Many people equate meetings with long days spent sitting indoors. Today’s meeting planners and attendees, however, are increasingly in search of a breath of fresh air and for outdoor experiences and adventures. Not only that but outside-the-box outdoor activities are fun ways to break the ice, kick off a meeting, and promote teamwork
In fact, there’s a trend toward customized group activities tailored to a resort or venue to meet this growing demand. With this in mind, and in order for meeting planners to be able to thrive in an increasingly segmented market, they should be keenly focused on the increasing number of outdoor amenities, programs and services that are now available to them.
Teambuilding Takes Off
Fueling this outdoor trend is a resurgence in traditional teambuilding, which has long been an essential ingredient in executive retreats. Now corporate events of all sizes are incorporating teambuilding, enabling groups to work together toward a common goal and encouraging leadership and role-playing in the process. Traditional teambuilding challenges offer a series of clearly and often fancifully defined problems designed to create a closer group unit, build trust, increase harmonious collaboration, promote effective communication, and showcase the individual strengths of each team member.
Ideally, teambuilding sessions should relate to the theme of the meeting and tie into the local culture. One of the most popular teambuilding activities at The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation, is the Lake Oconee Camp Challenge, which is an Amazing Race type of activity. The goal of this challenge is to score as many points as possible in the time allotted by completing active challenges and photo routes around the lake and the property. Each team is given a camera and a booklet with clues for the locations of the challenges and photo route markers.
Another gratifying outdoor team building option is community service. VolunTeaming, which combines teambuilding with volunteer activities, is now offered through The Ritz-Carlton’s social responsibility program, Community Footprints. Recognizing that many groups want their teambuilding time to also make a meaningful contribution, programs like this enable guests to be a force for good and feel connected to the places that they are visiting.
Specifically, at The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, groups work with River Keepers, an organization that is focused on protecting and restoring America’s rivers and streams. As part of VolunTeaming, meeting groups can kayak or canoe on the headwaters to remove trash and other debris. This activity allows participants to work toward a unified goal of helping protect and preserve the environment.
Other outdoor teambuilding ideas include scavenger hunts, rope climbing, military drills, or obstacle courses.
Teambuilding is a process that takes place over time and encourages camaraderie, problem solving and organizational skills.
Customize, Customize, Customize
To really tailor an event experience, outdoor activities should capitalize on what a specific region has to offer.
Some believe it’s essential to spotlight special and unique attributes of a property through interactive, hands-on activities. At The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Lake Oconee, which happens to be the second largest lake in the region, group activities like canoe races, jet skis, boating, fishing trips, wakeboarding, pontoon boats, and other water-related sports are a must.
Of course, meeting attendees possess varying levels of skill, so carefully customized activities for each group may be necessary. In many cases, the meeting planner sets up the parameters and helps develop two to three different degrees of difficulty.
Another way to explore the great outdoors and introduce guests to a region is to venture off site. Meeting planners should explore the surrounding community and check to see what local activities are on tap. This is an ideal way to get a taste of an area’s local color and a way to plan for teambuilding experiences.
Ultimately, participating in energizing, outdoor activities, whether on- or off-site, can be uplifting and rejuvenating. Employees feel empowered when they believe their company is making an investment in them. Wherever your meetings takes you, outdoor activities offer a great way to connect with employees, boost morale, and reinforce company culture.
Donna Corbitt is the director of recreation at The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation, where she develops and oversees all recreational – including group and corporate – programs and activities. With more than 25 years of experience in the development, implementation, and staffing of successful resort and parks department activities, she specializes in resort recreation as well as sports, children’s, and holiday programs. She was previously director of activities for Sea Island Resorts and manager of recreation services for the City of Gainesville, GA.