Are conference team building activities a good investment? let’s dig a bit deeper and look at some of the main reasons you may want to include an activitiy at your next conference.
If you are organising a conference, you will no doubt have a hundred things to plan and do. Presentations to arrange, venues to book, travel to organise – the list goes on. One of those things will undoubtedly be the itinerary itself and what content will be included in your conference.
If you are considering including a team building activity of some kind in your next event, or are looking for some ideas to help increase audience engagement, you’re in the right place. We have highlighted some of the best reasons to include a team building activity in your next conference or event.
Why should you include a corporate team building activity at your next conference or event?
1. Team building activities energise will your audience and increase engagement levels
Team building activities are great energisers and can be used to inject a bit of ‘oomph’ at any point in the event – some people choose to run an activity first thing in the morning to liven people up, some choose a slot straight after lunch to combat to post-lunch drowsiness, whilst some choose to finish the event with an activity that leaves people on a high.
There is no right or wrong time to run an activity and you can even choose to include several different sessions throughout the event. The key is to understand what you want the activity to achieve and choose accordingly.
Remember, an energised audience is an engaged audience!
2. They are a great networking tool
It can be difficult to network at large events, especially if some guests aren’t natural networkers. Team building activities provide the perfect medium for guests to network and meet people they don’t already know or have a limited relationship with. Your chosen team building activity will provide a focus for all those taking part which will make networking between participants more natural and less intimidating.
3. Team building activities get people on their feet and moving around
We’ve all been to conferences and events where we have spent the entire duration sat down with just an occasional ‘comfort break’ thrown in for good measure. As well as being uncomfortable, audience engagement levels will start to drop after a while.
Including breaks where people have an opportunity to move around and even get outside if the weather is good, has a positive impact on engagement and people’s ability to focus. Taking this one step further and including a corporate team building activity into one of these breaks is a great solution – people will thank you for it!
4. They are a great tool to reinforce a message
If your conference or event revolves around a specific message or theme, a well-chosen team building activity can be the ideal way of reinforcing this. They key to making this a success is ensuring you chose the correct activity that will deliver exactly what you are looking for – this is where an experienced team building company can help. They will be able to offer advice and guidance to make sure your activity hits the mark!
5. It will add a different dimension you the event
How often have you spent one, two, or even three days cooped up in a conference room staring at the same four walls (and a projector screen of course)? It doesn’t matter how interesting, relevant, or important the content is, if your event isn’t structured correctly, it will be hard not to lose peoples focus.
Including a team building activity adds another dimension to your event and will be a welcome addition. If possible, try to run your chosen activity in a different space or area from the rest of your event. Ideally (if the weather permits) see if you can get everyone outdoors – fresh air is the holy grail when it comes to livening people up after hours in a conference room.
6. Team building activities encourage teamwork outside of typical silos
This is a major benefit of team building activities and a great reason to include one at your next conference. Getting people to work with people outside of their department, group, or typical ‘silo’ can be tough but is so valuable. Choosing an appropriate, collaborative team building activity can be a great way to encourage this. People will tend to sit or mingle with their immediate team or colleagues during a conference and so we would recommend splitting participants into random teams to ensure you get the most from your activity (don’t worry, your activity provider will look after this for you).