3 Ways to Add Sizzle to Your Summer Corporate Team Building Event

• June 15, 2024
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Get ready to turn up the heat on your summer corporate team-building events!

Picture this: your team soaking up the sun surrounded by stunning landscapes and diving into activities that spark laughter, strengthen bonds, and boost morale.

At United EVENTures, we believe corporate team building should be an exhilarating experience that leaves everyone talking about it for months.

So, let’s explore three ways to add sizzle to your summer corporate team-building event.

1. Choose the Perfect Venue: Location, Location, Location!

The first step in creating an unforgettable summer event is selecting the right venue. Think sun, think fun, think easy access! Here’s how:

Proximity Matters

Your team may be flying in from throughout the country or all over the world. The trick is to keep travel as hassle-free as possible. Choose a location within an hour’s drive from a major airport. This way, they can spend less time traveling and more time having fun together.

As Will Leggett, a seasoned event planner, advises, “We understand that most groups, once they fly into somewhere, don’t want to go more than an hour away. So that’s what we look into when providing recommendations on where to go.”

Check out our List of United EVENTures Affiliated Venues >>

Make Transportation Seamless

After your team touches down, things should continue running smoothly. Organize shuttles for groups on the same flights. Also, consider the capacity of local transportation companies. Partner with a reliable transportation service for larger groups that comfortably accommodates everyone involved.

Leggett emphasizes, “It’s important that when planners are working with large groups, they organize shuttles for certain groups with 7 to 10 to 20 people coming in during that first flight.”

Find Scenic Spots

Summer means being outdoors. Pick venues with beautiful landscapes—a beachfront resort, a mountain lodge, or a serene lakeside retreat. Not only does this recharge creative batteries, but it also opens numerous possibilities for outdoor activities.

2. Tailor Activities to Your Team’s Dynamics

Knowing your group dynamics plays an important role in planning activities that will appeal to everyone involved. Here are some steps to plan accordingly:

Know Your Audience

Are fresh graduates mixed with seasoned professionals? Marathon runners versus couch surfers? Assess your group’s physical and cognitive capabilities and choose activities that are neither too strenuous nor too laid-back. Strike a balance to ensure you’re engaging everyone and having fun.

“By understanding the group dynamics, that helps us understand what type of recommendations we would provide for the activities,” Leggett advises.

Consider Cultural Differences

If your team consists of people from different parts of the world, consider their various cultures. Make trivia nights inclusive by using questions that relate to everyone. This creates a welcoming atmosphere and triggers interesting conversations and connections among participants.

“Culture is a big thing that we look at because if we’re doing a trivia night, for example, and all these people are coming from the UK or Asia, they might not get American culture, and some of the trivia questions we might ask them,” notes Leggett.

Mix It Up

Integrate cognitive and physical challenges like scavenger hunts, obstacle courses, or puzzle-solving games. You’ll bring out different strengths while giving each person an opportunity to shine.

3. Focus on Outcomes: Fun with a Purpose

While fun matters, you must also align activities toward the desired results of the event. That means:

Defining Success

What does success look like for your team? Are you looking to reinforce company values, enhance collaboration, or unwind together? Set clear targets and share them with the rest of the participants so they have something meaningful to work towards.

Leggett reminds us, “Every team has a different success, right? So, we ask these questions: What does success look like? What is your focus for the meeting?”

Customizing Activities

Tailor activities to fit the goals set by the organization. These can include team-building exercises that foster collaboration, creative problem-solving tasks, or just plain old fun games. For example, to boost creativity, attend a design thinking workshop. Team challenges foster trust and bonding among employees through collective efforts.

Making It Memorable

The success of an event is ultimately measured in memories made, so try and come up with things people will talk about long after they’re gone. It can be a hilarious moment during a game, a beautiful view on top of a mountain after a hike, or something competitively challenging—anything that brings people closer together as friends and colleagues while keeping them engaged throughout the activity.

“We find success on our end is that people are still talking about it even after the event,” Leggett says.

Don’t Forget the Value-Add

It’s not enough to have fun in the moment when it comes to corporate team-building events; there needs to be some long-term value gained, too. This might mean the staff learns to communicate better or office morale improves because everyone got along well during yesterday’s adventure.

Get the Corporate Team Building Party Started

There you have it: three ways to ensure your next summer corporate team-building experience doesn’t fall flat!

Choosing unique venues speaks volumes about the kind of atmosphere you want to create. That means ensuring attendees feel like they’re truly part of something special right off the bat.

It also means adapting each activity to suit team needs, regardless of a staff member’s size, skill level, or cultural background.

Whether your employees knew one another beforehand or not, they leave feeling like family, forever changed, and working together more effectively than ever before.

If you need help planning an unforgettable, sizzling summer, contact us today, and let’s get the party started!