Corporate event planning is an exciting and ever-changing industry, but even the best teams need a break once in a while to recharge. It’s estimated that you spend more than one-third of your life at work, and that number is probably even higher for event planners! We’ve put together a list of some effective team-building activities that will keep your event-planning staff motivated and inspired to work towards their next event.
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Escape Rooms
Escape rooms have become hugely popular, and for good reason. They’re a great way for people to spend time together, solving a set of problems while racing against the clock. Sound familiar? That’s because escape rooms use many of the same skills event planners do, including brainstorming, problem-solving and collaboration. Teams have to solve the mystery of the escape room in the same way an event team often has to solve a variety of challenges for a client.
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Scavenger Hunts
The best team-building activities allow employees to set aside the stress of work and just have fun together as a group. Scavenger hunts are a great way to do this, as they’re fun, adventurous and can bring back memories of childhood. Design a scavenger hunt that will have your team racing around the city in search of clues, with a prize as incentive for the winning team (like a free lunch). Scavenger hunts are another great way to encourage camaraderie and teamwork, as well as a chance to get out of the office!
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Supermarket Sweep
Supermarket Sweep is a classic television game show, and it’s also a great game that encourages employees to work together. Like a scavenger hunt, this activity involves having your team search for a list of items under a tight deadline. But “supermarket sweep” activities offer a narrower focus in one location, and will really exercise the group’s quick-thinking skills. A fun suggestion for this activity is to ask your employees to plan a birthday party at the dollar store for only $20 – these restrictions will build teamwork, creativity and ingenuity, all important skills in the event planning industry.
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Food or Drink Tasting
Good food is a tried-and-true way to bring people together (just ask Mom!) Rather than a regular restaurant meal, though, make it a hands-on activity for your team. Consider a wine tasting at a local winery, or a cooking class like sushi-rolling or pasta-making. Not only is this idea fun and delicious, but it’s a good way for corporate event planners to learn about new dining trends that they can use in their events, as well. It can also be a new way to engage with food vendors that you may work with on future events.
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Murder Mystery
We would never condone murder amongst co-workers, but a murder mystery game is another story. These fictional games assign a killer, a victim and a variety of supporting characters for an evening of fun and mystery. Your team will exercise their problem-solving skills to find out whodunnit, and have to work together to solve the crime. It also allows team members to exercise their creativity and performance skills by pretending to be a character. Our guess is that the event planner did it!
These are just some of the suggestions for effective team-building activities that will bring teams closer together as a group. Team-building activities have a number of benefits, like providing stress relief and improving communication amongst team members. Teams will be recharged and ready to recommit to their work, which will lead to even better events. If you’re planning a corporate event in New York City, Tribeca Rooftop’s team is available to answer any questions you might have about their NYC venue space.
