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| FROM WASHINGTON |
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P.C.M.A. Honors Wardman Park, Fairmont at First Nighttime Annual Meeting |
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8 New Venues for Washington Holiday Parties That Won't Break the Bank |
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MSNBC and Rodale Fete Jeff Corwin's New Book and Documentary at the Occidental |
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Againn: A Modern Gastropub in Penn Quarter |
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Café Milano Offers Corporate Catering |
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More Photos From Fight Night/Knock Out Abuse: Stogies, Laser Shows, and a VW Bus Bar |
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Fight Night/Knock Out Abuse: Joan Jett for Men, Shirtless Hippies for Women |
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Award-Winning Washington Mixologist Offers Custom Cocktails and Classes |
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Birch & Barley: Neighborhood Restaurant Group's New Beer-Themed Venue With Private Dining |
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Long View Gallery: New Location in Warehouse Space for 400 |
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| FROM NEW YORK |
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Masked Raconteurs Tell Tales at Moth Ball, and I Have a Blast |
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Gap, Banana Republic, American Eagle Open Stores With Musical Performances |
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MoMA Gets Suitably Whimsical and Macabre for Tim Burton Tribute |
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3 New Hotel Restaurants for Business Entertaining, Private Groups |
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Nintendo Launches New Mario Game With Look Back at Franchise History |
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Scripted Models Play Up Key Notes at Victoria's Secret Fragrance Preview |
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Ad Age Looks to Boost Conference Interaction With Beer Tasting, Lounge Seating |
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More Photos From Louis Vuitton's Garden-Style Launch: Life-Sized Trees, Mounds of Mums |
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A Forest of Flora Marks Launch of Louis Vuitton's Saks Boutique |
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4 Made-in-New York Sweets for Gift Bags |
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| News
Archive for Teambuilding |
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| THE SCOUT 10.14.09 9:00 AM |
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4 Ideas for Food-Focused Events
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 | Chef Robert Danhi leads walking tours of Little Saigon.
Photo: Robert Danhi |
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Working on a food-centric outing? Explore these four rental, cooking, tour, and gift options.
1. If you're bringing in a chef for an on-site demo, Town & Country Event Rentals is offering a new cooking demonstration table that provides a view for guests to watch the action. The set consists of a 3- by 6-foot swiveling plexiglass mirror that can be adjusted to various heights and a brushed steel frame with interlocking casters. The 6-foot by 30-inch table affords a large work area, and a shelf below can be used for storage during the cooking process. The unit rents for $295.
2. James Beard-nominated author Robert Danhi leads groups on walking tours of Little Saigon. The chef takes guests through markets, with stops to sample treats at small shops, and to a tofu factory for samples. The tour concludes at a local restaurant where Danhi will demonstrate a recipe from his book Southeast Asian Flavors: Adventures in Cooking the Foods of Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia & Singapore. At the end of the tour, participants receive one of the chef’s cookbooks. The ideal group size is fewer than 20 people to keep everyone together; larger groups can be accommodated in a modified format. Base price per person is $100 for the tour and includes a book, tastings, and a meal. Customized tours are possible.
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RELATED TOPICS
Teambuilding |
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| THE SCOUT 05.27.09 9:00 AM |
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Amanda Cushman Instructs Groups in Preparing Organic, Ethnic Menus
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 | Students in Cushman's cooking class
Photo: Courtesy of Amanda Cushman |
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Local chef Amanda Cushman—whose focus is on organic, ethnic meals prepared simply—has a new professional kitchen space in Venice that can accommodate as many as 15 students for cooking classes. After the sessions, Cushman serves the students a full meal, which can be accompanied by wine, if desired. Class topics include Asian or Mediterranean menus, vegetarian cooking, and salads. Cushman can also teach groups with as many as 30 guests at any off-site location where there is a kitchen. For corporate events, the cost ranges from $100 to $125 per person, depending on the number of people and if the group requires alcohol. —Alesandra Dubin
RELATED TOPICS
Teambuilding |
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| THE SCOUT 04.22.09 9:30 AM |
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Beer Crafting Classes Make for an Affordable Outing
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 | | A brewing demo at Culver City Home Brewing Supply Company |
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Looking for a fun activity on a budget? Try a beer brewing class at Culver City Home Brewing Supply Company. The group will learn about equipment, brewing history, and beer ingredients at a beginner's level. The casual team behind Culver City Home Brewing will take on a class of as many as 25 participants for $150 per session, but he shop keeps the beer. For guests to take the brew with them after class and try their luck at fermenting and bottling at home, plan to spend $200 to $250 for Culver City Home Brewing to ferment and bottle the beer for you, eventually yielding about five gallons, or two cases. Class demonstrations last about three hours. —Alesandra Dubin
RELATED TOPICS
Teambuilding |
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| THE SCOUT 04.08.09 9:00 AM |
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What to Do With a Competitive Crew
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 | Racers at MB2
Photo: Courtesy of MB2 Raceway |
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MB2 Raceway's new outpost in Thousand Oaks offers a quarter-mile course where groups can compete in kart racing activities, complete with trophies, plaques, or medals (available through the venue) to motivate the team. Catering options include options like doughnuts, tacos, and an In-N-Out Burger. The full facility holds 300 and can be booked for about $1,500 per hour during the week, with a two-hour minimum. And, if business and pleasure must meet, there are wireless Internet access, Power Point projection systems, plasma flat-screen TVs, and conference tables and seating. —Alesandra Dubin
RELATED TOPICS
Teambuilding |
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| THE SCOUT 03.18.09 9:00 AM |
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New Scavenger Hunt Mixes Art and Intrigue at the Getty
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 | Watson Adventures takes groups to the Getty.
Photo: Alex Vertikoff/©2003 J. Paul Getty Trust |
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Looking for a teambuilding activity at an iconic local venue? Head to the Getty Center, where Watson Adventures launched a new scavenger hunt program. The concept is that a murdered curator has left behind a trail of clues connected to secrets in works at the museum; the team gathers answers about the art and pieces together a scandalous tale revolving around the museum’s (fictitious) planned purchase of a multi-million-dollar piece by Leonardo Da Vinci. Prices ranges from $40 to $70 per person, depending on the group size and details. Watson can coordinate the event for 10 to 200 participants. —Alesandra Dubin
RELATED TOPICS
Teambuilding |
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| THE SCOUT 12.03.08 10:00 AM |
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Trapeze School Offers High-Flying Teambuilding
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 | Activities at the Trapeze School
Photo: Courtesy of Trapeze School |
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The Trapeze School New York, made famous in its original Manhattan location through an appearance in Sex and the City, has opened a Los Angeles oupost. The Santa Monica Pier location is now set up for corporate events and teambuilding workshops. The facility can accommodate small or large groups (as many as 200 guests), and keep them all physically active while rotating through activities such as a ropes course and a trampoline—in addition to the school's signature flying trapeze. Prices start around $120 per person and include one activity for every 10 participants, trainers to facilitate the program, use of specialized equipment, and water and snack bars. The Trapeze School will consider donating its space and efforts for nonprofit groups and charity events. —Alesandra Dubin
RELATED TOPICS
Teambuilding |
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| THE SCOUT 08.20.08 9:00 AM |
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Hitting the Beach With the Boss
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 | Nick Heaney
Photo: Courtesy of Wake Experience |
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For a company activity that will give staffers a rush of adrenaline, Wake Experience offers wakeboarding lessons for groups on a private stretch of beach. Brothers and pro wakeboarders Julz and Nick Heaney will teach students the basics behind the watersport on the sand before taking them out on the water on one of the company’s many boats. Those who would rather keep dry can watch co-workers or the Heaneys—the siblings can provide professional wakeboard exhibitions—from the boat. Red Bull, Sports Chalet, and Jose Cuervo have tapped the company for corporate outings, which can include additional amenities like beach barbecues, and video or still photography of the day’s action. —Rosalba Curiel
RELATED TOPICS
Jose Cuervo, Red Bull, Sports Chalet, Teambuilding |
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| EVENT INTELLIGENCE 06.17.08 11:13 AM |
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What Employees Really Think of Teambuilding
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The notion of teambuilding has spawned an entire industry dedicated to building stronger group bonds, improving communication between coworkers, and gaining a deeper understanding of process and personal dynamics, all through activities like white-water rafting, bike tours, and cooking classes. But do these things actually work? Do employees enjoy them? And do lessons learned through ropes courses or scavenger hunts help once staffers get back to the office? We went straight to the source—the participants—to hear about their most memorable teambuilding experiences.
Joe, marketing firm director of market research: “One exercise I did required half of a team to be blindfolded and led through the woods. At a certain point, the team was asked to travel a distance using wood bridges—boards laid on the ground. The amount of wood available was insufficient to cover the entire distance, so different layouts had to be employed to get everyone across. What was interesting with this was how many teams failed to involve the blindfolded participants. I have found these ef- forts to be very helpful and capable of breaking through old styles. The problem has always been that we return to our old company and old ways. New skills have to be reinforced, something my former company did not allow.”
Ben, former magazine production manager: “With games, I can get really competitive. On a scavenger hunt, I ended up being aggressive with the president of the company. She got upset—in a bitchy way—and said, ‘God, you’re really competitive. I didn’t know that about you.’ She actually came back and apologized for her tone afterward. She kind of met her match with me, and I was an assistant, so it kind of made it even funnier.”
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RELATED TOPICS
Teambuilding |
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| NEWS 10.24.07 12:58 PM |
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Teambuilding, Corny? Not to Cathay Pacific
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This week's Time magazine takes a look at the aggressive teambuilding efforts of Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific. (Why? Cathay's profit is up 55 percent so far this year, largely due to a reputation for excellent service on long-haul international flights, the newsmagazine says, and executives say they've been focusing on improving staff productivity.)
From Time's story: "Cathay has tried to turn its global training headquarters near Hong Kong International Airport into a temple of team spirit. Employees can wander into classes for yoga and belly-dancing and get a drink at Dhakota's, the company bar. 'It's like a big playground,' says Steve Lawrence, one of Cathay's training and development managers. The rooftop patio hosts just about every hokey team-building exercise ever invented. Trainees regularly participate in 100-person lap sits, in which each person sits on the next one's knees, forming a circle while trying mightily to stay balanced. There are blindfolded 'trust walks' and, until recently, group-dancing first thing in the morning. Sadly, Morning Boogie was phased out after the speaker system got blown away in a typhoon."
RELATED TOPICS
Cathay Pacific, Time Magazine, Teambuilding |
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