Make The World Better With a Sweater

logoChristmas is the time for giving and here at CCC we decided to get into the true spirit of Christmas and take part in Save the Children Christmas Jumper Day 2014. The rules were simple; wear a festive sweater, make a donation, and spread the jumper joy! xmasjumperdayphoto

Now in its third year, the woolly revolution has already raised over £1.6 million and this year the government is matching every pound donated. Just £2 can buy potentially life-saving antibiotics for three babies whilst £200 can buy enough high energy peanut paste to treat 40 malnourished children for a week. A little most certainly goes a long way.

The team here threw themselves into the task with their usual enthusiasm, and there was a fantastic array of jumpers on show. Even Event Managers that were heading out to run events made sure they got in on the action before they left.

Just to build excitement and add a little competition, we made sure there was a prize for the winning jumper. Our lovely Event Manager Fiona was the lucky winner, with a home made jumper that included lights, tinsel and a stocking with treats for everyone in! A fantastic sweater by all accounts.

fiona_winning_jumperphoto

We had a great day. We’re always looking for new ways to build motivation and teamwork, and we had a lot of fun whilst contributing to a really worthwhile cause. It’s not too late to get involved - take a look at our Christmas Edition of Easy Office Based Team Building Ideas for some further inspiration!

Easy Office-Based Team Building Ideas #12 - Christmas Edition!

With only a few weeks to go until Santa comes, we're rounding up our favourite Christmas-themed Easy Office-Based Team Building Ideas to get you in the festive spirit and carry your team through the last few weeks of the year. Easy Office Based Teams Building Ideas Christmas Edition

  • Deck the Halls...and reception...and loo...

One of our regular clients is a huge fan of their annual desk-decorating competition. Teams are made up out of the 'islands' their desks are arranged in, and all decoration must be complete by the 1st of December. The CEO then acts as a judge and declares her favourite before prizes are given and mulled wine enjoyed by all. Apparently they get very competitive, with last year's winning desk being transformed into a German Christmas market! If you don't want to go quite as extreme, simply declare 4pm this Friday as 'the decorating hour' and watch as your colleagues are transformed into excited children again. Magical.

  • The Christmas Bake-Off

Our last Office Bake-Off was a huge hit, so we'll definitely be recreating it this year with our favourite Christmas treats. An American take on this would be to do a cookie swap, in which everyone bakes their favourite biscuit (bake at least one biscuit per colleague) and swaps them so that everyone has a lovely selection to take home. Alternatively, ask everyone to make a mixture of sweet and savoury goods to result in a huge lunch feast for all. We'll be making Paul Hollywood's Savoury Christmas Chelsea Buns in the hope of being crowned Ultimate Christmas Baking Champion.

  • Elf Yourself

For a simple yet hilarious way to get even the most Scrooge-like of colleagues into the Christmas spirit, visit Elf Yourself and get uploading. It's really easy to use, all you'll need is some photos of your colleagues, but be sure to put yourself in there too to show that you're game.

  • Lend a Hand

Nothing builds motivation and teamwork like helping out those less fortunate at Christmas time. At CCC we'll be donning our sparkly sweaters and supporting Save the Children on Christmas Jumper Day, but there's a multitude of other ways you could give back. Popular ideas include asking everyone to spend a few pounds on an extra toy to be given to a children's charity, taking flowers or treats from your Bake-Off to a local care home and spending some time with the elderly, or 'treating' other nearby businesses to lunchtime carolling and donating the proceeds.

  • Secret Santa Advent Raffle

A twist on the classic office Secret Santa - source one gift per person (either ask everyone to bring one in or have the company provide them). Attach raffle tickets to each gift and place them somewhere prominent. In the countdown to Christmas, hold a daily raffle, having one person pick a ticket from a hat each day - they then win whichever gift matches their ticket! Any leftovers are picked on the final day of work before Christmas, and it's a nice way of having something small going on every day rather than one big present-giving.

Want to take the load off this Christmas? Let us take care of the entertainment! Our evening events are perfect for office parties. Visit our website or call 0845 006 06 06 for a chat with our lovely sales team.

Team Building in Manchester - Team Adventure

Manchester is a fantastic city to run a team building treasure hunt - a great blend of old and new, tradition and modernity. We were there only recently running our Team Adventure event! Team Building in Manchester - our Team Adventure Treasure HuntThe Team Adventure sees guests split into teams who race from location to location, taking in some of Manchester's highlights such as the Cathedral and Piccadilly Gardens. Along the way teams complete challenges, take photos and meet a cast of quirky characters in their hope of winning the day!

Here's what our client had to say:

Exactly what you would expect from a well organised and high quality company. Friendly staff, Great organisation, Challenging and enjoyable tasks. The event has created a lasting buzz amongst staff. They can't wait to see the photos of what was a very memorable and enjoyable day. Thank you.

To find out more about our team building treasure hunts, give our friendly team a call on 0845 006 0606.

Team Building in London - The Enigma Challenge

There's nothing like London for indoor team building - the venue choices are practically endless, the transport links second to none and the standards of service are among the best in the world. This week we were there to run our Enigma Challenge, an extremely competitive team building event that puts teams against each other in a frantic race against the clock.

Indoor Team Building - The Enigma Challenge

Each team is presented with a sealed box and a digital camera. Inside the box, 101 Challenges await, divided into four categories; Brainteasers, Creative, Teamwork and the Enigma Challenges themselves.

Without enough time to complete every challenge, teams must prioritise and tackle the challenges they feel most suited for - and that reward the most points - with every precious second ticking down on the big screen.

As well as being one of our most popular individual events, The Enigma Challenge works equally well as an Icebreaker - a furious burst of creative energy for 30 minutes can energise your group for the day ahead.

Take a look at our website or give our team a call on 0845 006 0606 to learn more about our indoor team building events.

Outdoor Team Building in Berkshire - Bushcraft at Sunningdale Park, Ascot

The recent Channel 4 series The Island saw a group of men being left on a desert island to fend for themselves for 13 weeks, finding their own food and water and building their own shelters. The series proved a runaway hit, with applications for the second series reaching 40,000 in a single day. With our outdoor survival events it's possible to experience some of the same situations without taking your team to an island in the pacific! It's easier than you might think - many conference venues and hotels are situated in acres of woodland, allowing us to create completely immersive survival experiences as part of your away day.

We were recently at the beautiful Sunningdale Park in Ascot to run our Bushcraft event, a great introduction into the world of wilderness survival.

Outdoor Team Building - Bushcraft

Teams are taken back to basics and taught aspects of wilderness survival, including how to make a fire, how to construct a shelter and even how to hunt for food!

Each survival event is tailored to the specific needs and interests of our client, and can take the form of a light, informative and educational afternoon or a more robust survival programme - even including an overnight stay in the woods!

Our outdoor survival events are a great way to break down barriers and forge bonds within your team, as together they experience a paradigm shift in perspective and a true appreciation for both nature and the comforts we enjoy every day.

Take a closer look at our Bushcraft event or The Islanders, an event inspired by the Channel 4 show, or just give our team a call on 0845 006 0606 to discus your requirements.

Team Building in London's West End - iSpy

London's West End is a fantastic destination for a treasure hunt - it gets teams out and about amidst some of the most iconic locations in the world, from Leicester Square and Covent Garden to Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square. Our iSpy event takes the idea of a treasure hunt and brings it into the 21st century. Teams are armed with iPads with GPS mapping, digital and video cameras and are thrown into a race against time where their efforts are assessed real-time in the Cloud and only the best team can come out on top!Team Building in London's West End - iSpyHere's what a recent client had to say:

"The challenges/photos/scavenges were great and so much fun to achieve. Everyone in the group thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon and there was a real sense of the team being more relaxed around each other this week, which is what we needed. Thank you for giving us a really fun experience! The photos and videos are also a great take-away."

If you'd like to learn more about how a team building treasure hunt could benefit your team, give us a call on 0845 006 0606 and chat to one of the team!

Team Building in Derbyshire - Generation Games

"Nice to see you, to see you... Nice!" Taking our cue from some of the most memorable light-entertainment formats of the seventies and eighties, our Generation Games event is a real blast!

Team Building Derbyshire - Generation Games

We were in Derby recently to run this popular event, that has our flamboyant compère guiding teams through a variety of creative challenges.

From the super-difficult Blindfold Cake Decorating to the super-silly Balloon Modelling and with enough Plate Spinning and other activities involved the energy and the laughs are abundant! And of course what Generation Games event would be complete without an epic Conveyor Belt challenge finale!

Best run as an indoor team building event, Generation Games is great for teams who too often are flexing their grey matter and would benefit from a day of creative expression!

Give our team a call on 0845 006 0606 to discuss which of our team building events would be perfect for you!

Team Building in Manchester - The Team Adventure

We were lucky enough to visit the glorious city of Manchester recently to run our popular Team Adventure. With its open spaces and iconic landmarks, Manchester has a lot to offer teams that want to spend a morning or an afternoon out of the office strengthening bonds and improving communication. Team Building in Manchester - Team Adventure

Our Team Adventure has participants exploring their surroundings in a completely new way, seeing the city in a new light as they complete challenges, solve puzzles and meet bizarre characters around the city.

Taking in many spectacular locations, like Sackville and Piccadilly Gardens, Albert Square and Manchester Cathedral, the Team Adventure is a high energy team building treasure hunt that will have your group talking about it for weeks to come!

To talk to our team about our range of treasure hunts across the UK and Europe, explore our website or give us a call on 0845 006 0606.

Team Building Events: Indoor Events

With a huge range of team building events out there, it can be difficult to decide which one is right for you. To help you narrow down the search, we have divided the best events into categories, and will profile a different one each week, complete with tips on what might be best for your team. Today, we're looking at indoor events - the perfect way to get the most out of your team building event without leaving the comfort of the conference room! Indoor Team Building Events

Indoor Team Building Events

With the ever-growing demand for effective, entertaining indoor team builds, options within this category have increased exponentially. Recently developed indoor events mean that they are hugely flexible to the space and time scale available, and can be tailored to your specific needs. Whether you're after a half day or full day programme, or if you just have a small pocket of time in which you'd like to keep everyone motivated and entertained, there'll be something to suit you in the indoor event category.

Indoor Team Building - Enigma Challenge

 Why Choose an Indoor Event?

An indoor event is perfect for your team if....

  • You're concerned about the weather. It's an obvious one, but if your conference or away day happens to fall during the winter months and you would like to fit in some team building, then an indoor event is the way forward.  All the fantastic benefits of team building without having to brave the great outdoors - it's a win-win situation!
  • You'll be in Central London or another busy city. Outdoor space can be hard to come by in cities, so remove it from the equation with an indoor team building event. There'll be many boxes to check when sourcing the ideal venue for your conference - proximity to airports, high-quality accommodation - but with an indoor team build, you won't have to add 'outdoor space' to your list.
  • You've done lots of team building before and want something completely different. The huge demand for indoor team building events has been addressed with the development of some really unique and dynamic events. While outdoor team builds tend to be more traditional, events from our indoor category will surprise and delight even your most 'seasoned' team members.
  • You want a seamless transition between meetings and team building. If there is a particular message you would like to link to your team build, or if you've done some great work already and want to keep the momentum going, then an indoor event is a brilliant option. Many of our indoor events can begin straight after you finish your meetings, ensuring that everyone stays engaged and on-message.
  • You don't have a 'traditional' conferencing venue. The fantastic thing about indoor team builds is that they can often be run in your own offices - so if you'd like the motivational benefits of a team build without having to shell out for venue costs, we can come to you!

Indoor Team Building - Commercial Break

 Top Indoor Events

  •  Enigma Challenge - Indoor team building as you've never seen it before! Your colleagues' feet won't touch the ground in the race against time to complete as many fiendish and outrageous challenges as possible!
  • Work of Art - Creative team building at it's best, Work of Art sees teams putting paint to canvas in an effort to complete a giant masterpiece. Not just for the aspiring Damien Hirsts amongst you, this is a real collaborative event with a very special finale.
  • Commercial Break -  This brilliant event sees teams become their own production company for the day; scripting, directing and starring in their very own TV commercials! With a plethora of props, wigs, hats and costumes available, it's not long before teams are getting into character and stars are born!

For more event ideas - both indoor and out - visit our website or call 0845 006 06 06 for a chat with our lovely sales team.

 

Team Building in Berkshire - Sports Day at Elcot Park in Newbury

The sun was shining on Newbury last week when we were at Elcot Park to run our Sports Day event.Team Building in Newbury - Sports Day at Elcot ParkA flashback to sports days of old, guests form teams and compete in a variety of challenges, from giant egg and spoon races to football freekick frenzy, to our own unique take on shot put, discus, and relay races! Here's what our client had to say:

Just to say thank you to you and all your team for a super day yesterday, everyone has been incredibly complimentary about the event and really enjoyed themselves. People said it the timing worked really well, they had time in between events to chat and relax and it wasn’t too full on and even better that I was on the winning team! Many thanks for a very successful second CCC event.

Take a look at some of our most popular outdoor team building events, or give our friendly team a call on 0845 006 0606 to discus your requirements!

Team Building in Cambridgeshire - Country Pursuits at Orton Hall

We were recently at the lovely Orton Hall near Peterborough in Cambridgeshire to run our Country Pursuits event for a small, close-knit team. Team Building in Cambridgeshire - Country Pursuits at Orton Hall; laser clay pigeon shooting; archery; falconryCountry Pursuits is a bespoke outdoor Activity Day, where you can tailor your event to fit your particular team and your requirements.

Activities like archery and clay pigeon shooting (either laser or gunpowder) are fantastic for generating healthy competition, whereas falconry and geese herding give fascinating insights into magnificent creatures and the relationships of those who work with them.

Give our team a call on 0845 006 0606 to discuss how your team could benefit from an afternoon of Country Pursuits!