When it comes to hosting a corporate event, there are many important aspects to consider. Things like the size of the group, the list of attendees, the best date and time for everyone to attend, the activities planned, the food, and seating charts can really make or break the success of your event. Along with all of these other aspects, choosing the perfect venue is one of the most important pieces to the puzzle.

If you’re not sure where to start or what to look for when it comes to choosing a venue, we are here to help! As experts in the team building event industry, we know exactly what to look out for.

In this post, we will discuss the different types of team building venues and how to choose between them. We’ll also give you some tips on what to look for when choosing a team building venue for your corporate event.

Virtual Events vs. in-Person Venues

First, let’s take a look at the two main types of team building venues: in-person and virtual.

Types of In-Person Venues to Consider for Your Event

In-person team building venues are just what they sound like – physical locations where your team can come together to participate in team building activities. These venues can be anything from meeting rooms at a hotel to outdoor parks with obstacle courses. In-person venues offer a great way for team members to bond and interact with one another in a more intimate setting.

• Conference centers: for smaller and more professional meetings, you should look into local conference centers for your event. Keep in mind that many conference centers will not have an exhibit hall and your group may have to meet within a few different conference rooms. One great thing about conference centers is that they usually have lots of dedicated space for individuals to relax and take breaks, which is especially helpful if you are planning an all-day corporate event.

• Exhibit halls: If you are expecting a large group for your team building event, you should consider an exhibit hall. Exhibit halls have plenty of space for team building activities as well as breakout sessions. They also usually have a few smaller conference rooms that can be used for more intimate meetings.

• Hotels: Team building events at hotels are becoming increasingly popular. Many  hotels have great meeting spaces and offer catering services. Additionally, team members can take breaks by walking around the property or relaxing in the pool or spa.

• Meeting rooms: Plenty of hotels, conference centers, and exhibit halls offer the opportunity to rent out meeting rooms. These can be more suitable for smaller groups and for activities where your group won’t need too much space to move around and/or be physically active, as they will essentially be smaller conference rooms with a table and chairs.

• Outdoor Venues: If you are looking for a team building venue with a more unique setting, consider an outdoor venue. Outdoor venues might include amusement parks, state parks, or even zoos. Team building activities at outdoor venues can be anything from a corporate scavenger hunt to a fun and physically challenging ropes course. This is a great option if you’re looking to keep the costs low. Going with a park as a venue means you’ll have lots of room for everyone to spread out. And in many cases, it will be free of cost!

• Restaurants:  Restaurants are a great team building venue option for small groups. You can easily book a private room at a restaurant and many restaurants offer catering services, which takes care of the issue of arranging for food and/or catering at your event.

• Banquet Halls:  Banquet halls are a great option for team building events that will include a dinner portion. Banquet halls have lots of space and most come with catering services, making it super easy to plan your event.

• Sports Center: If you want your group to be active during your event, consider renting out a sports center! You can gather everyone for a game of basketball, soccer, tennis, or kickball. Ask your local sports and recreation center what games they offer. This means you’ll have your event’s activity planned out along with the venue at the same time!

• At a local business or attraction: If you’re looking for a venue that also comes hand-in-hand with a team building activity, you may want to check out some local businesses and attractions. For example, a painting class, a laser tag arena, or a cooking class will not only host your group as a venue, but also provide and host some of the fun for you!

• Studio and/or warehouse rentals: If you’re unsure where to find an empty and simplistic space suitable for your event, try looking at local studio and warehouse rentals. There are plenty of gorgeous spaces available to rent for the day or at an hourly rate, especially in big cities.

• At your office or place of work: This is a great option if you want to keep your team building event low-key (and low cost!). You can use your office or place of work as a team building venue by setting up different stations around the workplace for team building activities.

Virtual Team Building Venues

Virtual team building venues have become increasingly popular over the past few years. With technology becoming more and more advanced, it’s now easier than ever to connect with people all over the world. That being said, virtual team building venues are a great option for groups that have members in different locations. If your team is spread out across the country (or even the globe), a virtual team building venue is the perfect solution!

So what exactly does a virtual team building venue look like? Well, it would generally be more of a platform and less of a “venue”. There are a variety of virtual meeting softwares and platforms available to choose from and it really comes down to what works best for your group. We recommend doing a quick search for virtual meeting platforms and browsing through some of the things that make them different. However, there are also quite a few well-known (and in most cases, free) platforms you can use to bring your group together.

• Google Meet: allows users to easily connect with each other on nearly any device. Allows for video chat, voice chat, phone call ins, and text chat. Has video filtering and backdrop capabilities, screen sharing, as well as a “hand raising” function that allows for streamlined participation.
• Zoom: allows users to connect with each other using video chat, voice chat, phone call in, and text chat. Usually runs through an app but can also run through a browser. Useful for large groups, allows participants to raise their hands and use emoji “reactions” to participate and present their screens.
• Microsoft Teams: allows groups with Microsoft accounts to chat with each other efficiently. The program also has video chat meeting and voice chat meeting capabilities.
• GoTo Meeting: used for group video conferencing. Allows for screen sharing during meetings.
• WebEx: used for online meetings, webinars, and training sessions.

How to Choose the Perfect Venue for Your Event

Now that we’ve gone over the two main types of team building venues, let’s take a look at some factors to consider when choosing between them.

– Purpose: What is the purpose of your event? For example, if you are just trying to plan a quick and team building activity for your team, then you may be able to host the event virtually with ease. If your event has a greater purpose, such as bringing your team together with their clients, then you may look to host the event in-person.

– Group size: How many people will be attending your event? If you have a small group, you should be able to find a variety of different venues that will be suitable for your event. An in-person team building venue may also work for a large group, if you want everyone to be able to easily participate and mingle. However, if your group is beyond the capacity for a lot of the in-person venues within your area and budget, or if your team is spread out across different locations, a virtual team building venue may be a better option.

– Budget: What is the budget for the event? In-person team building venues can be a lot more expensive than virtual ones, so keep that in mind when making your decision. If you have a particularly large group that you are trying to accommodate, it will be on the pricier side to find a venue that fits everyone versus a smaller group.

– Event type: What type of team building event are you planning? If you’re planning a more physical event, such as an obstacle course or scavenger hunt, an in-person venue would, of course, be the best option. However, if your event is more focused on mental or verbal team building exercises and activities, a virtual team building venue may be a better fit for your group.

– Location: Where is your team located? If most of your team is based in one location, an in-person team building venue will work for you. However, if team members are spread out across different states or countries, a virtual team building venue would make more sense.

We hope this has helped you in your decision-making process for choosing the perfect team building venue for your corporate event! Still have questions? Feel free to reach out to us and we’ll be happy to help you to find the perfect venue.

How Can Team Building Unlimited Help You with Your Team Building Event?

Let the stress of finding a perfect venue be the only stress you feel when planning your next corporate event – and leave the rest to us!

Here at Team Building Unlimited, we will help you to facilitate your corporate team building event from start to finish.

Choose the event that you want us to host for your group and we will get to work on planning the rest.

The reality is, it doesn’t even matter where your venue is located. We will travel to you!

Our team at Team Building Unlimited will bring the fun anywhere in the USA, Canada, or even the Caribbean. We serve all of the East Coast, West Coast, and Central US. Check out locations we serve here. 

Virtual events, of course, can also be hosted regardless of location. That is the beauty of having a virtual corporate event: it is super easy for everyone to participate!

We offer a variety of fun and exciting virtual events, with all of them being much more unique than your average Zoom meeting.

Leave it to us here at Team Building Unlimited to make your next event a huge success!