During the economic downturn many companies are focusing on bringing their employees closer together, and working better as a team unit. Team building and Interactive Networking sessions are a great way to ignite a fire under a team of employees. With this said, groups are not looking for the same old sessions they are used to, they are looking for something exciting and different with the same positive results. There are many ways to spice up a teambuilding or interactive networking event; here are a few ideas to get you thinking.

Charity events make for great team building activities

A charity bike build is one of the most popular team building exercises in the corporate market today, as it pushes employees to work on an unfamiliar project together building strong team morale, and in the end a number of new bicycles are built for underprivileged children. During this activity groups are divided into teams of three or four. Attendees are then timed to see who can build their bike correctly with the fastest time, usually for an additional incentive at the conclusion for the winner. During your planning, be sure to pre-pick teams with employees that do not normally work together to make the event more challenging.

Put a new twist on an old game!

A scavenger hunt is a classic team building activity, but there are many ways to make the activity new, exciting, and competitive. For a past Quest holiday party, we planned a shopping mall scavenger hunt at Easton Town Center, but to spice up the event, we put the clues in poetry form similar to the Night Before Christmas poem. We then had attendees do things to make them step out of their comfort zone, such as approach other shoppers at the mall to ask a triva question, take a picture with Santa, sing a song to shoppers store front, or even play thumb war with a mall employee. Be creative to make attendees open up and learn something new about each other. The venue for a scavenger hunt is key, try working with a museum, or a metro park for a different look.

Game shows are also a popular activity for teambuilding and interactive networking groups. There are many entertainment companies out there that offer a game show format for hire, but there is also the option of making one on your own using PowerPoint, or another form of game show software for purchase. Change up the normal triva questions and theme the game, on television, movies, or use a charades style set up where the questions relate to particular team members.

There are an array of awesome companies to help impliment your next teambuilding event

Companies such as "Sterling Lanier; Lights, Camera, Interaction!" out of Las Angeles are also thinking outside the box and working with attendees to put on their own 60 second commerical. Each group of attendees has designed directors, camera men, lighting, and sound engineers. Staff from Sterling Lanier assists each group step by step to keep them on track. This would really make for a fun event, but an even more memorable life experience.

The key to a good team building or interactive networking session is to focus on giving the attendees an experience that they will remember, and to build positive relationships with other attnedees at the event. By focusing on these aspects your attendees are sure to benefit from the event.