Team Building Activities for Corporate Events

business people around table
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Are you struggling to think of unique group activities for corporate team building events? Don’t panic, there are ways to arrange team building events that will please both your client and their employees.

How to Organize a Corporate Team Building Event

Companies usually invest a lot of money into their team building events, but all too often they turn out clichéd and awkward. That’s where you come in as a professional; you can ensure that any group activities for corporate team building events are fun, constructive and inspirational.

Team building is much more than just getting people together in an atmosphere that’s not the workplace, you should focus on activities that help people to work together cohesively and improve their group performance . . . but it’s not always that simple.

Make sure that you find out your clients’ objectives for the event before you start, as it can help you to plan the perfect solution. You could be organizing team building events for a number of reasons, for a boost to morale or as a reward for good performance for example, but they can also be used to try to address specific problems.

For example, if your client’s objective is to break down barriers between departments, then a competitive event where existing teams join up against each other is only likely to exacerbate rivalries. These five types of group activities are tried and true -- but not all activities are right for all clients. Choose the approach that's right for your particular situation.

Collaborative Group Activities

Collaborative activities are perfect in situations like the one mentioned above, because you get all members of the event working together to achieve a shared goal. It’s the ideal way to break down barriers between people, and a whole lot of fun too. Give your attendees a number of hands-on problems to solve together, such as building a raft, guiding a blindfolded participant through a ‘minefield’ or creating a structure, and everyone will be working together in no time at all.

Competitive Group Activities

Competitive activities are more suited to groups of people who already work well together. A scavenger hunt, for example, works well as either a collaborative activity, with everyone working together as one team. Alternatively, you can split the participants into teams to work competitively against each other.

Having a competitive element to group activities for corporate team building events boosts team spirit and collaboration among the participants. You should always have a social element at the end to allow for unwinding and some good-natured teasing by the winners.

For example, I planned Culinary Olympics for a large mobile phone company and had three teams of 10-12 people. Each team selected a country they’d represent and a three-course menu based on their preferred country. They then had to use their mobile phones to plan the menu, after which they'd purchase the groceries and cook the meal. It was a great way for the team to learn to communicate, have fun and be creative.

Outdoor Group Activities

Depending on the weather and your location, outdoor activities can be a great way to build team spirit. Whether it’s an enjoyable activity such as rock climbing, or a more structured team building activity like an obstacle course or scavenger hunt, being out in the sunshine gives participants an added boost.

High-Tech Group Activities

While traditional team building activities like scavenger hunts can be planned using pen and paper, why not use technology instead? GPS is perfect for things like treasure hunts, with participants competing in teams to solve clues and take part in challenges. Having an outdoor hunt is ideal, but if you’re facing bad weather consider setting your event in an unusual event venue such as a museum or historic building.

Foodie Group Activities

Some groups might love the rough and tumble of outdoor sports, but others may prefer a more sedate event. This is where your initial meeting with your client comes in, as it’s essential that you know your audience and plan accordingly.

Culinary workshops, cook-offs and foodie scavenger hunts are all fabulous ways to get people involved, and you can even add a competitive element by pitting teams against each other to create a winning meal/decorated cake/cocktail recipe.