How To Throw A Team Building Event That Takes Place Outside

When you run a business, your team is the most important aspect of it. While you might focus on things like the sales, numbers and other elements, without your team pushing everything behind the scenes, your business won’t make anything near what you need it to. This is why it’s so important to have a team that gets on well, work together cohesively and you know you can trust. If you are looking to run an outdoor team building event, it can be a great way to get everyone together and help them build a good rapport. Yet there are many things to consider in order to make it a success. In this article we take a look at some top tips you can utilize to help you throw an outdoor training event. Keep on reading to find out more.

Photo by Belle Co from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/silhouette-photography-of-group-of-people-jumping-during-golden-time-1000445/ 

Choose your location wisely

The first thing you need to consider when you are throwing a team building event is your location. You want it to be somewhere that is easy for your staff to get to, but also has the facilities or properties you want. Are you going to be staying overnight? Or do you want the event to just take place over a day? Will you need it to be accessible for some of your staff members? What facilities (such as toilets) do they have there? What will you need to hire to make it work? 

Consider the logistics

The logistics is something else you need to think about. As touched upon above, you might need to hire things such as a marquee or portaloos. If you don’t have access to fresh water, a water tank rental is a great idea to ensure everyone in your team can get this whenever it is needed. This is particularly important when the weather is hot and you are doing activities which involve exercise as you don’t want anybody to become ill, overheat or get dehydrated. Health and safety is super important particularly when out and about.

Think about your activities

Once you have the location and everything sorted, it’s time to consider the activities you want to do. There are a host of team building activity ideas you can do, depending on if you want to sort this out yourself or get an external company to sort it for you. You could do something like a treasure hunt, where they have to work in teams to figure out the clues and find the prize. You could have an old-school style sports day, or perhaps you could do some large abstract art projects? Think about how many people are in your company and what will be best for bringing them all together. If you are staying overnight, you could have a competition to build tents themselves the fastest, cook together around a campfire and much more.

Decide on your budget

It can be easy to get carried away when you are throwing a team building event, so it’s a good idea if you figure out a budget first and then you know what you can spend on certain activities and items. Ensure you factor in things like if you will be staying away overnight, if you need to hire a marquee and portaloos, the food you need for everyone, and if you will provide transport to the destination. You will also need to consider if you’re taking everyone out of the office for the day and what this will mean for losses for your company’s earnings. 

Why is team building so important?

Team building is one of the most important aspects of running a company for so many reasons. This includes:

It encourages collaboration

Collaboration is vital for a business to work well. The better your employees get on, the more likely they will be to share ideas, bouncing thoughts off one another and coming up with concepts that can get your company more sales and greater success rates. You want your employees to feel comfortable sharing ideas and working as a team.

It creates a more positive work environment

If someone doesn’t know anyone that they work with, it can create a workplace they don’t particularly enjoy coming into. If they know others however, they can look forward to coming to work and catching up with friends. In turn, this will make them feel happier, have a positive impact on their mental health and ensure the office is a nicer place to work. If there are any conflicts or stresses, these are more likely to be resolved amicably and the chance of things getting out of hand are less as the staff get on with each other and know each other.

It can reduce staff turnover

Staff turnover can be really damaging if it’s high as it means there is a constant influx of people coming in and out of your company, draining time and resources training them. Systems and processes can end up being much less fluid, mistakes can be made and the team can feel fractured. If staff are happy, get on well with each other and can communicate easily, they are less likely to leave and it can make it a lot simpler all round.

These are just a few things for you to consider when you want to throw a team building event that takes place outside. By being outdoors you can make the most of the sunny weather, have everyone embrace the fresh air and be away from a busy office environment and also discover somewhere new. You can get them to partake in an array of different activities that can promote health and fitness, encouraging them to work well together and get to know members of the team that they otherwise might not get to meet. What are some top tips you have for throwing a team building event that takes place outside? Let us know in the comments below, we’d love to hear from you.