If you are organizing a corporate team building event for your organization this year, it’s possible you are currently in the planning stage and feeling overwhelmed. What event will everyone enjoy? Where should we host it? Where do I start?
Planning a team bonding event for your organization can be difficult and stressful, but it doesn’t need to be. That’s why Teambonders has created a checklist that will help you start planning.
1 - What type of event are you going to plan?
Whether you are going to plan an indoor or outdoor corporate team building event, there’s a huge range of different programs, activities and events that your organization can choose to host for your employees.
It may be the case that you know exactly what you want to do, but it’s more than likely that you’re not sure and you are open to suggestions. The main things to think about are whether you have any objectives that you want to achieve, whether you prefer indoor or outdoor events and (if anything) what have you done in previous years?
These questions will help you to plan around your preferences, objectives, as well as analyze the success or failures you have had with past events.
2 - Where are you going to hold your event?
The location of your event is essential, and can be a highly important factor in choosing which event you want to host. That’s why it’s a good idea to come up with a rough idea of where you want to host your event.
Since the type of program you host is the most important aspect of the entire corporate event, we advise coming up with an idea for the event that you want to plan and then thinking about a rough location that would be practical.
Make sure you think about space. You need enough space to ensure your employees are comfortable, because too little space could ruin your event. On the other hand, too much space could result in wasted resources and additional cost.
3 - Who’s invited?
These next questions are crucial when choosing your location. Is the event for a specific department? Will there be a few hundred employees? Is it mandatory that your staff attend the event?
Once you know how many people will be attending, you will be able to plan properly and choose a suitable location to ensure that no one on your team is left out.
4 - What is your budget?
If you are organizing the event on behalf of the large enterprise you work for, then it’s possible you may have given a budget to stick to. If you are the owner of a small business, however, you may want to receive some quotes before you decide on a budget.
Either way, it’s good to come up with a rough budget beforehand so you know exactly how you can get the best possible return on investment (ROI).
5 - What do you aim to achieve from hosting the event?
Another way to ensure ROI is to clearly lay out what your business hopes to achieve from a corporate team building event. Do you want to increase sales? Are you aiming to reduce conflict in the workplace? Or do you want to increase collaboration in the office?
These goals can all be quantified after an event, but by clearly defining what you want to achieve in the planning stage you’ll be able to design an event that's perfectly suited to your unique needs.
6 - When is the event?
Timing is hugely important. Set a date and time in advance so that your corporate team building event doesn’t clash with employee holidays and vacations. To achieve your goals you want everyone you planned for to be there.
7 - How will you get there?
Will you be walking, driving or taking public transport? Either choosing a location close to your office or arranging transportation for your employees ahead of time, can significantly improve the number of employees that attend.
The most important thing to remember is that you are able to accommodate all of your employees, ensuring that it’s not hard work for them to attend.
8 - How will you build up excitement for the event?
Positivity is contagious, but so is negativity. Even if a select few individuals are not looking forward to attending the corporate team building event, their comments and opinions can quickly bring down those around them.
To ensure this doesn’t happen, get ahead of the problem and spread the positivity and excitement the moment you start planning your corporate team building event. You can do this through social media, promoting the event internally and getting your team involved in the event process.
Want to make sure you have everything under control?
Partner with an expert Worried you might miss an important step and you won’t achieve what you set out to do with your corporate event? Why not consider partnering with a professional team building event planner who will design a program that ensures your event is fun, exciting, and, most importantly, will help your company grow.
The Teambonders team of skilled program architects and facilitators - who are committed to raising the spirit of camaraderie, cooperation and communication - will help make this happen.
Are you looking for more information about partnering with a professional corporate team building event planner in Canada or the US? Contact our team of experts today to find out how we can help.
