When I founded Mannequin Madness 20 years ago, I was focused on one thing: mannequins. I never anticipated that selling them would lead me to create one of the Bay Area’s most popular corporate team building activities.
That activity is our Flower Crown Workshop — a hands-on wearable art experience that corporations such as Airbnb, Zoox, ScaleAI, Atlassian, Comcast, Datadog and Brex have hired for us for their employee engagement activities. In the workshop participants use faux florals and curated embellishments to design wearable art – a flower crown.
Let me explain how it happened. When we recycle mannequins from retail stores, we often recycle beautiful faux florals from the prop department — materials that would otherwise
end up in a landfill. We already had mannequin heads on hand as part of our core business. Using them as a canvas for floral design was a logical next step.
That’s how our Flower Crown Workshop was born — our version of paint and sip. But instead of a paint brush people have a glue gun and they make art they can wear versus art for the wall. Faux flowers fit our sustainability ethos perfectly – unlike real flowers that wilt within days, faux florals mean guests take home a keepsake that lasts for years.
What started as a creative side offering gradually became something much bigger. Over the years we’ve hosted corporate teams throughout the San Francisco Bay Area — for ERGs, conferences, wellness programs, and corporate offsites. And every single time, we noticed the same thing happen.
People relaxed and had fun. Coworkers who barely spoke during the workday started sharing ideas and encouraging each other’s designs. Conversations flowed naturally. The activity itself was the conversation starter — no icebreaker questions required.
Flower Crown Workshops Are STEAM in Disguise
One thing I’ve noticed hosting these experiences: people consistently underestimate how much problem-solving, experimentation, and design thinking happen during creative activities.What looks playful on the surface is actively engaging the same skills that drive innovation at work. That maps directly to STEAM — Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math:
🔬 Science — understanding how botanical structures hold together under tension
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Engineering — building a crown that balances, sits correctly, and stays secure
🔧 Technology — using tools, adhesives, and assembly techniques purposefully
🎨 Art — applying color theory, proportion, and visual balance in real time
📐 Math — working with spacing, scale, and symmetry to create an intentional design
It’s a novel approach to corporate team building that nobody sees coming — which is exactly why it works.
In tech culture especially, there’s growing recognition that creativity and innovation aren’t separate. The ability to experiment, think visually, and approach challenges from new angles is exactly what drives breakthroughs at work.
Sometimes the most valuable thing a team can do is step away from screens and reconnect with that part of their thinking. People connect differently when they’re making something together.
There’s also something quietly therapeutic about making something by hand. In a work culture dominated by meetings and constant notifications, a creative activity gives people permission to slow down, focus, and engage in something tactile and absorbing.
We’ve seen this happen enough times to expect it. But it was particularly meaningful when someone outside our world noticed it too.
We partnered with Dion Lim from ABC news to host a flower crown workshop at our venue as a community unity activity for Lunar New Year. Dion brought a camera crew to film it. At the end of the workshop one of the cameramen pulled me aside and shared what he had observed.
He said he could feel the shift in the attitude of the people. When the workshop began the camera man said he noticed the people were reserved and tentative, some were even a little somber. But then they started making their flower crowns, their mood became lighter and people were animated and joyous.You can watch the ABC video here to see for yourself their exhilaration.
Part of what makes this format so effective is that it’s genuinely inclusive — and we mean that in every sense of the word. No athletic ability, no competitive instinct, no prior creative experience required. Men enjoy it just as much as women. Flower crowns look stunning on all body types, ages, and hair textures — from locs to straight hair.
And unlike most team building activities, the experience doesn’t end when everyone goes home. Guests leave wearing something they made themselves — a handmade faux floral keepsake that lasts for years and sparks conversations long after the event is over. The memory travels with them.
Here’s what the Christie Barrows at Zoox said after booking a Flower Crown Workshop with us:
“The entire experience was seamless, engaging, and genuinely joyful. Judi was a fantastic host, personally greeting every guest and thoughtfully guiding them through selecting their materials. She made everyone feel comfortable and excited to jump in. I absolutely loved working with them and can’t wait to collaborate with Mannequin Madness again.”
That’s exactly the atmosphere we aim to create every time — creative, welcoming, and memorable.
The workplace continues to evolve, and so do the ways companies think about connection and culture. People are increasingly looking for experiences that feel creative, memorable, and genuinely human — not just another afternoon activity that fades from memory by Monday.
The best employee engagement experiences give people something to take home — not just a good time, but a moment they made together that means something. With faux florals that last for years and a zero waste footprint, our Flower Crown Workshops deliver that in a way that aligns with the sustainability values of forward-thinking companies.
Interested in bringing our Flower Crown Workshop to your team? We can host small teams of 20 or less in our mannequin showroom in Oakland or we can bring our mobile version to your business or public venue like a restaurant or community center. Visit this link for pricing information or send us an email at sales@mannequinmadness.com
Visit our website to shop for mannequins and dress forms, rent display pieces, or recycle your old mannequins.
