How to plan your company kickoff activity
Teams of people are the core of every organisation, and having these teams performing well is an essential component of a successful business. It is not surprising, therefore, that many companies emphasise the importance of effective teamwork and invest heavily in team building.
A company kickoff activity is a great opportunity to bring people together to improve professional relationships and enhance communication around a work meeting or project activation. However being told you need to organise the company kickoff activity can be an unenviable task! There is a lot to think about... and sometimes pressure from upper management too. So here is a step-by-step guide on how to plan and execute your next company kickoff activity.
Picking a date for your kickoff activity
If you aren’t given a set date for the event then the first step is to align everyone's schedules… which is not a task for the fainthearted.
Finding a time that works for everyone might seem virtually impossible and you may find yourself stuck in a circular scheduling nightmare. But don’t worry, here are two ways to put an end to it:
Use a scheduling tool. You can easily create a Doodle Poll in minutes and send it off to your participants to let them choose the best time to meet. This will make your process much quicker and you'll avoid wasting time going back and forth on unnecessarily long email chains. Make sure you give people a deadline to answer your poll!
Choose an activity like a private challenge which allows you to book a time that suits your schedule, rather than having to fit into pre-allocated time slots. There’s nothing worse than finally aligning all your team to find that the activity you want to do does not fit into your schedule... Often you’ll have meetings during the day, so finding something that can be played in the late afternoon or evening is ideal.
2. Determine the budget
Before you start planning, you'll need to set a budget. Is the company paying? Talk to your boss and see how much money is available for the event. If it's just you and colleagues doing something fun after work, consider people’s price sensitivity. If you are booking an activity on behalf of a group but people are paying for themselves, they are more likely to be budget-conscious. Figure out what their expectations are for the budget well in advance.
3. Pick the right team activity
When choosing the activity, think about the purpose of the kickoff. Are you gathering a new team and need some kind of icebreaker? Is it an incentive event for an awesome quarter? Or maybe your team just needs to have some fun outside the office following a long day of boring meetings! Determine the goal of the team activity.
You’ll also want to consider the unique makeup of your team. Is it locals, internationals or a mix? What language will suit best? Should it be active or sit down? Are there cultural considerations you should address? Obviously you want to arrange an activity in which every person feels comfortable and included.
100 Point Challenge combines fun, teamwork, sightseeing and navigation with a bit of strategy and problem solving. It can be a great way to break the ice with a new team or get to know existing colleagues better while exploring the city at the same time. It’s also a great choice if you just need to unwind and have some fun outdoors. Learning and healthy competition makes the game exciting and incredibly rewarding.
A private challenge is customised to the needs of the group- you can choose the preferred language and the difficulty level (depending on whether the group is new to the city or local experts). The game is active but not too physically demanding, so it won't be a strain for the less active team members.
When you just want something easy...
After completing all of the steps above, you might just want something EASY, where all you have to do is show up at the right time and place, and have everything done for you... Book your team in for a private challenge on any date at a time of your choice- we have multiple challenges in each city suitable for any mix of people.
When you want something next level...
Sometimes the out-of-the box solution just isn’t enough! Maybe you want to put a custom company touch on this event, around your business solution or a particular theme. A memorable kickoff activity can be better aligned with your kickoff meeting by having some of your content woven through the event.
The 100 Point Challenge offers custom challenges designed specifically for this purpose. We offer three levels of customisation: the light touch, the middle ground and the whole 9 yards. You can use customisation to highlight a project, spoil a special client, or reinforce ideas to your employees.
100 Point Challenge has been designing city challenges for different companies and organisations all over the world, and have the experience and talent to help you clarify your team building objectives and create an experience that is unique and memorable for you and your organisation.
Find out more and book your next challenge here!