Top 12 Team Building Activities to Try In 2022
With many workers having been advised to return to the office at the beginning of 2022, managers have a renewed opportunity to review the wellbeing of their staff members, observe the dynamics and productivity of their teams and plan regular team-building days to build a stronger unit of employees. More importantly, these activity days will give their staff a chance to reconnect, bond and have fun, after almost 2 years of remote working!
Why is Team Building Important in 2022?
A high performing team is vital for a business to succeed in achieving its wider objectives. In fact, the bonds that are formed between employees is the secret ingredient to a company’s competitive edge. A recent Gallup study discovered that companies with engaged employees consistently outperformed their competition in terms of profits, turnover and productivity. The bottom line kind of stuff.
But let’s not lose sight of the simple act of looking after our tribes. This year more than ever, experts predict employers will turn their focus towards improving their employee’s wellbeing (during and after working hours). They will need to start with rebuilding a strong company culture that cultivates a feeling of belonging, a feeling of stability. A great way of doing this is with regular company wide off-sites and social events, both playing a key role to employee happiness and as a by-product, retention and productivity.
In-person team building is already being widely embraced by brands to get this plan in motion before the impact of the so called “Great Resignation” hits their frontier, preventing a severe haemorrhage of talent. But it can be difficult knowing what type of events work best for your team, whether you want to ease them back in gently or fire off the confetti cannons to celebrate being back together.
So, we’ve put together our Top 12 Team Building Activities to Try In 2022 so that your team can have something to look forward to every month of this year (as well as have something amazing to post on their social accounts). This exciting mix of indoor and outdoor activities are all professionally hosted and guaranteed to energise and challenge your team. Take a look!
1) Hells Bells
“A KNIGHT’S TALE – A GENUINE COLLABORATIVE INDOOR TEAM EXPERIENCE.”
‘Hells Bells, a Knight’s Tale’ is a brilliant, unique, fun, multi-dimensional event, with all participants actively contributing towards a common end goal.
The purpose of the event is for attendees to answer a single question – “What was the time of the rescue?” The answer is revealed through completion of a series of different constructional, mental, musical, creative and logical tasks and puzzles.
The deliberately varied nature of the content means that there is something which appeals to everyone within your group. The game is deliberately designed so that the success of each task is inter-dependent with the success of other tasks. Thise ncourages your group to work closely together and share information.
A physical enactment unfolds the overriding story in the grand finale. The story is also told by an accompanying giant automaton made up by a number of mechanical structures which trigger each other in sequence… and deliver the verdict; were you correct or not? This event is a once in a lifetime team experience!
2) Eden
“THE MOST INGENIOUS SUSTAINABILITY AWARENESS EVENT.”
This unique experience designed to raise awareness of our impact on the environment, requires teams to focus on the task at hand whilst keeping an eye on the bigger picture. It’s this balance of what’s happening now and what may be happening in the future which is pertinent to businesses today.
Eden is a thematic experience where delegates journey to cities all over the world. At each city they are faced with an intriguing challenge to complete. By doing so, teams earn resources to fund their onward travel and develop and build the largest sustainable community they can within the 30 ‘Eden’ days.
There are more cities than a single team can visit, so they must think wisely as to which ones they will choose. In each move they make, teams will also impact the global environment, which poses an interesting moral dilemma – to focus on short term personal gain, or to consider the wider impact of their actions and work with other teams for long term sustainable successes!
3) Game of Kings
“BE TRANSPORTED INTO A MEDIEVAL REALM BOARD GAME EXPERIENCE.”
Game of Kings is a unique and exciting experience that will engage every member of your team, whatever individuals’ personality and communication preferences. The game requires the group to work in smaller team Tribes, with the mission of becoming the dominant Tribe of the mythical land of Kudos. It is up to each Tribe how they go about doing this; some will choose to work in collaboration with other Tribes, whilst some will choose to go it alone.
Whilst the game play at the giant map of the land continues non-stop throughout the activity, Tribes face a range of interesting and novel themed Tribal challenges positioned around the venue. They must choose who will face the challenges and who will remain at the map each time.
By successfully completing challenges tribes earn precious resources (wood, food, gold and stone), allowing the purchase of land and the ability to develop villages, barracks, armies and forts to strengthen their position on the map!
The varied Tribal challenges include creative, physical, cerebral and problem solving ensuring that a wide range of skills are required to maximise success.
Game of Kings is an award-winning experience that can be enjoyed just for fun and motivation, or as part of a facilitated learning session. This activity is genuinely a one-of-a-kind experience that you’ll never forget!
4) Roman Races
“TEST YOUR METTLE IN THIS LEGENDARY RACE BUILT FOR GLADIATORS.”
- In this unique and hilarious activity, teams design, construct and race their own horse and chariot! The design and build phase can take place indoors or out.
Ground breaking and uniquely designed mechanical horse skeletons and karts are provided for the teams to base their construction on. Teams design their horses with a theme to match your conference or company message and branding!
This incredibly engaging activity is a test of collaboration, creativity and time management to get everything set before the finale races!
5) Tribal Olympics
“GO FOR GOLD!”
Tribal Olympics takes a wide range of unusual native team games from the far corners of the world and brings them together in a fun and competitive team experience. Typically enjoyed outdoors, the selection of activities are accessible to all. After creating their own tribal identities, teams are introduced to each other in a fun opening ceremony.
Each team will then participate against all other teams over a range of interesting and unusual games from around the world. Each game requires a different set of skills to be successful at, allowing all team members to take the lead at different times.
Tribal Olympics gives a great opportunity for your team to spend time outside recharging their batteries.
6) Team Quest
“AN AWARD-WINNING TREASURE HUNT EXPERIENCE.”
Tablet Treasure Hunts is an Event Tech Awards Winner and an innovative industry leading tablet-based treasure hunt. This advanced tablet treasure hunt has more unique features to create the very best gameplay experiences, meaning we can turn any area into an exhilarating journey full of interaction and adventure.
The Team Quest app features a unique follow arrow that helps guide teams to their waypoints. Once members arrive at their destination, GPS-triggered challenges pop on screen in the form of questions, clues, and pictures that teams must work together to complete. We create these around you, making it a very personalised experience.
Updates, feedback and scores are kept in real-time as team’s progress through their Team Quest experience. Back at home base, each team is monitored by our event crew and can receive bonus missions at key points in their adventure! Take your Team Quest through bustling cities, rough paths, wooded areas or even bodies of water.
Blue Hat have many trails all over the world, or will create something new just for you. themed around your team and your corporate values and key messages.
7) Crystal Challenge
“WILL YOU START THE FANS, PLEASE.”
The authentic mobile event version of the famous TV show The Crystal Maze will bring back memories of the famous TV show. Now it’s your turn to be the star of Britain’s best loved show!
Take on a series of sophisticated and intelligent puzzles and challenges based on teams rather than individuals. Each challenge is themed to one of the main game zones; Aztec, Medieval, Futuristic and Industrial.
In Teams, you’ll move around the different zones and attempt the challenges on offer. Every time you’re successful, you’ll earn a Crystal which gives your team time in the Dome finale. As in the TV show, the finale sees teams take their place in the famous Dome trying to catch as many gold foils as possible (whilst avoiding the silver ones). The team with the most crystals will have the most time in the Dome but won’t necessarily be the winners…
8) Animate
“LEARN STOP FRAME ANIMATION WITH AWARD-WINNING CARTOONIST.”
Have you ever secretly wanted to create your own animation but thought you don’t have the ability or talent to create anything spectacular?
Comedy writer Harry Venning, also National Strip-Cartoonist of the Year, who has worked with the likes of The Guardian, The Times and Radio 4, will teach your team with his hilarious style, how to draw cartoons. He will then lead your team through Animate – where the delegates work together to produce short animation clips.
Teams receive a brief to create a specific, themed animation which requires working collaboratively with other teams. Delegates will have to communicate effectively with individuals in their own teams as well as with the other teams to ensure continuity throughout the final video when all the animations are joined together. Alternatively, if you’d like a competitive event, teams make an independent movie, competing for the Oscar award. Imagination, communication, planning and coordination are essential to make any film great!
9) Trading Wars
“GET READY TO ENTER A WORLD OF HIGH STAKES TRADING!”
Trading Wars is a high energy activity which will energise participants and get teams working together. Teams must sell as many promotional campaigns as possible within each trading session. Each campaign is compiled with three components. Purchase the components when they are cheap and sell the resultant campaign when it is priced high!
With the profits, strive to dominate the conference room skyline by building the tallest tower! Heed the Building Inspector who is checking the ‘compliance’ of your construction; it’s highly charged, fast-paced, energetic and boisterous.
Traders, strategists, builders, negotiators… each person will find their own ‘niche’ and teams who understand the mix of skills in their group and allocate roles accordingly will be successful.
The trading screens are constantly on the move, with news stories giving some indication as to future fluctuations with which to trade, so pay attention!
10) Gameshow Mania
“FINGERS ON THE BUZZERS.”
Gameshow Mania creates a fun-filled entertaining evening which gets everyone involved in a series of famous rounds from popular TV shows. There may not be real money at stake but everyone is sure to get uber-competitive, creating an electric atmosphere!
The first game uses wireless keypads as table teams battle it out on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. This creates an amazing air of real inter-team fun competition. This is typically followed by rounds of Team Deal or No Deal and Million Pound Drop.
Often in between courses at dinner, each round is delivered with authentic equipment and original music to really give the feeling of a proper TV gameshow. The event includes some hilarious outfits, the odd twist and quite often a surprise tie breaker.
If you are looking for a fun, lively and upbeat evening of entertainment to give your staff a night to remember, then this is an event for you.
11) Dino Dash
“A CHANCE TO RIDE A DINOSAUR…BECAUSE WHO DOESN’T WANT THAT!”
Dino Dash gives a great opportunity for your team to spend time outside the office to recharge your batteries.
The principles of Dino Dash are based on the Royal Tournament Field Gun Race. Each team is tasked with racing their dinosaur through an assault course – but first it must be constructed. The dinosaur is made up of a number of coloured jigsaw pieces. Each piece must be placed in the correct order to create a dinosaur.
Teams allocate a rider to take him to the first obstacle where the Dino must be taken apart to fit through the obstacle. This is a good test of the team’s memory and the process they’ve put in place to quickly reassemble their dino before the sprint to the finish.
Dino Dash makes for a fun and colourful competitive activity as a stand alone activity, or as part of a multi activity day.
12) Back to School Sports Day
“RELIVE THE FUN PARTS OF YOUR YOUTH.”
Back to School is an action-packed event that provides your team with an opportunity to re-live their school days and take part in a wide range of fun and games provided as part of a traditional School Sports Day. With half and full day options available, Back to School is an upbeat, competitive event that is guaranteed to evoke fun childhood memories as teams go head-to-head in a number of interactive challenges.
The event is compered by our Head Teacher who will be there to ensure fair play and, of course, to maintain discipline throughout the event!
On a final note, it’s important to appreciate that most people are not inherently selfish. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves. They want to do work that benefits a common goal. Team building is not only a great way to relax and have a bit of fun, it serves to remind people that they’re part of a team, and re-motivates them to do their best, so the team can too.
Interested in learning more? Get in touch with our team building experts for a free consultation to help you organise your 2022 team building plan.
Blue Hat Teambuilding specialise in developing teams. Need help to develop your team?
Call: 01992 554 567 or email: enq@bluehat-teambuilding.co.uk
About the Author
Heather Ee, our event marketing expert, blog writer and contributor to the Blue Hat Teambuilding blog. Blue Hat Teambuilding has been recognised over 45 times by the main industry awards bodies, with 1 million people in 57 countries having experienced a Blue Hat product, giving an average rating of over 97%.
Found this post useful? Check out these related blogs below:
- The Great Resignation: 5 Ways To Keep Your Employees From Leaving
- 5 Ways To Energise Your Team
- How to build a high performing team in 7 steps
Blue Hat Teambuilding has been recognised over 46 times by the main industry awards bodies, with 1 million people in 57 countries having experienced a Blue Hat product, giving an average rating of over 97%.
