Keeping a group alert, refreshed and ready to learn is no small feat during a busy convention. Everyone’s schedule is off kilter, attendees might be eating more than usual and staying up later to socialize and enjoy the destination.
So instead of the typical boat-building or bead-stringing team-building activity, why not awaken everyone’s resting heart rate with a workout before they go back to work?
“These programs are a good way to get fit and participate in an event,” says Drew Toth, director of sales and marketing for Mission Inn Resort & Club near Orlando, which has a full array of active team-building choices. “We all want to do something we don’t normally get to do.”
Following are some ideas to get your group up and at ’em during your next Florida meeting or event.
Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, Miramar Beach
Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort combines team building and fitness with a variety of activities ranging from moderate to extreme.
In the latter category, the Baytowne Adventure Zone Challenge includes a YOLO board relay (stand-up paddleboarding), a zipline challenge, the Sandestin Sky Trail (a ropes course), a golf challenge and a climbing tower challenge. Groups can choose one activity or mix and match all five challenges for “the ultimate experience,” says Penny Jackson, Sandestin’s director of sales.
“It’s such a wonderful way for attendees to have lasting memories and enjoy quality time outdoors with fellow colleagues,” she says.
Jackson also notes that more requests are coming in for programs combining both fitness and team building.
“It’s becoming more and more popular with our meetings,” she says. “YOLO in particular is a trending sport right now. It works your core muscle groups. However, most people are so busy enjoying the scenery and fun of the sport, they never know they’re working out.”PageBreak
Florida FFA Leadership Training Center, Haines City
Located in Haines City, midway between Orlando and Tampa, the Florida FFA Leadership Training Center specializes in group bonding through team building in a secluded environment that fosters closeness. Activities include canoeing and kayaking across an on-site lake, as well as paintball tournaments, basketball, volleyball and bicycling. The center’s signature team-building event, though, is its rope courses, featuring different elements and challenges along the way.
“Everyone gets involved,” says Evie Nagel, the center’s director of sales. “We offer a low ropes and high ropes course. It doesn’t matter what kind of shape you’re in, everyone can participate on the low ropes to get the team-building and trust components in. The facilitator meets with clients to discuss the individual dynamics of their group and designs the course accordingly.”
The center offers 60 lodging rooms, including five-, six- and seven-bedroom villas with individual bathrooms and large common areas, along with 13,000 square feet of meeting and dining space.
“You sleep, eat and meet all on property,” Nagel says.
Corporate Resort Services, St. Petersburg
When groups need to work off that sumptuous evening buffet, St. Petersburg-based Corporate Resort Services is there with their black lights, which come in handy for Night Spiker volleyball, a fun alternative to the traditional game but just as good a workout despite the fact that players sport glow-in-the-dark body paint that matches the glow of the net, the ball and the out-of-bounds lines.
“We have multiple courts and hold competitions with single or double eliminations,” says John Harbet, president of the company. “We give out medallions to the winning teams and provide custom T-shirts. Those who don’t play cheer the rest of the team on.”
The company can stage Night Spiker volleyball and other events all over the state.
Omni Amelia Island Plantation, Amelia Island
The Omni Amelia Island Plantation gets physical with an Island Survivor Challenge, which splits teams into four to six people, assigning each team a name, a war cry and a team flag before they compete in six unique challenges. Options range from moderate archery and walk-the-plank challenges to more physical activities like the Fire Brigade, which sends participants to the ocean and back, filling buckets of water, and relay races that include lots of running, strategizing and solving brain teasers.
One of the resort’s newer team-building options is GenMove, which is “an ultimate game, like ultimate Frisbee,” says Kate Biava, the property’s corporate recreation manager. “There are different balls and nets, and you can create different physical fitness and team-building games incorporating the equipment.”
Groups also may opt for a run and walk along a custom-designed, three-mile course, stopping at bottled water stations and taking in the island’s natural beauty as they compete. Prizes are awarded for the best times. Scavenger hunts via bicycle, paintball contests and group sails are among the other active choices for team-building experiences. PageBreak
Mission Inn Resort & Club, Howey-in-the-Hills
Set in Central Florida’s lake region south of Tavares, Mission Inn Resort & Club is its own sports capital, with a state-of-the-art fitness center complete with personal trainers, a tennis academy, two golf academies, cycling trails and even a trap and skeet range.
“Trap and skeet is becoming really popular,” says Drew Toth, the property’s director of sales and marketing. “People love the competitive aspect of clay shooting. We also have a ropes course on-property, so we have plenty of options for team building. We just did a program a few weeks ago, and the group used both the golf and tennis courts.”
Toth says the resort’s self-contained setting covering 1,100 acres in the Florida foothills also contributes to a group’s team-building efforts. “The property itself is somewhat isolated. You can’t just go next door to restaurants or bars,” he says. “The atmosphere in itself builds camaraderie.”
South Seas Island Resort, Captiva
Attendees set sail toward fitness at the Offshore Sailing School, located at South Seas Island Resort on Captiva. Claiming the “ultimate platform for interpersonal development, discovery and learning,” the firm offers full- and half-day sailing programs that encourage groups to work together to navigate boats under sail power alone.
Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa, Miramar Beach
The Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa gets groups going with active pursuits like pool and beach volleyball, relay and raft races, beach Olympic events and an Amazing Race-style challenge that involves a 3.5-mile bike ride. But don’t worry if some in the group might balk at the level of difficulty; the resort’s recreation department can customize programs to meet individual needs.
“Everyone’s fitness levels are different. You might get triathlon runners and people who are sedentary in the same group,” says Alexandria Rowe, the resort’s recreation manager. “Our printed material is just the starting point. We cater to anything and everything.”
The Hilton’s spa, Serenity by the Sea, also gets serious about fitness with a Beach Boot Camp that pairs exercise with scenic oceanfront views and can be tailored to various fitness levels.
