These excursions put the treat into corporate retreat
Forget the cringeworthy connotations of team-building, these outings are team-tastic
TeamSport go-karting
From £24.99 per driver, team-sport.co.uk
Boost your employees’ competitiveness and drive by pitting them against one another on a race track. TeamSport has just opened a new 800m track in Charlton, and they’ve bought up a shiny fleet of 270cc LPG karts that can reach up to 40 miles per hour. The track is available for exclusive hire and it even hosts Corporate Challenge Days, complete with team building challenges, endurance tests, and trophies for the best racers. Companies can also create bespoke training regimes or hire Perry McCarthy, the original Stig from Top Gear.
Bisley Shooting Ground
From £135 per person plus VAT, including breakfast and lunch (corporate day);
Call 01483 797 017 or visit bisleyshooting.co.uk
You don’t really know someone until you’ve stood shoulder to shoulder with them in a Surrey field blasting clay discs out of the sky with a shotgun. Bisley Shooting Ground is the largest clay pigeon shooting school in the UK. It boasts the best instructors, many of whom have shot competitively for the UK, and the amazing facilities mean Bisley can cope with corporate events from 10 to 300 people. They also do bespoke shooting days, so there’ll be something for everyone, whether you’re a beginner or master marksman.
Whisky tasting
£66 per person, smwsevents.co.uk
Get your team to relax in style with a glass of whisky. The Scottish Malt Whisky Society hosts a whisky picnic in its private room near Farringdon Underground, where an expert will talk you through five distinctive drams of fire water. The booze is paired with Spanish meats, olives, Scottish cheeses and chocolate. Minimum bookings are for eight people and you can save a tenner a head if you’re a member of the Scottish Malt Whisky Society. Cheese-focused tastings are also an option.
Hanbury Manor Golf Retreat
From £257; call 01920 487 722 or visit marriott.co.uk
When it comes to corporate team building you can’t beat the classic gentleman’s pursuit – golf. And what better place for a round than the Marriott hotel group’s Hanbury Manor. Barely outside the M25, this beautiful course would make a great day trip for colleagues or friends. After a tranquil day on the greens and fairways, you won’t want to leave. With 14 conference rooms and a total of 1,300sqm of meeting space, it’s also an ideal conference venue.
Zombie Boot Camp
From £120 per person; ramtraining.co.uk
If you think scaring the living daylights out of your team is the best way to bring them together then head to Kidderminster, where you can be chased by zombies and werewolves until the sun rises. The package – for a minimum of 12 people – includes basic training to combat the undead and live scenarios where you’ll be chased, hacked and generally man-handled by trained actors. After the event there is a bonfire and overnight stay in what is termed “basic military-style accommodation”.
Bubblekickz
Prices start at £300 for 15 players. Visit bubblekickz.com or call 07878 001 803
Entrepreneur Harry Thomas created Bubblekickz earlier this year. What better way to bond with your colleagues than by smashing into them wearing a giant inflatable ball. Separate into teams, don your bubble and get ready for the most chaotic game of football you’ve ever played. Stepovers and Cruyff turns won’t help you here, this is more like human dodgems – and it’s great fun. Bubblekickz can set up the whole day, right down to travel and arranging a venue.