This August, with lovely summery weather and a picturesque location just by the Sava river in Belgrade, we decided to organise an event to bring all of our Dibbers together. As things are slowly going back to normal, we felt that it was important to use this opportunity to bring the whole team back together, outside of online meetings, emails and Slack messages! However, before getting to the fun part, organising a team-building event requires highly-detailed planning. That is why we decided to share our latest team-building event and, at the same time, take you behind the DIB, listing all the crucial steps to help you plan such an event too:
Think about the WHY
Teamwork makes DIB work! Having spent a considerable time outside of the office, communicating through various alternative channels and meeting up only virtually, we felt that it was time for a change. Why? Any winning team is a well-oiled machine and fostering close bonds is one of the key ways to keep it well-oiled. So, with the pandemic situation finally stabilising, it was time for a grand meet-up of our dear Dibbers.
Take it outside
…if possible! The first step was choosing the optimal location – as we were lucky enough with the perfect summery weather, choosing to take it outside was a no-brainer! After a solid time of researching locations – eureka – we stumbled upon a gorgeous house right next to the Sava river, with a spacious yard and a patio that was a perfect fit for scrumptious food which was, of course, a must – a team that eats together, stays together!
Of course, if the outdoors are not an option for you, you can always look for a place with nice interior and enough space for the event to be comfortable, safe and spacious enough to allow different activities – which brings us to the next step…
Games included
We are all kids at heart – not to mention that switching up the dynamics of an event never hurts! That’s why our lovely HR department came prepared! One of the first games was Guess the fun fact: after dividing us all in four teams, the game masters posed different fun questions, the response to each being a number – the team whose answer was the closest to the real answer won that round. It sounds easier than it actually was! Do you know how many languages there are in the world – exactly? (~ 7000)
Keep it as green as possible
If you are familiar with our work, you probably already know that keeping things green and sustainable is one of our greatest priorities. This applies to team-building events too, which you can easily do by making sure you use recyclable plates and cups, provide bins for different types of waste and organising activities that do not include any form of paper, food or general material waste! The way we did it: all the aforementioned – avoiding plastic at all costs, providing recycling options plus making sure that all the food and beverages were locally produced. Finally, as a (green) cherry on top – getting to the location using electric and hybrid vehicles to offset our carbon footprint as much as possible!
Abandon Your Comfort Zone
Teambuilding events and activities are bound to feel awkward at first since people aren’t used to showing that different side of them in front of their colleagues, which is exactly what brings us closer together! This is why it is crucial to design all activities with a goal to help everyone get our of their comfort zone and simultaneously maintain a cheerful, positive atmosphere. Pro tip: before trying to single anyone out, try with grouping your employees into teams and then present them with a funny challenge, like we did with our fun games – it’s always easier to be goofy together rather than alone in front of everyone else!
Don’t Forget the Feedback
You can always do it better, which is why you should never be shy to ask for additional feedback from your employees by using a feedback box or sending around a form online. Another tip is to try and keep them all anonymous to ensure truthful comments! This way you can gain valuable insight into everything that went right or wrong and, most importantly, allow your team to feel heard and appreciated, all the while providing you with new ideas for future events.
We hope you found all our tips useful and that you feel ready and confident about preparing your next team building event. Scroll more to see the rest of the photos from our latest DIB get-together: with a beautiful sunset above the river, ABBA playing in the background, laughter and joyful conversation filling the summer air, we felt relaxed, but also confident that the bond us Dibbers share will help us get through any challenge. One thing’s for sure: going back to office never looked so good.
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