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Company outings can be a fun and great bonding experience for employees. They break the monotony of routine and give workers the opportunity to relax and have a bit of fun with their colleagues. This makes organizing a company outing all the more crucial. The activity’s success rides on careful planning. If you’ve been assigned to plan an outing for your team, treat them to an enjoyable day away from the office with the few tips we’ve listed below.
Get the details straight
Planning in advance allows you to accommodate special requests or suggestions from the team. It will also give everyone time to plan and schedule tasks and daily activities so deadlines don’t get in the way of team building activities.
Here are a few details to decide before everything else.
- Date – When choosing the date, try to take the weather into consideration. Outdoor activities won’t go smoothly in the rain. Avoid planning it around holidays so as not to trample on your team’s plans.
- Venue – Many venues require advance booking. Decide this ahead of time so you can secure the most suitable location for the type of activities you have in mind.
Perfect for a long drive
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Decide on the transportation
Organizing the transportation is especially important if your activities require travelling to a location that’s hours away or if a tour is involved. While carpooling may be an option, it may not be cost-effective, specifically if you have a large team.
One of the most efficient ways to travel is by top charter bus in toronto. Buses come in a variety of sizes and can accommodate as many as 50 in one vehicle with enough space to move around. It’s a comfortable way to travel and will allow your team to bond en route to the destination. Some bus service in Toronto and throughout Canada offer various amenities including WiFi, a lavatory, and gaming devices. Compared to carpooling, travelling by bus can help you save up on gas money so you have a larger portion of the budget for other things, like food.
Plan the budget
The budget for company outings are typically shouldered by the company. Determine exactly how much the company is willing to allocate for your activities and plan accordingly. You also need to ascertain the head count and whether the outing is exclusive for team members only or extends to their families. How much do you need for the venue, transport, specialists (if you’re hiring field experts), food, drinks, and items needed for activities.
The way to any man (and woman)’s heart
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Make provisions for food and beverages
Consider food as another team member joining the party. With a full day (or days) worth of excitement, rest assured that people will be hungry. To keep everyone satisfied, comfortable, and more receptive to the bonding experience, plan the menu ahead of time. If the venue offers food and drinks, you can place your orders ahead of time so everything will be set up at the right hour. If not, you can either get a catering service or make sure there are some nice restaurants near the venue.
When ordering food, make sure to consider your team’s dietary preferences and restrictions. Accommodate those with allergies or certain diets, like vegetarianism so nobody feels left out. It’s a plus if you have them plan the meal sets with you.
Come up with fun activities
Needless to say, your activities need to be fun. Give your team the opportunity to collaborate by asking them the types of activities or events they have in mind. This can jumpstart the bonding experience even before a trip.
There are a variety of games and team building activities that will allow your team to bring out their competitive side or force them to think strategically. If families are included in the outings, make sure that the children are kept entertained.
The most important thing to remember is that this is the time for people to relax and get to mingle with people they normally don’t. Don’t forget to have fun.