Every manager’s perpetual challenge is to keep his team, performance-driven and motivated. Corporate team building activities do exactly that. They enhance networking, socializing and getting the team to know each other at a more personal level. This improves communication within the group, increases team bonding, morale and therefore productivity, often fostering innovation and creativity. But whilst planning a corporate team outing, you should remember that they are designed on two premises; learning and fun. This does sound like a tall task, but can be achieved if you implement the ‘Quick 4 Rule’. These are Affordability, Accessibility, Availability and last but not least the Activities. It is imperative to apply this rule before you select the venue for your outing. Let’s break it up for you.
- Affordability
The budget for the outing is one of the key factors taken into consideration before you begin planning the outing. There is no such thing as a good or bad budget. It definitely helps to have a bigger purse, but if applied resourcefully, you can source a good venue in any budget. Once you have the budget on the board, you can plan staying options, meal plans, travel, excursions and kind of activities you can afford to indulge in. Liberal budgets can allow you to hire event planners, but do not despair; there are some corporate resorts in Bangalore that have an in-house team dedicated to the task at no additional expense. Remember to be explicit about your requirements at the time of negotiation. - Accessibility
Most corporate team building outings happen over weekends, thus you may not want to spend too much time traveling to and from the venue you have picked out. The ideal venue is close enough to save time and far enough to let the team bond while traveling. Besides time, another key factor that is affected by your distance to the venue is transportation costs, something which can rock the boat even before you set sail. So remember, if you have big budgets, take the team to great exotic locales, else there are several amazing resorts within the city or at the outskirts that are as much fun. The ideal venue would be a resort allowing the team to engage in outdoor activities. - Availability
Now, this is a tricky one and can be the page-turner for your team outing. There are high and low seasons for the hotel industry. Similarly, resorts are often differently priced on weekdays and weekends. Set your date for the team outing only after checking the weekly and daily rates of your shortlisted hotel. Pick a resort with a Flexi price that you can study before zeroing down to the final venue and plan six months prior so that your resort of choice is available when you have scheduled your team outing. Another key aspect is checking the availability of your team members for the set dates. You may offer two sets of dates to know the more preferred one. This may take a little planning, but a little goes a long way in blocking the venue well in advance. - Activities
The activities or excursions you plan for your team-outing will largely determine the outcome, so be picky when choosing a resort for your corporate outing. Research the resorts well and pick one that offers interesting and intriguing activities. You want to avoid being predictable at this point. Several resorts in Bangalore would like to project themselves as perfect venues for team building get-togethers. However, this is really far from the truth. It is thus essential to first research and find out about the activities possible at the resort. There are few with dedicated staff that collaborates with you from the word go, pitching their ideas and building on yours to tailor-make a perfect team-outing. One such resort is the Discovery Village Resort in Bangalore, Kabini and Nandi Hills that offer a host of activities to choose from, such as mountain climbing, trekking, zorbing, paragliding, camping, zip-lining, and tent pitching. Consult their team of experts and pick the ones that help your team achieve the goal you had set.
The success of your corporate outing is not only defined by efforts and planning that has gone in, but being a team player in the process. So whilst you are busy ensuring a smooth ride, remember that it’s all about bonding.