2019 was a pretty challenging year for most, but there’s a widespread spirit of hope and a prevailing sense that 2020 has some great things in store. Now is the time to capitalise on this surge of optimism by streamlining internal strategies to build your effective team.

It all comes down to creating enough opportunities for colleagues to strengthen ties, improve healthy communication and find better ways to work as a team. After all, successful collaboration is one of the foundations of a business that runs smoothly.

When inter-team bonds are strong, innovative ideas and productivity will flourish.

Win-Win

By planning dedicated team time-outs that are relevant to the various stages of the year, you’ll add the kind of continuous momentum that keeps everyone engaged. From team builds to conference getaways, employee events play a big role in determining the outcomes of your business objectives and set the tone for how colleagues work together when curve balls come their way.

Each term typically brings its own set of challenges and opportunities, whether it’s quarterly stocktaking, time to buckle down and balance the budget, or simply a mid-year slump that has everyone running a bit low on inspiration.

Knowing this, there are plenty of benefits to planning all your events ahead of time. For starters, once the year kicks off and things get busy, there won’t be as much time, so you have the perfect window of opportunity to create a framework for your 2020 team vision right now. What’s more, you can still take your pick from venues (good ones get snapped up fast in season) – and negotiate great rates too.

Big-picture Thinking

Looking ahead, you have big plans for the year and want to maximise participation, get stellar input from everyone, organise high-octane brainstorming sessions, and build your team’s resilience under pressure… Instead of trying to tick all these boxes at once, rather think strategically about what you want to achieve during each stage of the year – and make sure you all get to breathe and have a bit of fun while you’re at it!  Here’s how...with our tried and tested Corporate Event Calendar...

January – February This is a prime time to strategize and a conference retreat is a surefire way to get everyone back on board after the holiday. It will bring your goals into focus, match them with clear plans, and provide a space for creative ideas to flow – which could mean the difference between a good year and a great year in the end. Whether you opt for a picture-perfect location in the Peninsula, a vibrant city venue or an outdoorsy option in the countryside, there are plenty of settings in and around Cape Town that are ideal for a summertime summit.

March – May Once the first three months of the year are done and dusted, it’s always a good idea to regroup. Things tend to get busy fast, and colleagues can quickly lose touch with each other amid daily deadlines. An outdoor team building activity is just the ticket to press the refresh button; and adding a food element, for example with a Survivor Braai Cook-Off, makes it even better for bonding. Alternatively, an Amazing Race-style challenge would hit the spot with a get-up-and-go team – making them zoot up and down the coastline as they tick off tasks together.

June – August In the middle of Winter, the days are short, the weather is gloomy and it’s easy to get stuck in a rut. Ask any manager and they’ll say they wish they could inject some fresh energy into their teams at this time of the year. Fortunately, it is possible, and there are excellent off-season specials for corporate getaways too. With inspiring settings like the Winelands and Elgin Valley just a stone’s throw away, you’re spoilt for choice. A mid-year indaba to revisit your vision for 2020 will do wonders to energize the team, give them a much-needed break from the office, and boost productivity when you get back.

September – October Before you know it, spring will roll around, and staff will start planning their Summer holidays. This is make-or-break time for most businesses and while a traditional approach might be to power through – working harder and longer hours, it’ll be smarter to step away from it all for fresh motivation and blue-sky thinking. A day of team-building games could, for instance, make all the difference and develop all-important dynamics between colleagues, not to mention get them to brush up on their communications skills.

November – December This year is certainly set to be a big one, with many highlights along the way – so it’s only fitting to end it with a celebration that pulls out all the stops. Be sure that your choice of venue, food and theme is aligned with your team’s interests, and makes the most of Cape Town’s beautiful locations. This doesn’t mean that you have to break the bank though, and whether it’s a laid back beach party or a glamorous Great Gatsby gala, the main requirement is that everyone should have a rip-roaring time as they toast each other’s achievements, and your company’s best year end function yet.

We’re On Your Team

At Team Orange, our years of experience in rolling out team builds, conferences and year-end functions to suit companies of all shapes and sizes allows us to tune into your vision for the year and come up with creative events that are perfect for your business – and budget.

We’re passionate about giving a company’s objectives wings and letting them grow into great ideas, improved performance and renewed motivation – and we love helping to cement the bonds within teams. Taking each client’s preferences, capacity, location and timelines into account, we get to the heart of what’s needed to make everyone feel valued, bring their best self to the table and think out of the box.

From suspenseful murder mystery soirées to action-packed team builds, our ideas to turn your vision for 2020 into a meaningful reality are endless. And when it comes to detail – whether it’s assisting with individual dietary requirements or securing a 500-seater conference auditorium in a forest – nothing’s too small (or big!) for our talented team of corporate event planners.

As you can see, there’s no reason to feel overwhelmed by the prospect of your corporate functions for 2020, because Team Orange can assist every step of the way. And, as our name implies, we do know a thing or two about what makes teams tick!