Adding technology to your programs and events.

According to meetings and technology expert Corbin Ball, technology continues to move forward at a fast pace, and it’s changing the channels of communication. In the past we've all attended meetings and been asked to turn off our phones. Today, attendees are encouraged to tweet during conferences and share their experience and inspire conversation. Virtual meetings quickly connect people from all over the world. 

See the world with a Smartphone Scavenger Hunt

Gone are the days of pens and note pads. Instead, attendees expect wireless everything. People are plugged into their Smartphones and iPads, streaming content and collaborating in the cloud. Convention facilities are noticing these new trends and responding by adding convenient charging stations.

Smartphone scavenger hunts and apps spark engagement between attendees and can allow teams to explore the destination city. These popular conference enhancements are easy to set up, scalable for large groups and can be played anywhere.

Take our quick survey about adding technology to your events! 

Contact our team and find out how we can help you create memorable technology-based events for your next meeting!

A completely unique wet 'n' wild team building adventure!

White water rafting is the ultimate bonding experience as you all work together to navigate the river. This is one of the most unique ways to see the stunning natural surroundings of British Columbia.

The 2-Day Rafting Wilderness Expedition, offered exclusively by Canadian Outback Adventures & Events, explores extraordinary views of the Tantalus Mountain Range with its many glaciers, spectacular waterfalls, and abundant wildlife.This all-inclusive, luxury private outdoor experience is an ideal way to reward top performers or bring your entire workforce together as a team.

Day one - is spent navigating the Class 3 – 4 heart pumping white water rapids of the Elaho River, followed by an evening of 5-star dining under the open sky. Recall the highlights of the day as you gather around a roaring fire at your campsite, located on river plains nestled in this rugged wilderness terrain, only accessible by river. Then settle in for a night of slumber beneath the stars.

Day two - begins with waking up to the delicious smell of coffee brewing in the pristine air accompanied by the sounds of nature. Indulge in a delicious breakfast followed by a scenic float along the Squamish River. As you meander through the valley, enjoy breath taking views and the opportunity to glimpse bears ambling on the shore or spot eagles soaring in the skies above.  

After the adventure - upon returning to our rafting resort in Squamish, relax and look at photos of your trip, and share stories of your once in a lifetime excursion!

This distinctive rafting adventure is perfect for corporate groups looking for a unique way to provide team incentives, reward their employees or simply create the utimate retreat.

For more information, visit our website, or call our Adventure Experts at 1-800-565-8735 to reserve your group today.

We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Team bonding in 30 minutes or less

Last week I gathered my team of 20 together for our annual 'Outback Summit', an opportunity for us to get together as a team and discuss a variety of topics important to our company and our people.

Our team is scattered geographically across the globe. Yes, Skype is a great tool for virtual meetings, and allows us all to see each other every week or so. But seeing each other in person is SO much better. It gives us all a chance to get to know each other far better.

This year we played the "About Us" game. Prior to the Summit we all submitted a list of "5 things you probably don't know about me" to one of the Summit organizers. She then compiled the lists and handed them out to all of us.

We then had 10 minutes to figure out who each person was. It was like speed dating at work! It was fascinating to me how little I really knew about many of my crew. Marybeth has been to Antarctica and gone for a swim there. Philip was a national level trampolinist in the UK. Jules has jumped off well-known bridges in the middle of the night. Who knew?

I walked away from this quick activity with a new appreciation for my team and who they are as individuals. At the office we're all guilty of forming opinions of colleagues based solely on interactions and outputs at work. This activity will break down those characterizations, and be a lot of fun too!

Regardless of your role in your workplace, take 5 minutes today to email your colleagues and ask them for their 'list'. Compile the lists, then at lunch on Friday play the game. Just like me, you'll be glad you did.

Corporate Castaways: Games for Staff Unity

With the hectic schedule at work, how can someone go on an adventure, visit an island, and try to survive there at least for a day or two and then get back to the office by Monday? With Corporate Castaways, yes you can!

Invite your colleagues or suggest it to your supervisor to have a company outing or team building - castaway style. With almost the same concept as the famous show, work challenges with your team or co-workers to complete the task and survive (at least for the 3 to 4 hours). Compete with other teams or departments to be the fastest or with the most points and completed challenges. Work in harmony and succeed or face the penalties (pink slip is at the sole discretion of the employer).

For those who are afraid of going far from their city or beloved families, this can be done in a local park, beach or a nearby lake. Teams or tribes will be formed prior or during the start of the event and ceremoniously presented to each other. Wear your best team outfit that would best represent your tribe and accessorize with a common totem to symbolize the unity and pride of your team.

Enjoy games for staff unity and create a unique and memorable day for all of you. This will not only impact your relationship with each other but drive each other towards working excellence.

For more custom team building events, watch a video of a great testimonial of one of the clients how well organized, exciting and great it was. Learn more about it at www.americanoutback.net

This is the transcript from our YouTube video featuring the Corporate Castaways in Costa Rica that can be found at http://youtu.be/q3F0_OkrEy4.

Tiff: You have provided us with some really great feedback about your experience with that event and just with us, American Outback Adventures and Events in general, so you could tell me what it was that made it such a success?

Tracy: Well, I think that the coordination that you guys brought to the table, just in terms of, you know, as an event planner, it’s such a beautiful thing when there’s an event that you can rely on, that has all their experts in line, and you guys got everything so well orchestrated and thought out every little detail so that it made my worrying factor next to nothing. I mean, I had complete confidence that you guys have thought about every little thing and did your homework enough, it’s important to know the nuances of the property and what you weren’t going to have because we were in an international country, just what resources you have to pull up and stuff.   It was so nice to just show up and I just had to focus on everything but that for a change. Knowing that you guys had that detail done was just, that was a relief for me and a big piece of the worrying out of my day to day experience on site. Because that is usually, it is a huge focal point, the team building is always a huge focal point of the week for the company and while we’ve had some great vendors come to the table in the past, none of them are a professional team building company, so you all knew exactly what you’re doing, you knew what staff it took, you knew what resources that you need to pull locally from both the hotel and from a staffing perspective and just even from the props and the organization of it and things you would need each station to make everything flow, and it just all did so well. So, you know it just made us look good, it made my client look good and you know  they just thought you guys are great, so which is why we want to use you guys again.

Tiff: That’s great, I mean Tracy, we really do appreciate your business and working with Helms Briscoe is a pleasure, so I’m glad that it was such a success and I’m glad you’re going to work with us for next year’s program as well.