There are a lot of advantages to self-hosted team building – it’s more affordable, flexible, and personal. But how do you know if it’s right for your group?
Self-hosted team building is a growing trend, with more corporate groups running their own activities each year. Here at Outback Team Building & Training, we’ve seen over 25% more customers choosing self-hosted events year-over-year.
But how do you know if self-hosted team building is right for you?
Lots of customers think they need to be a professional event planner to run their own team building activity. But the truth is, our budget activities and free smartphone app make it easy for all sorts of different people to run self-hosted events.Five Types of People Who Are Perfect for Self-Hosted Team Building
1. Perry Price, Sales Manager
Main Concern: “How much is this going to cost?”
The Situation: Perry is looking for something fun he can do with his group that won’t cost too much. Pricing is very important, because he doesn’t have a big budget for team building, and he wants to keep overhead costs to a minimum.
The Solution: A self-hosted activity like Wild Goose Chase is great for someone like Perry, because he doesn’t have to pay for an event coordinator to be on-site. Pricing for Wild Goose Chase starts as low as $11 per person.
“Feel free to put any eBay colleagues in touch with me if they're uncertain. You guys were great. I loved the multiple price tiers – it gave us more options.— eBay
2. Ursula Uncertainty, Executive Assistant
Main Concern: “Things might change… I’m not sure what day or time this event is actually going to happen.”
The Situation: Ursula has been tasked with putting together a team building activity for the next company retreat. But she’s not sure which meeting venue they’ll be at, how much time there will be in the agenda, or even which day it will take place on.
The Solution: Activities like Team Pursuit are great for situations like this because of how flexible they are. You can run the team building anytime, anywhere – and it won’t be a problem if you need to start early, or keep going longer than you anticipated.
“Easy to use, flexible timing, and our team had a ton of fun!— TEKsystems
3. Berry Bonding, HR Manager
Main Concern: “We want to keep our team building casual and personal.”
The Situation: Barry works with a group of close-knit employees. They have a relaxed and low-key kind of office, and are looking for a team building activity that will be casual and fun. He doesn’t want to shake up the regular atmosphere by bringing in a third-party event coordinator.
The Solution: With a self-hosted activity like Clue Murder Mystery, Barry can run the event himself, and keep things light and social for his colleagues.
“My team really liked all the challenges and how they worked together. It brought all of them together for a fun relaxed morning!— West Valley Medical Center
4. Natalie Nohassle, CEO
Main Concern: “I need this to be easy.”
The Situation: Natalie has never done anything like this before, but she doesn’t want to bring in an event coordinator. She needs a team building ice breaker that will be simple and easy, so she doesn’t have to spend a lot of time figuring out the details.
The Solution: Getting To Know You, like all of our self-hosted team building activities, is so simple that anyone can run it. Teams just need to download the Outback Team Building & Training app, and the rest of the activity takes care of itself. Employees will have fun completing photo and video challenges that get automatically scored to determine a winner.
“Excellent set up support and roll out of the event. The app was easy to use, and very fun. The Outback team did an excellent job. Would highly recommend.— Roche
5. Tucker Turnaround, Office Coordinator
Main Concern: “I need this ready to go… like, yesterday.”
The Situation: Sometimes, deadlines can sneak up on you, and you need to get a team building activity planned ASAP. Tucker totally forgot that he was in charge of planning an activity for his staff event next week, and now he’s looking for a last-minute option.
The Solution: Because self-hosted team building activities like Random Acts Of Kindness don’t require a host to be on-site, we can accommodate many last-minute requests like Tucker’s.
“I reached out last minute, and it was easy to get a response. The event was great!— Microsoft
Our team has helped hundreds of people just like Perry, Ursula, Barry, Natalie, and Tucker. You don’t need to have any professional event planning experience to have a great time with self-hosted team building.
However, there are certain situations when you might want a little bit of help on the day of your event…
Five Reasons You Might Want an On-Site Event Coordinator
1. If You Have a Low-Energy Group
It can be difficult to get some groups excited and engaged with a team building activity. An on-site professional event coordinator can help get your group energized, even if the coffee machine is broken that morning!
2. If You Want to Relax and Participate
When you’re in charge of running a team building activity, you may not be able to fully relax and enjoy the activity. Bringing in an event coordinator means that you’ll be able to relax, and enjoy the activity just as much as your coworkers.
3. If You’re Not Going to Be Attending
Often, the people who plan team building activities aren’t actually able to attend the event. Whether you’re in a different location, or your schedule is just too busy – an event coordinator can help make sure your activity goes full steam ahead, even if you’re not there.
4. If You Have Some Stage Fright
Some people aren’t comfortable getting up in front of a large group of their peers to introduce a team building activity. That’s where professional event coordinators come in – they do this kind of thing every day, and can give you the extra support you need.
5. If You Are Worried About How It Will Go
Are you worried about your upcoming event for some reason? Maybe your boss is putting a lot of pressure on you, maybe you have clients who will be attending... Whatever the case, having an event coordinator can be the extra support you need to make sure everything goes smoothly.
Find an activity that’s right for you and your group! All of our budget activities are available in three formats: express, self-hosted, and hosted. If you’re still not sure of the best format for your group, reach out for a free consultation. A member of our team will be happy to go over the pros and cons of each option, and help you find the perfect fit.
