Of all the fun team building activities in Detroit, say hello to the one that will soon become a yearly tradition! Why, you ask ?
#1
ACTUAL TEAM BUILDING
You’ll work together to get the bar rolling, leaving the forced office talk in the dust!
#2
ONE STOP SHOP
Extend the outing before/after on-site with fantastic food/drink options. No need to arrange transportation!
#3
THE PRICE IS RIGHT
Tours are free when your boss pays. Really though- put your spreadsheet wizardry to use and compare our BYO food/drink policy to anything else!
Trust The Original, Since 2012
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Fun Team Building Activities in Action
Detroit Corporate Team Building Activities
Stephen and I (Brian) spent a few years in corporate America before we started The HandleBar. That means we’ve done our fair share of lame office outings that get a lackluster turnout or just don’t really end up in much actual team building. Since 2012 we’ve been watching corporate groups come out and have fun on The HandleBar and we’ve learned a lot. Let us help make you look like a pro-planner with a few of our tips below.
If you didn’t know, you’re at least now realizing that planning a corporate outing can take time. Pleasing everyone is no easy task, but that’s what we’re about to do! Plus, this is your reputation on the line and you don’t want it to flop. Don’t worry, we’ve got 5 pro-tips below to make sure the outing you’re planning is going to be one that is talked about for years! (for real!)
Fun Team Building Activities #1: Convince the Group!
- There are many reasons to do a HandleBar tour as your corporate team building, but we can start with 3 of them you can use to convince everyone:
- A pedal pub is like a giant picnic table so group conversation is guaranteed, which means actual team building! (The boss will love this one)
- Tours are FREE when the boss pays so talk your team into doing a tour and you can potentially join on the company’s dime. (everyone else will love this one)
- Lastly you’re OUTSIDE in the open air, which is exactly what the doctors are all saying is what we should be doing in these strange COVID-19 reopening times. A more elaborated list of reasons can also be found here
Fun Team Building Activities #2: Start Early
- Allow the team to cut out of work early to help get participation!
- Leaving 1 hour earlier than normal will ensure you don’t have someone choosing to sit in the office while everyone leaves for downtown.
- Leaving work early puts everyone in a good mood for the tour and starts things out right!
- If everyone knows they are leaving an hour early the same amount of work will get done as there will just be a little more efficiency.
- Taking away the excuses people can’t attend is the biggest step in a successful team outing!
Fun Team Building Activities #3: Designate a Planner
- Make sure you’ve got one person that is keeping communication w/ the team. Whether it’s you or not, SOMEONE should definitely be the point-person!
- You’ve for sure got at least one co-worker who won’t be paying attention to what they need to do or where to go. We’ll give you all the information you need, but it’s good to double check with everyone.
- You’ll also need to either coordinate the drinks or make sure people remember to budget the time to stop by the party store (Or buy to-go alcohol on site from the bar we start at)
- Lastly, but probably most importantly, make sure everyone has the waiver done before they arrive (this is all outlined in the emails we send you when you book)
Fun Team Building Activities #4: Pro-tips to Speed up the Bonding
- Some fun things to consider to make sure people are intermingling.
- Force seat swapping after each stop. If you force people to move around it’s likely they’ll get to know each other. Team building is about the entire team getting to have real conversations and get to know each other, but sometimes it doesn’t happen without a nudge.
- Rotate the DJ every song. Not only will it keep the more quiet type person engaged, but it’ll get everyone to know what each other’s favorite music is. A karaoke sesh is always more likely to break out when someone’s favorite song is on too, so there’s always that! And what better way to get to know someone outside of work than to know what their favorite song is.
- Lastly, let your driver take lots of group pictures. You may think that one is enough, but it rarely works that way when you look at it the next day. We always try to get you guys lots of options so embrace it knowing the next day you’ll be able to find the perfect angle that everyone has their eyes open for.
- Anyway, there are lots of ideas, but if you do those we guarantee at the end of the tour you’ll be glad you did 🙂
Fun Team Building Activities #5: Food
- Alcohol tolerances will vary: Not everyone on the team is still in their college drinking form. Consuming on an empty stomach is a rookie move.
- Bring some pretzels or chips to snack on during the ride. (stuff you can eat with one hand, ie NOT pizza or BBQ :))
- If you think it makes sense every bar has appetizers and ordering one or two for the table might be a good move.
- For sure though, we always recommend making reservations after the tour somewhere to fill those bellies. Tin Roof & Detroit Shipping Company have TONS of room for large groups and a variety of food options. Plus they are where we start our tours so it’s very easy to just walk inside afterwards. Also, order a round of waters with dinner because people will always drink up if they’re in front of them!
Final Thoughts on Team Building Tours w/ The HandleBar:
We give you a ton of information not only in this blog, but once you book a tour via emails and text messages we send you. If you can believe it, we’ve even been told that we send you TOO MUCH info, haha. Use this information to your advantage and share it with everyone in your group. The more people know exactly what to expect (parking links, rules, waivers, carry out beer options if you’re in a hurry and don’t have time to pickup drinks on the way over, etc) the less of a chance you get one of those complainer type co-workers insinuating you didn’t communicate something clearly enough. We’re experts at big groups and the city of Detroit so lean on us for any questions that you guys have. We’ve operated HandleBar tours since 2012 and I can honestly say your group will be giving you major props if you book a team building tour with us!