These activities can make for a fun and productive break from a conference or the toils of the office.
1. Fitzy Snowman offers hands-on teambuilding activities like sandcastle construction, either on the beach or in an indoor location like a conference room. Teams can compete against each other to see who can build the best sand sculpture, or work together to create one large project. Pricing for a two- to three-hour session includes tools and an instructor and starts at $1,000 for as many as 30 people.
2. Diablo Glass School offers teambuilding packages in which groups of as many as 40 can work together to design a custom vase. During a two-hour session, one team with as many as 20 members selects the colors and patterns of the vase while another team of similar size chooses the shape of the piece. A professional glassblower creates the object, which is shipped to the company's office when completed. Pricing starts at $1,500. Outside catering can be brought in, or Diablo can arrange for food and beverages for an additional cost.
3. To get a group to strategize creatively, the Go Game specializes in corporate teambuilding activities ranging from group movie-making to community service projects. One of the company's latest offerings is the Go Game: Undercover, which asks participants work together to solve a fictitious crime committed against their firm by working with clues provided in a file and at locations around the city. Go Game staffers create a storyline based on information about the company, so each session is customized. The game typically lasts about half a day and pricing varies by group size.
4. Artist Aimee Empey teaches groups how to make collages through her teambuilding program Collage Barrage. Participants can create collages on individual canvases or collaborate on one large canvas. Empey, a former grade school art teacher, guides groups by asking questions to illicit emotions like pride or frustration that participants can convey through their work. Pricing starts at $65 a person and includes instruction and supplies such as paper, wood, glitter, paint, and fabric, as well as smocks, wine, and snacks. Classes are held at the Stove Factory Studios Gallery in Charlestown, which can accommodate 15 people. Smaller groups can hold classes at a location of the planner's choosing.
