Founder David A. Jensen on experience design, anthropology and the future of team development
The Tribe has won Teambuilding Events of the Year 2026/27 at the Prestige Awards. The award was presented in autumn 2026, following a year in which we have worked more internationally than ever before. The Tribe is a Danish high end experience design agency working with organisations in Denmark and internationally, creating team building experiences, corporate events and executive team journeys across Europe. We are independent, based at Charlottenlund Castle near Copenhagen, and everything we have designed since 2018 is built on anthropology, archetype work, storytelling and gamification.
I am an anthropologist and a partner at The Tribe, so I sat down with founder David A. Jensen to ask what the award means and what lies behind it.
What are the Prestige Awards?
The Prestige Awards are an international programme celebrating small and medium-sized businesses and independent local enterprises that deliver outstanding service and quality. The judges look at service excellence, the quality of the offering, innovative ways of working, value, ethical or sustainable practice and consistency over time. Winners are chosen on merit, not on the number of votes.
What does winning Teambuilding Events of the Year 2026/27 mean to The Tribe?
“It is particularly meaningful to us because The Tribe has developed from a Danish team building company into an experience design agency working with both Danish and international organisations,” says David.
For David, the award does not recognise a single project. It is a sign that the development has paid off: from delivering team building to designing experiences where teams, leadership and culture are the starting point.
It is also not the only recognition The Tribe has received in 2026. We have been appointed Creative Experience Design Partner in Denmark by one of the world’s leading experience design agencies, and we were shortlisted by Manage HR Magazine Europe in the category Top Corporate Event and Teambuilding Services in Europe 2026. Together, they point in the same direction: The Tribe is drawing attention internationally, and not only as a top quality Danish provider of team building, but also as an experience design partner.
Why do you call yourselves an experience design agency rather than simply a team building company?
Experience design is about designing the whole course of an experience, from the expectations before to what people take with them afterwards, rather than assembling a series of activities. Traditional team building can often be dropped into almost any team. Experience design starts somewhere else: with the dynamics that actually exist in teams and the cultures of modern companies.
“We design immersive experiences built around real team dynamics,” David explains. “Many of the dynamics and everyday challenges that matter most to teams are already thought through in our most popular experiences, which are built on archetypes, gamification and storytelling. That means they work well for most teams from the start. Where there is a need, and the time and resources for it, we can go further and tailor an experience to the client’s specific goals.”
This is not least true of our two signature concepts, The Royal Chancery (Kongens Kancelli) and Save the Queen. They combine archetype work, anthropology, storytelling and gamification and are designed to strengthen collaboration, communication and decision-making. They are both team-based non-digital games that combine collaboration with competition, creativity and strategy. They can both be scaled to match specific schedules and both can be combined with archetype work and further team development.
How do anthropology, archetype work, storytelling and gamification shape the experiences you create?
The Tribe’s roots are in anthropology, the study of how people live together, build culture and create meaning. It is a different angle on team building from the one most people know.
“Anthropology teaches us to see a team or organisation as a small culture in itself, with its own roles, rituals and unspoken rules,” says David. Each of the four elements has its own job in the experience:
Anthropology gives us an eye for how teams function. Archetype work makes roles and patterns visible, so the team can talk about them. Storytelling gives participants a shared frame to act within, and gamification turns insight into action.
The result is that teams can try out new ways of working together in a safe and memorable setting, instead of merely hearing about them.
Has working across cultures influenced the way you design experiences?
“Working with different organisations and cultures has given us an even stronger understanding of how differently teams communicate, collaborate and build relationships,” says David.
As an anthropologist, I recognise this as a form of fieldwork in practice. A leadership team in Copenhagen and a team on a team journey in Andalusia do not meet a challenge in the same way, and a good experience has to allow for that. Over the past year we have developed exclusive team journeys in Andalusia, and it has made our design more attentive to context. There we combine the growing global awareness on climate change with ethical dilemmas, local challenges, team decisions and a deeper cultural experience of the whole setting that is not readily available to ordinary visitors.
What makes a team experience create lasting value rather than simply being a fun day away from the office?
The difference is whether the experience changes how people work together afterwards. A good team building experience often strengthens relationships in a group here and now. Team development goes further, working over time with collaboration, communication and culture.
“The most sustainable corporate events are the ones that keep creating value after the day has ended,” says David. That is why we see a team day as one step in longer team development. Where possible, we use local venues, suppliers and partners, which also makes the experiences more authentic.
Where is The Tribe heading next?
The ambition is to become one of Europe’s leading experience design agencies for organisations that want meaningful team development.
“We want to continue developing The Tribe internationally, particularly through our team journeys and experience design work in Europe,” says David. That means more journeys in Andalusia, new signature concepts and more knowledge sharing on experience design.
From Danish team building to international experience design
The journey from a Danish team building company to an international experience design agency is also the story of why the award matters. It is a result of our build on anthropology, on experiences that work far beyond the day itself, and on clients in Denmark and Europe who want more than ordinary team building. The award is a pat on the back for that path, and it motivates us to keep going.
The Tribe at a glance
- Founded: 2018, independent Danish experience design agency
- Location: Charlottenlund Castle near Copenhagen
- Services: team building, team development, corporate events and executive team journeys
- Foundation: anthropology, archetype work, storytelling and gamification
- Signature concepts: The Royal Chancery (Kongens Kancelli) and Save the Queen
- Markets: organisations in Denmark and Europe, including team journeys in Andalusia
- Recognition: Teambuilding Events of the Year 2026/27 (Prestige Awards), shortlisted by Manage HR Magazine Europe 2026
Read more at thetribe.dk