Here we go again!

There is always an increase in business after the holidays. I think people feel that they have been away, maybe lost some connection with each other and the business and the best solution is a team building event. Most of us in the office get our holidays out of the way before this starts but the effect has already started and a couple of people are still away so it's rather manic. We're having to turn away bookings that we usually would try to cover but frankly if clients want us to travel and won't pay full price it's not really going to happen, particularly when it's like this. 10th September is a real hotspot with 6 events, one of which is a huge It's A Knockout for 2,000 people requiring more than 40 staff. It will be one of the biggest of the year and we're all looking forward to seeing the field. When you've had a hand in putting together a large scale event it's really exciting to see it come together on the day.

When team building attacks!

We're all reeling from an event last night for a client who will remain anonymous. It was an event for trainees for a large financial. They were all men and sometimes these events can be a bit boisterous. It was an evening event and by the time they all arrived with us they had clearly had a skinfull and then they proceeded to drink heavily for the rest of the evening. By the time the events came round many of them were reeling on their feet. One of our older chaps was dressed in the chilli costume and for some reason they decided to try to remove his underpants. It was schoolboy prank style wedgies I think, but it still left our poor chap rather shaken. We had an attractive female instructor working and she had a lot of trouble. Most companies use drinking as part of their team building and I agree that this can work but sometimes it just goes too far. When they are that drunk I really don't think they care about the events; our priority then becomes damage limitation and making sure our own staff are safe. I understand the venue was trashed as well. Some companies need to be a bit more careful about the culture they promote.

August's Team Building events

August is traditionally a quieter month, however we have events every day this week. Unfortunately the weather isn't great; there was a storm last night and it's generally overcast. The events we do have are generally entertainment rather than team building, although there's always an element of each in every event. Today is also the Monday of Cowes Week, the famous yachting event. We have two yachts out with client teams on board today and this overcast weather with very little wind is bad on both counts. Never mind, we always put on excellent catering and plenty of drink so they will still enjoy the day.

A new week

This is a lighter week with the holiday effect kicking in. We are taking the time to repair, renew, paint and generally sort out our kit after one of the busiest runs of events that we have experienced. Our own team building went very well, although there were a few sore heads the morning after. The events during the day were excellent; low ropes, high ropes and general team challenges. They were a more challenging batch of activities than those we tend to deliver to our own clients but even those who were a little reticent enjoyed them. The acting workshop that many people were concerned about was great fun and, as always, people were surprised at how much they enjoyed it. It's amazing how the mind conjours up terrible images of what something is going to be like and it is always much better when it happens.