Mega-sized teambuilding events are back for team-bonding specialist, Asia Ability Creative Teambuilding, with its staff handling several gatherings with 700 to 1,000 participants this year.
David Fotheringham, director, Asia Ability Creative Teambuilding, told TTGmice that companies are “back to flying people in from everywhere to attend a face-to-face event, like in the good old days”.
“It was still restrictive last year, but not anymore in 2023,” he cheered.
While Fotheringham did not immediately have the number of events conducted so far this year, he said the “volume and scale of events now certainly exceed what we did during the lockdown period”. Not only are events bigger in size, they are also “bolder and more intense”.
He believes that mega teambuilding activations are back because ease of travel has returned, companies have resumed full-scale operations, and “travel costs are getting a little bit closer to normal”.
“Sure, the cost of travel is still inflated compared to pre-Covid but much better than a year ago when rates were crazy, up to three times the price we saw pre-pandemic. Furthermore, there is still strong pent-up demand for face-to-face global meetings,” he added.
While companies sought activities to onboard new hires during the height of remote work, they are now focused on building people culture and strengthening communications. Classic teambuilding games are a big hit now, observed Fotheringham.
“Next month, a global accounting firm event for 700 new partners from around the world will utilise our Go Team city adventure game using iPads. This was the same game the company ordered from us 10 years ago,” he shared.
“In fact, our Go Team city adventure game has been our biggest sell since coming back from Covid, because it encourages interaction and is conducted outdoors, plus participants get to see the destination as they play,” he added.
Drone-related games, introduced during Covid, remain popular.
With a need to be more sustainable with its operations, Asia Ability is now working on moving tools and processes of some of its existing games onto proprietary apps so that reliance on paper instructions and writing materials can be removed.
