Business Team Building Activities In Calgary
Team building is crucial for every business - just ask any employee. However, it's being overlooked by many companies out there. Why spend money on something if it doesn't guarantee you some sort of ROI? Management wants to see numbers and charts, and team building activities are rarely seen as an investment in the business.
Well, that's how you often lose your most precious employees. Team building activities are crucial for every company. They facilitate better communication, motivate employees and promotes their creativity, help the staff develop problem-solving skills, and, most importantly, break the workers' shells and help them create a genuine bond. Luckily, some business owners and upper management understand that, so they have to find a team building activity.
Our list of best business team building activities in Calgary will help business owners pick the most fun yet not overly expensive one for their staff.
Picnic Party Games
That's the most popular outdoor team building activity for every season of the year. Pick any local part in Calgary as your set location. Some parks even have BBQ grills to make things even easier for you. All the management has to do is to get some food, drinks, and all the supplies to the park grounds. Here is where you have to start being more creative. Do you want any games or some sort of competition during the event? Will it just be a get-together outside of work? Is it in the central location where everyone can get without too much trouble?
While this is the most common event that employees love, there are possible drawbacks to it as well. First of all, it's a lot harder to think of an activity that everyone on the team would love. If it's sports, some people who have no interest in soccer and volleyball will feel left out. If it's a casual get-together, people will likely act the same way they do in the office and group - so no social bonding happens. Moreover, you have to account for kids and special others of your employees, especially if it's a sunny day at the park, and food allergies and preferences of each attendee.
To sum up, that's often the laziest team building activity on the management side, and there are much better ones down the list.
Corporate Castaway
This one is an outdoor team building activity for any group that's up for a challenge. It's incredibly fun for the entire team, and everything is managed - there are usually hosting and support teams who will handle everything for you. If you've seen "Survivor" TV show, you'll have an idea of what it's going to look like. A bunch of games, yummy food, and complete setup of every event is provided. It's definitely worth the experience, especially in the summer, but some managers can't justify the costs of this or don't have a big enough team.
Speaking of costs, such "party" can cost the management $1000s, and the minimum number of employees has to be around 20 people. If you decide to rent a bus for everybody (especially if it's outside the city), it's more money spent. And you have to also make sure the team actually wants to go - some staff members would rather spend a Friday evening with coworkers instead of dedicating the entire weekend to the cause. And once again, you need to have 20+ people for this business team building activity, which isn't always the case.
Minute To Win It
Remember this good old game you played in school. Well, that's the time for some nostalgia for your staff members. It's usually cost-friendly and doesn't require too much preparing for - all the stuff you need can be ordered online in a matter of minutes, and you can always browse the Internet for more games to add.
Seems like the right Calgary business team building activity, doesn't it? Well, it's not always the case. First of all, you have to rent a gym or hire a team that will do all the work for you. Second, you'll need a coordinator who will take care of all the activities. Note that it's not a junior high party where you only get to invite the people you like. Moreover, if the event requires a lot of physical activity, not everyone will want to attend. If you don't keep all the little things in mind, then a small team building event may only be attended by a small fraction of everyone invited, which defeats the whole purpose of the activity.
Going To a Bar
This is an activity popular among the employees who get along, by the management is rarely involved. However, you shouldn't scratch it off your "best business team building activities in Calgary" list just yet. With good planning, you can turn it into something interesting. First of all, it requires the employees' minimal effort, especially if it's the end of the work week, to go out and have a drink. Big companies like "The Keg" do this once or twice a year to keep the team spirit up and show that management cares.
Of course, it's not all positive. In fact, a simple event like going to the back with your employees can turn out to be the most effort and money demanding on the market. You have to book or rent a big enough space for all your employees. It can be a big table at a restaurant or a room in a karaoke bar. Then, you have to constantly monitor whether someone appears intoxicated and help them get a cab or call an Uber. Lastly, the management usually pays for every employee's cab home, which can be quite costly!
Going To Escape60 - Calgary Escape Room
By now, you must've heard of the concept of escape rooms. Your team is put in a room, and the main goal is to open the door on the other end. Each room is packed with riddles to solve and clues to help you find the final key. It isn't too physically demanding, yet you get a good dose of adrenaline solving the puzzles around you. It's perfect for all audiences and won't hurt the company's budget a lot.
Taking all your staff from the office once isn't an easy task to do, but it has a great impact on the employees at the end of the team building activity. In fact, Escape60 specializes in business team building, and will surely help people break down personal barriers, eliminate distractions, and, most importantly, have fun!
The team puts a lot of effort into the process. Escape60 is the only licensed lounge with a wet bar for your staff to have a couple of drinks before or after the game to loosen up and get more sociable. You can also choose in-between 7 catering options that range from $45 to $99/person, which isn't important, but surely a nice add-on to the activities. That's extremely affordable, especially considering the amount of fun the employees will have.
It's also fun to see how well the team did after the actual game, as you compare the results to others. That's when the spirit of competition kicks in! As mentioned earlier, the place is extremely affordable, at as little as $39/person for catering packages. Check yourself - Escape60 has tons of good reviews on Google, Yelp, and Trip Advisor as one of the best locked rooms in Calgary.
And don't worry if your team is large - Escape60 has no problem accommodating 100+ people at once. After all, the team understands your needs and will go above and beyond to not only meet but surpass your expectations.
Another thing is the convenience. The facility is located downtown by the Sunalta train station, so people who don't drive can easily get to the escape room by C-train. Plus, there is a lot of parking space on the premises (which is golden in the downtown area), and free street parking a few meters away. That's a fantastic opportunity for a business team building activity in Calgary for a fraction of a cost that will leave with memories to last a lifetime!
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