It's the program design. A day of disconnected games with no emotional thread feels more like a meeting in a different room than a day worth remembering. People turn up to be present, and nobody mentions it afterward.
Three questions to answer before choosing an activity:
- How many people in the group really want to be active, and how many just want to sit and talk?
- Is the main activity exciting enough that people who aren't taking part still want to stand and cheer?
- After the day, what will people tell the colleagues who didn't come?
Indoor kart racing: one option in Ho Chi Minh City
I currently work with Infinity Racing, a three-level indoor kart track at Vincom Thao Dien in Thu Duc City. This is indoor team building when it rains at its simplest: the racing happens entirely indoors, so the schedule doesn't depend on the weather and you don't need a backup plan.
What sets this activity apart: you don't need a driving licence to take part. Anyone can hold a steering wheel, yet it is dramatic enough that people watching from the side cheer enthusiastically. The track is 300 meters long with 16 corners, hard enough for both first-timers and the speed enthusiasts in your group.
Why kart racing works better than many other games
International team building operators such as K1 Speed and TeamSport note one thing in common: kart racing reveals how a person really reacts under competitive pressure, which a party or a seminar rarely does. Colleagues see each other in a completely different light from the office: who stays calm when overtaken, who takes risks, who plays safe to be sure of finishing.
Inclusiveness is another advantage that gets little attention. It requires no fitness or prior skill, so a group with both young staff and senior managers, both active people and those who normally skip sports, can all take part on the same fair playing field.
The package already includes food and on-site entertainment, with extra activities you can add so that everyone joins in, not only the people behind the wheel.
How to choose an activity for your group size
Groups under 50 suit activities with individual competition, which easily create a peak moment in the session. Groups over 100 need small rotating teams and a waiting area interesting enough that the teams not yet up don't get bored.
Who should decide the main activity
One person shouldn't pick the activity based on personal taste. A more reliable approach is to ask a few representatives from different departments who really wants to be active and who just wants a comfortable space to talk. A program that balances both needs keeps more people engaged than one that serves only the loud majority.
How many activities to schedule
Fewer than you first planned is usually the right call. Three well-prepared activities with breaks in between work better than five back-to-back ones that leave people tired before the evening party. The break between segments is when people talk and genuinely connect. It isn't something to cut when time is short.
When to start planning
In the year-end peak season, suitable venues are usually booked 4 to 6 weeks ahead. The sooner your company settles the budget and date, the more choice you have of good time slots, typically late afternoons on weekdays or whole weekend days. Confirming late means compromising on the date, the time, or both.
Quick comparison: indoor vs outdoor
The clearest difference between the two formats isn't "more fun or less fun" but certainty. Outdoors, you may face contingency and rescheduling fees that weren't in the original quote, you depend on the weather on the day, and you always need a plan B ready. Indoors, you know the exact total cost when you sign the contract, the date and headcount are almost certain to hold, and no backup plan is needed.
Indoor doesn't win outright. Outdoor space still has its own value for some goals, such as camping or multi-day retreats built around bonding. But in the year-end rainy season, with a large group, certainty usually matters more than a beautiful setting.
Realistic costs to plan for
For the all-inclusive team building package at Infinity Racing, the reference investment is VND 70 to 100 million (roughly US$2,700-3,900), depending on group size, number of race rounds and extra activities. That figure already includes racing, food and on-site entertainment, with no extra cost for renting a backup venue when it rains, as you would with an outdoor format.
If you are still weighing the two options, the article on the risks of outdoor team building when it rains breaks down the specific extra costs of choosing outdoors in rainy season.
And if you still can't decide, indoor or outdoor team building: how to choose right for your company pulls together all the comparison criteria so you can decide faster.
If you are planning for the year-end season, send a quote request early to hold the date you want. The calendar fills up quickly at this time of year.