Are you looking to plan a successful team building event that will leave your team feeling motivated and engaged? That's a great idea, and we've got a playbook of tasks to help you do just that! Follow these simple steps to make the process easier and ensure that your event is both fun and achieves your company's aims.
Step 1 - Select a planning team
Plan the event with a team of coworkers to spread out tasks and bring in different perspectives. This will lead to a more thought out experience and ensure that everyone enjoys the process. It also helps to achieve buy-in from different groups, and will encourage cooperation, especially if several different departments are involved.
Step 2 - Set your objectives and theme
Define your objectives clearly to ensure that your entire team is aiming for the same outcome. This will help you plan an event that is both fun and achieves your company's aims. If you haven’t been provided with a main objective, remember the 5 Ws – Who, What, Where, When and Why to come up with specific key details or themes to center your team building event around.
Step 3 - Create a timeline
Give yourself enough time to plan and prepare. Ideally, you should have one to two months for a group of 100 or less, and perhaps more time for a larger group. Once you have a timeline, create a schedule of when you want to have each task completed. This will help you stay on track. At Teambonders we can work with your timeline and help you prepare for the big day.
Step 4 - Create a budget
Set up a budget before you start planning. Call around to vendors and get quotes so that you have a better understanding of where money will need to be spent and where you have more flexibility. Key items to budget for when planning a team building event generally include transportation, venue, team activities, entertainment, permits, food, beverage and insurance.
Step 5 - Choose your team building programs
Select a program activity that will help you meet your objectives and delight your group. If you want to work on communication and collaboration choose an activity where team members have to work together, such as a building competition or a skill challenging escape room. Teambonders offers a wide choice of group activities that will fit the bill for every sort of team objective, including: interpersonal skills, charitable giving, trust building and more...
Step 6 - Select a date, time and location
Once you know your budget and what you will be doing, decide where and when to host your event. Choose a time convenient to your team and consider how much time you need to complete your activities. If you need people to stay at the office while others participate in the event, consider having two time slots so that everyone can participate. When it comes to the location, some groups opt for an off-site location to get everyone out of the office and in a new environment. Others would rather have the convenience of holding the event on-site. Whatever you decide, Teambonders can work with your location, including local theme park venues, and provide both indoor and outdoor team challenges and entertainment.
Step 7 - Make a checklist
Make a list of actionable items and assign planning members to each task. Keep updating a single checklist and make sure everyone has access to it to ensure that everyone is on the same page. Having a checklist not only ensures that tasks get completed in time, but it also reduces the stress of worrying that something has been missed, or not knowing is something was done in time - like ordering catering or scheduling transportation.
Step 8 - Communicate well in advance
Sometimes the element of surprise can be very useful, but for team building events, you might want to consider giving your team lots of notice and information about the event. If it is the first time your group has done something social together, some people may feel more apprehensive than others. The bottom line is that the event is something to look forward to with excitement, so think up creative ways to advertise it internally.
If you are looking to host a team building event but lack the time, resources, or expertise to organize and execute it, or if you are an experienced event planner in need of an experienced and skilled team activity vendor, contact Teambonders today. Our team of expert facilitators and event creators are eager to assist you in planning and executing a successful and engaging team building event.
