Team Building - Where does the money go?

Team building can be perceived as an expensive undertaking so you might be wondering where does the money go? Here is a list of items that you probably get without realising.

Public Liability Insurance

We need to have a $20 million public liability insurance policy to work at some venues governed by Parks Victoria. A few years ago we only had a $10 million policy so we had to spend $400 to upgrade the policy for one day to run an event.

Customised Equipment 

If you have participated on an ACE program you have probably seen some of the specialised equipment that we use. Many of the items have been custom made for us, as they are not in mass production. Items such as the Briefcase Operated Satellite System are unique items and can be worth thousands of dollars.

Vehicle and Trailer expenses

We work at around 60 - 80 venues a year so we do a lot of travelling and we need to ensure that our vehicles and trailers are well maintained. In fifteen years we have never broken down or been late for a session.

Photography

You could employ a professional photographer to capture the priceless moments that occur during your event but it would unnecessary. We take quality photos on a digital SLR camera and then provide you with a photobook and the digital files after the event.

Audiovisual equipment

We have every sort of audiovisual system imaginable so that we can be seen and heard in every type of venue. Sometimes we use a portable PA system for outdoor sessions or we might need two large systems linked together for an indoor event for several hundred people.

Music and sound editing

Most sessions incorporate music or edited sound files to complement the event. Many of the sound files have been meticulously edited for a specific purpose.

Customised trophies

Many events have custom made trophies as mementos for the winning team. The trophies are specific to each activity and client.

Equipment Storage

Have you ever wondered where does all the gear get kept? We have an enormous amount of activity equipment for large group sizes that could fill a small warehouse.

Venue site visits prior to sessions

Whilst we work at many venues we also try and visit each new venue prior to running a session. It is important that we are clear about vehicle access, room size, audio visual requirements, break out rooms and outdoor spaces.

Consumables 

We provide consumables such as sunscreen, insect repellent, spare hats, snacks and water for a number of our events.

Costumes

A number of our sessions involve costumes, props and accessories. You might be pleased to know that all the costumes are washed after each use which can be very time consuming, especially for large groups.

Raincoats

If the weather is cold and wet and you have booked an outdoor team session you will be loaned a waterproof rain jacket. These coats are very good quality and are not cheap. We have around $5000 worth of raincoats on standby just in case there is rain.

New activities - research and development

How do we keep coming up with new ideas for activities? It's not easy and we need to make a conscious effort to travel and experience a variety of similar and completely different activities.

Liaising with venues

Most events require us to confirm meal times, book outdoor areas, and prepare floor plans with the venue to ensure everything runs smoothly. For evening events we normally prepare a floor plan showing the table placements and AV equipment locations to assist with the room preparation and set up.

Liaising with suppliers

Some events require us to book rooms, outdoor spaces, tickets or session times with venues including Parks Victoria, Kingpin, Eureka Tower, Point Nepean National park etc.

Travel

Ever wondered how we design car rallies or amazing races. We invest a considerable amount of time scoping areas such as Daylesford, Torquay and Woodend for new activities.

Staffing

Every ACE staff member is university trained and well compensated for their skills and time. We don't take shortcuts with staff as they are such an important component of every event.

Advice for Trade Show Exhibitors - or 15 things I learned from my first trade show

After two days exhibiting at my first trades how, these are some things that I learned.

1. Be friendly to everyone. Smile as people approach. It is a great icebreaker.
2. Wear comfortable shoes
3. Having an iPad on a stand that records prospects details works well. 
4. I used an app called Leadsie that recorded the prospects details in a form that can be saved as an excel file
5. Bring your own lunch (the tradeshow food cam be terrible, expensive and stale)
6. pop up displays stands look fantastic. They are professional, quick to set up and quite cheap
7. A shell scheme for the stand is a great idea. They are full length panels that attach to the wall with double sided adhesive velcro
8. Trade shows are a numbers game. You need to talk to lots of people to find the ones that suit the business
9. You don't need a big stand. I had tradeshow neighbours that were very successful exhibiting in small stands next to me. The right person will find you regardless of the stand size.
10. All of the experienced tradeshow exhibitors have told me that the most important thing is to follow up all the interested prospects straight away.
11. You don't need chairs as there is no opportunity to sit down. The experienced exhibitors know this and they have bar tables only.
12. I had a gimmick on day one that was fun but did not attract the people that I was hoping to find. The main takers for the game were kids and teenagers that were bored as their parents talked to other exhibitors
13. I did not use the gimmick on day two without any loss of interest in the stand but I did have chocolates for people that visited (on day one I had the chocolates as a prize)
14. It is great to network with your stand neighbours. You become a little community and get each other coffees, watch each other's stand so you can take a break and there are plenty of opportunities to share success stories.
15. You can't judge a book by its cover. You have to believe that every single person could be the right one or know the right one.

3 Tips for ensuring a PowerPoint Presentation Goes Smoothly

As a full time corporate trainer I see and hear a lot of presentations. Most go smoothly however there are some common mistakes that people make that are avoidable. I recently wrote a blog post with tips for giving a keynote presentation. Here are three more tips.

1. Check your presentation
At a recent awards night, we were involved in playing a PowerPoint presentation as people received their awards. You would think that the order of slides matched the order of awards being presented. It looks bad for everyone when an award is announced and a photo of a different person appears on the screen. So check and double check that the order of slides matches the run plan.

2. Don't embed videos into PowerPoint
PowerPoint allows video to be embedded into the presentation however this can be a problem. I am not sure of the specific technical reasons why it causes the program to crash but it is a common occurrence. When a presentation is being outputted through a data projector it requires additional resources from the computer's video card. So a presentation that looks and plays fine in your office may not work once a projector is connected. In my experience, Quicktime is an ideal program for showing videos and whilst it requires someone to hot key out of PowerPoint, if you know how to do it, nobody will notice.

3. Now hear this
Most people are nice. They are patient, considerate and tolerant. However, it is important that if you are showing video clips they need to be recorded so that they can be heard and understood. Even the world's best audio system will struggle to output a poorly recorded video. Remember garbage in equals garbage out. So make sure that videos are recorded with minimal background noise and with people talking clearly into the video camera.

Summary
Check your presentation, don't embed videos into Powerpoint and make sure that your video clips have clear sound.

By Daniel Cohen

Seven Questions to Ask when Selecting a Conference Centre or Seven Reasons Why I Love Aitken Hill

Many people decide on the venue for their conference based purely on price and availability. Other important factors that must be considered include the group size, the amount of travel time to get there, the facilities, the staff, the service and the food. However there are a number of other important considerations that are not so obvious. Here are seven questions to ask before finalising your venue decision.

Private dining rooms

1. Is there a private dining room?

If you wish to have an awards night or an evening event you will need a private dining room. Many venues have a restaurant that is open to the public so you may have issues if you want privacy or wish to make some noise. Be aware that some venues won't allow any sort of evening event in their restaurant.

Meal timings

2. Can we specify the timings for the meal courses?

If you are planning to include an evening event then you will want to specify the timings of the meal courses so that activities, awards or speeches can occur during meal breaks. You might be disappointed to discover that some venues dictate the times meals are served based on the requirements of the kitchen. 

Party time

3. What time does the party have to stop? 

You might think that the event can run as long as you want and then you find out that the event staff want the room vacated so they can set up the room for breakfast. Some venues will insist that you leave the room at 10 pm or earlier. It is advisable to have in writing the time the room needs to be cleared.

Support and troubleshooting

4. What happens if things go wrong or you need some extra help? 

Perhaps you have forgotten an audio cable or you need assistance with the data projector. You may need photocopying, a message delivered or some blue tack. Does the venue have a team of professionals that are available to assist with a wide range of unforeseen circumstances? 

Team building areas

5. Can we use the outdoor areas for team building? 

If you are wanting to include an outdoor team building session then you will need plenty of space. You might be surprised to learn that some venues that are surrounded by outdoor areas do not allow team building activities to be conducted. Some coastal venues require a planning permit for foreshore areas. Other venues are leased from State Parks and require a different form of permit. Many venues that have a golf course do not allow any non-golfing activities to be conducted.

Sheltered Outdoor Areas

6. Are there undercover areas if the weather turns nasty during an outdoor team building session? 

You can never guarantee perfect weather for a team building session but the stress can be minimised if there is a large under cover area that provides shelter from the rain and shade from the sun.

Vehicle Access and Parking

7. Is there vehicle access for unloading and onsite parking? 

You might be surprised to learn that some venues do not have onsite parking. This can be a burden if you have a significant amount of equipment required for the conference. You might also find that it can be very time consuming and expensive to unload equipment and then drive to an external car park. Some venues have complicated unloading requirements requiring pre-organised security passes and access through back of house locations. Many of these venues will not guarantee access to a trolley so you might need to bring your own.

Why do I love Aitken Hill?

You might think that I love Aitken Hill as it is a spectacular venue with outstanding food,  facilities and service. This is true. However the thing that I love the most is their commitment to ensuring that every conference is a success. The venue is professionally run with a meticulous eye for detail that provides a perfect environment for conferencing, team building and evening events. 

Conclusion

Try and identify all the key factors and specific requirements for your conference so that you can choose a venue that will best suit your needs. Ask the right questions so you don't have unexpected surprises during the conference. Price and availability are very important but there are many other considerations to ensure your conference is a success. 

About ACE Training & Consulting

A.C.E. conducts team building sessions and events at around 100 venues a year and we find that Aitken Hill is an outstanding venue for all the important considerations and equally outstanding for many of the factors that people don't even realise that they need. 

This article was written by Daniel Cohen

Three Great Benefits of Team Building

Team building in business is one of the more common ways bosses work to get the most out of their employees. There are many different kinds of team building people can try, from scavenger hunts to paintball. However the advantages are many and they come regardless of the activity that is chosen.

Let’s take a look at three of the advantages business owners can look forward to when investing in team building.

Better productivity

Labour productivity is very good in Australia at the moment. This is very different from the lower productivity seen just a short time ago. Productivity is often one of the main aims of planning team building exercises in the first place, and the good news is it is one of the main benefits as well.

Part of the reason for this is that employees get to know each other better through team building activities. This better relationship translates into the work environment and leads to a more productive and copacetic workplace. Productivity increases as employees find and use new ways to work together they may not have thought of before.

Happier employees

It can be hard finding the right employees. Unhappy employees tend to work less effectively and efficiently. If they are unhappy in their job for any reason it can have a knock-on effect on their personal life. A constant lack of rest, worrying about their life and even depression can all affect someone in lots of other ways as well, with some people even driven to self-medicating to try and address the issue. It is possible to work with lots of other people and still feel isolated – and this doesn’t lead to happy employees. We all know our worries tend to rob us of sleep as we lay awake and think about them at night. We awake tired and drained in the morning and in no real condition to do a day’s productive work. However when you decide to introduce team building into the mix at work, it can make a real difference to employees like these who are struggling to get along. It is still essential to provide support and advice in other ways as well of course, but having an opportunity to connect with the rest of their colleagues can make a big difference to how people feel about the way they fit into the workplace. Indeed this type of setting may also make it easier to spot any potential problems within a group of employees if one person seems to be set apart from the rest or is struggling in any way. This can then be brought up with that person in privacy at a later date, to perhaps offer support if and when required.

More potential

Recruiting the right people is half the battle. However it is also good to get away from the constant business meetings that can bore employees. In this latter example it is merely a case of individuals sitting together in a room, rather than getting together and working together in an entirely different setting.

This is why getting out of the workplace and trying all manner of different team building tasks is so good at helping build and extract the potential in every employee. Some will discover skills and potential they never knew they had. Others will learn new skills. Everyone will discover how best to work with other team members, and it is these skills that can be taken back to the workplace and used there as well.

Many employees would testify to the useful nature of team building. There are many services Australian businesses can benefit from, but one of the best assets is clearly something all businesses already have – their own employees. The key is to know how you can extract the most from every single person without draining them along the way. Team building leads to more supportive, engaged and happy employees who have more individual power and are willing to use it to support the business they work for – both as individuals and as a team.

The benefits of team building also continue long after the event itself has ended. Many businesses have regular events like this because they know the advantages of doing so will be reaped for a long time to come. Once you have tried it once you will see for yourself the many benefits of continuing in the future.

Contributed by Emma Love

Things to Look for When Choosing a Team Building Provider

Look behind any successful business and you’ll find a successful team. Having strong teams in place in any business can really make the difference when it comes to achieving everything that your business might be capable of. Not only that, but strong, streamlined teams can also greatly reduce, and successfully manage, risks and challenges and keep your business on a solid footing. Many team building providers will work with you and your employees to create a well oiled, fluid and professional team. As Ace Training state, for example: ‘Our varied and flexible programs can be tailored to suit your company’s objectives, conference theme, group size, venue facilities and time available.’. Of course, there are many team building providers out there, and finding the right one for your business can be tricky. That said, as with many other aspects of business, by researching your providers beforehand, you can ensure you get a good fit for you, your vision, and your staff.

Identifying Employee Strengths

Before hiring a team building provider, it can be useful to identify the elements that make a successful team. Psykol highlights the importance of managers in relation to the team: ‘Managers must recognise that they play a central role in effective team building.’ Once these elements are clear, it can be much easier to decide whether a team building provider is likely to deliver on the requirements you have for your business. As Kelly Services point out: ‘Building a high performance team takes a lot of hard work and skill, to blend the different personalities, abilities and agendas into a cohesive unit willing to work for a common goal. Behind every great team is a strong and visionary leader. A leader whose job is not to control, but to teach, encourage, and organise when necessary.’. Before even considering a team building provider, it can be worthwhile to appraise the basic make up of your workforce - do you have the right people in the right positions? Are there potential leaders waiting to flourish under team building tuition? These are important questions to ask before you commit expenses to team building. Additionally, it's important to remember that the happier and better trained a workforce are, the better they will perform for your business. Employees that know they are well cared for, and are working for a company that is willing to invest in them in order to achieve and maintain its success, will be far more productive and content in the long term. A business can easily provide these aspects through a combination of training, team building vendors, and health cover for employees. In fact, employee health care is often a deciding factor when for potential recruits, as Quotezone explain: 'Group health insurance plans are one of the major benefits offered by many employers'. Ensuring you have solid healthcare for employees, as well as invest in their training and team skills, will all combine to produce a happy, effective workforce. 

Reputation, Qualification, Performance

There is a huge number of team building providers in Australia alone to choose from, and there are some important things to remember. As with any in demand service, there are many providers that don’t meet muster. Sabre offers a reminder that there are good services out there, however: ‘First and foremost, it is important to remember that quality operators with genuine industry experience do exist.’. This simply highlights the need to thoroughly check a providers track record and previous experience before committing. You will also want to ensure that a provider listens carefully to your needs, and is willing to adapt their approaches and methods to suit your specific requirements. It’s also important to scrutinise exactly what skills your staff will gain. While games and exercises are all well and good, you want some quantifiable business skills to be passed on to your team. Much of this can be checked by investigating a providers qualifications and references, along with previous work. If you follow these simple steps, then there are great benefits on the horizon for your company and employees. According to Mindtools: ‘Teams that are highly motivated and positive are not only fun to be part of, but they accomplish more than teams that are struggling with morale.’. Many good providers will also be willing to work with you in terms of location, so if you’re looking for a conference venue for example, a good provider will try to incorporate not only your conference theme but also make use of any facilities you may have hired. Overall, good communication, the capacity to listen and understand your needs, as well as solid qualifications, a proven track record and an established reputation are the key factors to identify before considering any team building provider. It can certainly be worth the time to check all of these aspects, and the potential advantages to your business that can be gained from a high standard provider are long term and lasting.

contributed by Emma Love

Why would anybody want a team building franchise?

1. You find out stuff about the world.
One of my favourite things about my work is finding out things about companies that I never knew existed. It helps to make sense of the world when you realise that there are hundreds of companies doing things to make our life work. We once worked with the world's leading provider of windscreen wipers. That's all they did and they were the best in the world at it. Or finding out that a company that provides tolling services for freeways was involved in identifying a killer's car as he fled the crime scene. Once you work with a company you tend to see their logos everywhere.

2. You meet amazing and interesting people.
During conferences there is a great opportunity to mix with people that you might never normally meet. It's even better when you sit next to someone during dinner and you find out about their work and background. I have met media celebrities, journalists, sports stars, army veterans and surgeons. You begin to appreciate how everything on the news or stock market effects people in some way.

3. Travelling to places you would not choose to visit.
During my career I have worked in some quite obscure countries including New Zealand and Bangladesh. I have worked at remote oil refineries, onsite at large companies and in small country towns. But I think the most unusual place I have ever run a training session was in the Death Room at a Veterinary clinic. I still love going to nice hotels and eating amazing food.

4. Work and Family balance
I mostly have two programs a week. The rest of my time is spent with meetings, pre-program preparation or follow up. I also help out with reading and my children's school. I can schedule my time so that I can volunteer for school excursions. I am able to go to school assemblies and watch the sports days and music concerts. I also try and fit in the occasional kite surfing session midweek.

5. Holidays
During the last five years I have hiked to Everest base camp with my two brothers and travelled to  South America with my family. I have been lucky enough to go to Europe, North America, Indonesia and Thailand. Next month I am going to Fiji on a kitesurfing adventure. I love my work but I also love all the things that can be done outside of work.

6. Reward for Effort
I feel that the work that I do is well compensated for the effort and skills required. I have been involved in the industry for almost twenty years and I am now ready to assist like minded people with the resources they need so they can run their own successful team building business.

By Daniel Cohen