Team Building Ideas For Your Next Corporate Retreat

If you're a business owner, then you have probably already planned a few corporate events, (or many), for your employee's and owner's or your best customers to get to know each other better. Maybe you are planning on having your first or tenth retreat in the near future and want to do it in a beautiful location away from the everyday area of life? Here are team building ideas that are great for a retreat by yacht charter or private island, which is what we specialize in.

Team building, while away from home, is very effective in getting people out of their comfort zone of the city or town they live in to focus on being present. It helps build relationships with those that you may not normally come in contact with at work, like upper management or even the owners. It builds trust and comradery amongst each other creating a stronger bond at work or with your customers.

Why have a retreat on a yacht or several smaller yachts (tandem)? First off, t's a great way for a company to promote themselves on the yacht itself by hanging large banners with your company logo or slogan for all to see. It's great marketing for your business showing off the things you do for your employee's and/or customers.

Corporate Yacht Charters

Here are 6 ideas to get you started:

1. A Regatta Race: If your retreat is from a yacht or private island, we have found that a fun, competitive and educational team building activity is to race! When you stay on a private island, they will often times include boats for island hopping, maybe a catamaran or two or speed boats or sailboats. If they do not include boats, then we can get some for the event. If you decide to stay on a yacht instead or several yachts for a tandem charter retreat, you can race the boat you're on! Either way, the crew is ready to help in making this fun activity happen. It's a great way to see each person's strengths and weaknesses and gives everyone an opportunity to help each other get through it, which is more important than winning. Although winning is important to us competitive folks, it's not the point of the activity.

2. Meditation and Power Session: Many do not realize the power of meditation, or some will say it's impossible for them to meditate. Well, when you have an expert guiding the meditation with several others around you, it's very powerful. One idea is to schedule a meditation each morning for a good 20 - 30 minutes, followed by a business/brainstorming session. You will be pleasantly surprised on what great ideas come through with a clear mind that is intentional and present.

3. Kayaking and Paddleboarding: Similarly, to number 1, you can use two or three person kayaks or paddleboards to race each other.

4. Cooking Class and Tasting Competition: Let's create teams equally in numbers and skill, (some may love cooking, while others do not), and see what teams makes the best tasting meal. A chef or two should be present to assist, if needed, to ensure the meal is edible. After announcing the winning team everyone gathers together to enjoy what they've all worked so hard to make with hopefully lots of laughs and messes.

5. Scavenger Hunt: What's more fun than working together in teams, in a good, old fashion scavenger hunt on your very own private island to find answers to clues that relate to your workplace, in some way. Doing a scavenger hunt from a yacht, you will have the boat itself of course, and then we would create boundaries within a cay or nearby deserted island. A very unique scavenger hunt indeed. This will encourage team members to work together on something far removed from their usual work and team of people.

6. Volunteer With The Local Community or Animal Center: Volunteering always feels good and is a nice activity to do with your colleagues and clients. You will get to know others more intimately doing some sort of volunteer work together. If you're on a boat we can organize with the local community some sort of service needed on land. If there is a center with rescued animals this can be another great way to give back. Defenseless animals that have been abused have a way of letting peoples guards down. Helping children or those less fortunate than ourselves is humbling and can be very powerful when sharing this experience with people you would not normally let your guard down with. It diminishes, or hopefully diminishes, any arrogance or superiority that may be felt in the office, creating a new image of your colleague(s).

There are several more team building activities we can assist with on your retreat. We work with the islands and crew to create a unique, customized team building weekend or week for you and your company. Team building is incredibly important for any corporation to grow closer, stronger and work as one to encourage strong work ethics, showing each other the importance in their contribution to the business and ultimately all becoming more successful together. Just as a sports team must work together to become one in the sport they love so much in order to win, so must a company.

Here, at Your Wish Travel Co., we are ready to answer any of your questions and when you're ready to begin planning your retreat we are happy to help. I'm ready to get started!