Looking to create more camaraderie among attendees during an event? Or making up for lost face-to-face time with your corporate team? This sounds like a job for team building. But if you've seen enough scavenger hunts and egg drops over the years, fear not. We've rounded up five out-of-the-box bonding ideas from different hotel properties around the country, as well as a Chicago-based company dedicated entirely to team building, to help you.
Keep scrolling to get inspired.
1. Create a TikTok together
Get ready to hit record. For "the ultimate dance-break experience," Aruba Marriott Resort recently launched a new TikTok team-building activity for groups. A professional dance instructor can teach groups how to create their own TikTok that aligns with the latest and trendiest dances on the social media app with step-by-step instructions. (The resort's picturesque beach as the backdrop doesn't hurt either.) Once the group feels ready, the instructor can film the dance to upload to TikTok, and post-dance lesson, groups can enjoy fresh smoothie samples and fruit kebabs. The experience is available for groups of 10-15 and runs for $455, or is complimentary with a minimum spend of $20,000.
Photo: Courtesy of Aruba Marriott Resort
2. Become a barista
West of downtown Chicago, the historic Drake Hotel Oak Brook is now hosting meetings and breakouts in its brand-new coffee lounge, Aroma de Cafe (which transforms into a wine bar in the evenings). Along with private dinners and receptions in the cafe's upscale dining space, groups can book the "Be a Barista" team-building experience where they'll learn the art of coffee foam and compete for the best design. A bonus? Enjoy a break with a complimentary coffee drink and bakery item.
Photo: Courtesy of Shutterstock
3. Try an escape room activity
Trapped in the Tropics is Corporate Event Interactive's version of a high-energy, challenging escape room set on a tropical island that is only an hour away from being hit by a cyclone. During the activity, teams work together to solve puzzles to find the combinations that open locked treasure chests, each of which contain a clue to solve in order to move on. While earning points along the way with mini challenges, Ben Gonzales, director of marketing and operations manager for Corporate Event Interactive, describes the game as "a fun, engaging, and intense race against time."
The company also offers a number of virtual escape rooms (that are app-based) over Zoom for teams that are still remote or hybrid. Participants are welcomed together with an introduction, then split into teams in separate breakout rooms as the clock starts. Teams progress from clue to clue through a series of puzzles and trivia challenges. And at the end, everyone gets back together to see who scored the highest and finished first. "[Virtual escape rooms] are a really fantastic way to reinforce the collaboration and communication when people can't be together in person," Gonzales said.
The company also offers a number of virtual escape rooms (that are app-based) over Zoom for teams that are still remote or hybrid. Participants are welcomed together with an introduction, then split into teams in separate breakout rooms as the clock starts. Teams progress from clue to clue through a series of puzzles and trivia challenges. And at the end, everyone gets back together to see who scored the highest and finished first. "[Virtual escape rooms] are a really fantastic way to reinforce the collaboration and communication when people can't be together in person," Gonzales said.
Photo: Courtesy of Corporate Event Interactive
4. Host a sand-sculpting competition
Casa Marina Key West, Curio Collection by Hilton, sits on the largest private beach in Key West. So it's no surprise that planners will find a resident master sand sculptor (Marianne van den Broek) on-site who hosts popular sand-sculpting workshops and competitions for groups. These sand-centric activities can be set up in the hotel's original historic Flagler's Ballroom or the beachfront Flagler Patio.
Photo: Courtesy of Just Sand and Water
5. Participate in a bike-building workshop
Corporate Event Interactive offers this corporate social responsibility (CSR) program that combines competitive challenges, collaboration, and attention to detail. Teams work together to solve puzzles and build youth bicycles that are donated to a local charity (after a thorough inspection by expert technicians). "This is always a very popular CSR activity, as it is very hands on, and the kids are so excited to get new bikes!" Gonzales said.
Photo: Courtesy of Corporate Event Interactive
6. Forage and build your own terrarium
North Georgia property Barnsley Resort features more than 3,000 acres, making it ideal for outdoor adventures like hiking and horseback riding, plus—of course—outdoor team-building exercises. Consider the destination's newest team-building offering, the Terrarium Forage & Workshop, which will provide your group with one of the resort's experienced nature guides to lead your team on a hike to various locations around the property to forage for mosses, rocks, plants, and other items to include in a terrarium. Teams will then have the chance to arrange the foraged items in a glass container, designing a mini indoor garden with other elements provided. By the end, each attendee can take home a living piece of Barnsley Resort.
Photo: Courtesy of Barnsley Resort
7. Prepare a culturally significant dish together
To better tie attendees to their meeting destination while bonding in the process, organize a cooking class that teaches them about a dish with a cultural significance to that country, state, or city. For example, the Caribe Hilton in Puerto Rico offers a poolside mofongo-making class. During the class, a chef from the hotel guides guests in mashing green plantains to create the mofongo's base. Participants can then add savory ingredients to their liking, such as chicken, shrimp, or pork rinds.
And Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club in Massachusetts recently launched a Clam "Chowdah" Cook-Off team-building activity "for the quintessential Cape Cod culinary experience" where a chef will guide attendees on how to make this classic New England dish step by step. Then, attendees can partner up to either replicate the recipe or put their own spin on it. The chef will then sample each and select a winner, who will receive a dining credit to put toward another meal on property. The experience is available for groups up to 10.
And Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club in Massachusetts recently launched a Clam "Chowdah" Cook-Off team-building activity "for the quintessential Cape Cod culinary experience" where a chef will guide attendees on how to make this classic New England dish step by step. Then, attendees can partner up to either replicate the recipe or put their own spin on it. The chef will then sample each and select a winner, who will receive a dining credit to put toward another meal on property. The experience is available for groups up to 10.
Photo: Courtesy of Shutterstock
8. Find your inner Olympian
Warmer weather means groups might be looking to get outdoors. A popular team-building activity from Corporate Event Interactive that fits this bill is "Corporate Olympiad." Teams compete in an array of physical and mental challenges that combine teamwork, communication, collaboration, and strategic planning. To kick off the fun in an authentic way, the program starts with a ceremonial parade of Olympians and a torch lighting. And, of course, the activity culminates with an awards ceremony where teams are given the bronze, silver, and gold based on their points earned during the program.
Photo: Courtesy of Corporate Event Interactive
