It might be difficult to plan a team building event, especially if you’ve never done one before. Here are nine tips to help you streamline your planning and create a memorable and enjoyable event.
Whether you’re planning your first or tenth team building event for your organization, it can feel like there’s never enough time to get everything just right.
Let’s face it: planning an interesting activity on your own that runs well and that everyone enjoys – on top of your regular commitments – can seem unattainable.
You can always call our team of professionals for a free consultation if you’re feeling completely overwhelmed by all of the things you’ve been asked to coordinate. Our Employee Engagement Consultants have assisted hundreds of groups and can assist you in determining the ideal solution for your budget, location, and team dynamics.
Do you want to take it on by yourself? That is something we value! Continue reading to learn nine simple strategies to make the planning process seem a lot more reasonable.
Follow these nine simple steps when arranging your next team-building activity to ensure a successful event.
1. Establish a Timeline
When it comes to designing a team building event, what is the golden rule? It will be easier to plan if you give yourself more time to prepare.
Planning an activity for less than 100 people takes at least four to six weeks, according to our team of event planning specialists. If your event is bigger than that, allow at least four to six months.
Once you’ve established a broad calendar, our team recommends producing an Excel work list to plan out your schedule in further depth. A list like this can assist you in keeping track of when things must be accomplished by. You can also transform your Excel work list into a Gantt Chart for a more visual timeline.
2. Assemble your planning group
It can be tough for one person to design a whole team building event, as you may already know – or are discovering. Because there are so many moving elements, it would be nearly difficult for one person to assume full responsibility for everything.
You can distribute duties and quickly gather the opinions of your colleagues to help you make decisions for your event by forming a team to assist you in planning. Use tools like thought maps and flip charts to make the most of group brainstorming sessions!
If your workload is too heavy or you’ll be away of the office throughout the planning phase, forming a team allows you to appoint someone else to take the lead.
Not sure how to put together your perfect planning team? You can begin cooperating with your coworkers by sending a basic and pleasant email, such as the one below, asking for assistance.
Hello everyone!
As you may be aware, I’ve recently taken on the responsibility of organizing our department’s next team-building event, and I need your assistance!
Please let me know if you are available to assist me with a few planning matters by Friday.
Choosing a group activity
Choosing a place or a venue
Putting together a daily schedule
Thank you very much!
3. Establish Your Objective
Having a clear goal or aim for your team building exercise can help to guarantee that it is both enjoyable and effective. You may not know where to begin until your supervisor has told you explicitly what the purpose of your team building event is.
The five “W” questions are a good place to start when defining your goal: Who? What? Where? Why? When?
When responding to each question, try to be as descriptive as possible and provide as much information as feasible.
Here are some examples of responses to the five “W” questions:
- Who: A 45-person sales staff.
- What: A pleasurable pastime
- Where: Wicklow is the location.
- Why: To thank the event for a fantastic quarter.
- When is it? August
Put it all together, and you have a clear goal for a team-building activity:
We’d like to congratulate our 45-person sales team for a fantastic quarter with a fun excursion in Wicklow this August.
4. Make a list of all the people who will be attending
Counting the number of employees in a specific department, like in our example of a “sales team of 45 people,” might be a simple way to determine your guest list. Choosing who will participate in the team building exercise may take a little more work on other times.
If you’re not sure who will attend your event, consider the following three questions while making your guest list:
Is this a required event? Is it possible for anyone to sign up?
What is the most persons that the budget and location can accommodate?
Will there be any employees with impairments present? Or will people who work from home be invited?
You should be able to obtain a rough estimate of who will be attending based on your answers to these questions.
5. Make a thorough budget
Talking to your manager is the greatest method to create a realistic budget. Inquire about the amount of money available for the event and the budget’s expectations.
If your supervisor is unable to provide you with a specific figure, inquire about previous team building activities to get an idea of the budget. You can then match your charges to previous events.
Keep your budget as realistic as possible, but allow yourself some wiggle room in case of unforeseen expenses. Budgeting for the following items is recommended by our team:
- Parking and transportation
- Permits and venue reservations
- Providers of activities
- Drinks and food
- Insurance
- Charges for credit cards and eVisas are two examples of fees.
With an Excel budget table, you can plan out the expenditures of your activity and keep track of your expenses along the way. The Ultimate Guide to Team Building has a budget table template that you can use.
6. Decide on a date and time
Picking a day and time may appear simple at first, but you must take into account busy schedules before finalizing these details.
If you require important stakeholders to attend the event, for example, you’ll want to be sure they’re available before committing to a day and time. To suit more people’s schedules, you may be able to hold your team building event across a few hours or a few days, depending on the activity you choose.
Seasonality and weather must also be taken into account. If your entire team is determined on conducting an outdoor activity, it’ll be critical to choose a period of year when the weather is often pleasant.
7. Decide on a location or venue
Your team development exercise can be made or broken by the venue or location you choose.
You should avoid venues that won’t be able to accommodate your group or activity, for example. You’ll also want to choose a venue or location that isn’t too far away to save time and money on travel.
The following questions will assist you in determining the appropriate venue or location for your event:
- Are you planning to hold an indoor or outdoor team-building activity?
- What is the maximum number of people that can be accommodated in the venue?
- Is there any additional equipment, such as Internet connectivity, audio, or video?
- Is a specific permit or approval required for outdoor areas?
- Is there parking for employees’ automobiles or a company-provided bus service?
- Is the weather something you need to think about?
If you consider the aforementioned factors, you’ll be able to locate a venue or location that’s perfect for your group’s event.
8. Create a Logistics Checklist.
After you’ve decided on the big picture, you can concentrate on the finer details of your event’s day-of logistics. You can assist prevent crucial tasks from sliding through the cracks on the day by creating a precise checklist.
Here are some things to think about adding to your logistical checklist:
- Will the firm provide transportation or will attendees be responsible for their own transportation to the activity?
- Food and Beverages – Will the company supply food and beverages?
- Will participants be required to sign a liability waiver in order to attend?
- Will attendees be staying at an off-site place for the duration of the event?
- What to Bring — Is there anything attendees should know ahead of time? Should they, for example, carry rainy-day clothing?
- Special Circumstances – How should employees with disabilities or injuries be accommodated?
9. Create a schedule for the event day
Your team will almost certainly want to know what they’ll be doing as part of your team-building exercise. An agenda can help you plan out your day and communicate what will be happening throughout the event to your coworkers.
From arrival and departure hours to activity duration and meeting spots, your agenda should detail everything employees will be doing.
Our team suggests sending out the agenda to attendees in the weeks preceding up to the event, along with a disclaimer that it is subject to change. This will not only help participants prepare for the day, but it will also make them enthusiastic about what they will be doing.
