Luxury summer team building: how to make your team love your brand

Location Scouting

We presented our client with a list of destination options and their choice fell on the Basiliani resort, a magnificent, 4-star convention hotel in Otranto. Among the perks of this facility was its conference room, which can seat up to 350 guests. Moreover, it had a swimming pool, which was exactly what we needed for our first team building activity. Moreover, staying in Otranto is a treat in and of itself. Located on the Adriatic coast of Apulia, this breathtakingly beautiful town is a favourite destination of millions of tourists from all over the world. Walking through the old town, where cars are not allowed, is like stepping back in time, and watching the sun rise from the sea (Otranto has the earliest sunrise in Italy) is a unique experience that visitors always treasure.

Cardboard boat race

As far as summer team building activities go, this is one of our favourite. We provided our teams with basic supplies (plenty of cardboard, cutting tools and duct tape). The contestants needed to “pool” (pun intended) their creative resources in order to design, build, waterproof and subsequently race their cardboard boat across the hotel swimming pool. This is, of course, a creative exercise, but it also helps strengthen leadership and improve group dynamics. Everyone starts the challenge in the same position, but hierarchies emerge rapidly when a complex task needs to be carried out. In order to succeed, the team needs to work on communicating and coordinating individual efforts. This is a perfect opportunity for natural leaders to flourish in a positive, non-confrontational environment. The teams’ performance was judged not only on timing, but also on creativity and cooperation. The winning team was proclaimed after a delicious dinner at Ristorante White – a spectacular seaside restaurant specialising in local cuisine and fish courses.

Value Hunt

We love treasure hunts. While working in this “medium”, both event planners and attendees can afford to be endlessly creative and the format will always adapt perfectly, without ever being repetitive or predictable. Treasure hunts are also particularly suited as internal branding exercises. When a company wants its employees to embrace its philosophy, it is an excellent idea to sum said philosophy up in a list of values and devise a station for each value. Completing all stations in the treasure hunt, therefore, turns into a journey through brand values, as well as a team building exercise. When working in such a stunning location as Otranto, of course, it is worth adding elements of sight-seeing to the whole experience and incorporating the surroundings in the journey of discovery that the attendees are encouraged to make. At the end of the second day, a corporate meeting was scheduled, by which time the overall atmosphere was noticeably different than it had been at the beginning of the whole experience. Holding a meeting after all attendees have had two days to bond and work together on shared (and pleasurable) goals can have amazing effects on productivity.