How the Philadelphia Area Top Meeting Planners Use High Octane Team Building to Make Creativity Soar
After a long day of meetings, it’s quite possible that your intellectual tank is empty and you need to recharge your battery. Savvy planners recognize the need to build some fun in to their meeting agenda to bolster energy and creativity. But what if you have a limited amount of time, a diverse team with varied interest, and of course, budgetary concerns?
Holly DePalma, Managing Director of the MidAtlantic Employers' Association concurs with The People’s Analytics Team at Google with regard to optimizing team effectiveness. The research concluded that “what really mattered was less about who is on the team and more about how the team worked together.” With that in mind, our focus shifted to creating a spectrum of team building activities; including those that were more sedentary and a “slow idle” verses those that were highly competitive and “high octane”! So where does your team fall on the team building spectrum?
Often planners prefer to offer an activity that is more “chill” in nature, allowing teams to express their creative side while enjoying some casual conversation. Jessica Liddell of Bella Mosaic Art is a master at leading an activity that accomplishes that goal. “Motivation and team building comes in all shapes and sizes, just like mosaic tiles. People can work on their own mosaic project or create a collaborative mosaic where everyone contributes to the finished masterpiece. Collaborative projects can be displayed in your office, lobby, or cafeteria as a permanent reminder of the power of teamwork”.
The Food Network has definitely contributed to the friendly competitive nature of culinary skills, and Normandy Farm Hotel has embraced this trend 100%. “Bake Shop Team Building is universally attractive to almost all teams because it’s both active and creative” states Chef Sam, Executive Pastry chef at Normandy Farm Hotel. “Our high octane version would be our Culinary Team Building where groups actually prepare their own dinner!” Chef Sam reminds us that, “everyone is a winner, even when the recipe flops”!
“What could be more invigorating than launching an axe at a wooden target and hitting the “bulls eye”? asked Travis of Throw House. Over the past year he has offered this trendy activity at his facility in Wyndmoor, Pa, however he has recently taken the show on the road and built a mobile target. While fun is always essential, safety is imperative. In the past, we would engage in a friendly game of darts with the same idea of aiming for the middle. Now this supercharged high octane experience of hoisting a 1.5 lb piece of whirling wood and metal has taken over and can be practiced without ever leaving the farm.
Normandy Farm Hotel in Blue Bell, Pa. offers the most robust menu of team building activities in the Delaware Valley and has carefully crafted programs to appeal to all groups. Suzanne Gildea, Corporate Sales Director states: “Our clients were instrumental in helping us build our team building menu. We took their lead in terms of what they required to motivate their teams. Best of all, there’s no need to leave the property; we bring everything to the farm!” In conclusion, every company is different, therefore every company’s team building experience will be different. The only way to truly calculate the return on investment is to figure out how team building will better your business. If people feel good about their team, they’ll work seamlessly towards a common goal.
Located just 25 minutes from Center City Philadelphia and situated in the heart of Blue Bell, Pa.,Normandy Farm Hotel and Conference Center is more than a meticulously restored American landmark—it's a fully wired, high-tech hospitality venue. Relax on our grand terrace, sip a cocktail in America's oldest silo, play a challenging game of golf on our championship course, plan an event with us or dine on our delectable farm-to-table cuisine. It all adds up to One Historic Experience.
