Is there a better place to build a team than at a place built for teams?
Fortunately for planners seeking teambuilding opportunities in the Sunshine State, Florida’s got game, with multiple franchises in football, baseball, basketball and hockey, a Major League Soccer team, minor league teams galore and international-level facilities for golf, tennis, horse and car racing, rowing, swimming and every other sport under the sun.
Whether you’re in it to win it, or just for the fun of it, Florida can help attendees go the distance.
Home Runs
Florida’s obsession with baseball doesn’t begin and end with the Miami Marlins and the Tampa Bay Rays. The state also hosts the Grapefruit League, a roster of 15 pre-season teams that hold MLB spring training here, including the Atlanta Braves at Champion Stadium in the Walt Disney World Resort; the Houston Astros at Osceola County Stadium in Kissimmee; and the New York Mets at Tradition Field in Port St. Lucie.
Roger Dean Stadium, Jupiter
Spring training home base for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Miami Marlins is at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, north of West Palm Beach, a 110-acre facility comprised of 12 practice fields in addition to the main stadium. Groups can have the run of the place, including suites, the dugouts and clubhouses, while event planners are on hand to get them moving.
“We do a little bit of everything here,” says Alex Inman, assistant general manager. “I try and tailor each event to the needs of the group. I’ve done everything from company softball and kickball games to special events and concerts.”
JetBlue Park at Fenway South, Fort Myers
The Boston Red Sox rev up for the season at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, pros at hosting theme parties, corporate dinners and expos in a range of spaces that include the left field deck, the concourse and the right field picnic area.
“We’d be open to just about everything,” says Brett Bodine, senior manager of Florida business operations. “We have groups doing batting practice or kickball and softball games… as long as we have the availability. We’ve also hosted large group outings where they come out and watch a game,” he adds.
Meetings of between 50 and 80 people can segue into breakout sessions or a cocktail party, Bodine says.
Historic Dodgertown, Vero Beach
Set in Vero Beach on Florida’s Treasure Coast, Historic Dodgertown is a sports haven of not just baseball, but football, lacrosse, crew/rowing, soccer, softball and swimming. With an on-site conference center and accommodations for about 90, it’s ideal for corporate retreats, though half- and full-day programs also are available.
“A typical program might have a Western barbecue at the pool or some kind of social activity, and the group will have meetings through the day,” says Adie Ward, Dodgertown’s director of events. “They may have a kickball game or a softball game, something all ages can enjoy, especially if they’re not very sporty. But if they want to do full-out baseball, they can definitely go for it.”
The extensive property also includes a banquet hall for 200 and a club lounge with billiards, bar and dance floor for up to a hundred. Meanwhile, Dodgertown is open to your teambuilding ideas.
“We had a school come here and they did rocket building and water adventures,” Ward says. “Other groups come in but go off-site to a ropes course. It’s a big place and we can do a lot of different things.”
Living Large
State-of-the-art facilities, plenty of space and pros on hand to guide you to victory. Florida football stadiums and basketball arenas give teambuilding a definite edge.
Raymond James Stadium, Tampa Bay
Home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Raymond James Stadium scores big when it comes to private event space—club lounges, press box, the locker room and even a pirate ship are among the choices.
“We like to market ourselves as that unique venue,” says Michelle Stobb, catering sales manager, who notes that event space will ramp up this fall with the addition of new “super suites” able to host 250 guest and new Jumbotron screens that groups can use to project their company names.
Also enhancing events at Raymond James are the team cheerleaders, available for pictures, and schedules permitting, team players who can speak at group events.
“One group also had a cigar roller come out and make everyone cigars,” Stobb says.
Meanwhile, down on the field itself, groups can do things like set up field goal posts and kick field goals.
“They might also set up a ‘quarterback challenge’ inflatable to throw footballs through different holes,” notes David Moss, the stadium’s director of events. “We also offer stadium tours to give folks a chance to see everything.”
EverBank Field, Jacksonville
Where the Jacksonville Jaguars roam, your team can play along. At EverBank Field, group spaces aplenty include the team meeting room, locker room and the Sky Patio, which has hosted its share of Football Fantasy parties.
Back on ground level, the SEZ Tailgate Cabanas—a 300-yard outdoor playground—accommodate up to 2,500 for cookouts and barbecues, interactive games and friendly challenges on two sand volleyball courts.
American Airlines Arena, Miami
Group events and activities heat up at downtown Miami’s AmericanAirlines Arena, home base for the Miami Heat, where the newly unveiled Xfinity East Plaza includes 23,000 square feet of covered outdoor space with stunning views of Biscayne Bay and the downtown cityscape.
“The beauty of hosting a teambuilding activity here is the flexibility we have to customize the group’s experience,” says Lorrie-Ann Diaz, senior director, The HEAT Group Business Communications. “We can accommodate groups as small as 10 and as large as 1,000.”
Shoot hoops where the NBA stars do? It’s called “Court of Dreams,” and it gives groups the chance to play basketball on the Triple-A’s main court; if hosted on a Heat game day, there is a minimum ticket purchase.
Also on game days, an Early Entry program allows the group to sit courtside and watch the players warm up, while Post-Game Free Throws let attendees take their shot after the game.
If you’d like your teambuilding with a side of networking, the arena can arrange appearances by such Heat legends as Alonzo Mourning as well as team executives available for Q&A sessions.
Extremely Good
Groups can take it to the limit and beyond at some of Florida’s hard-driving sports entertainment centers. Here are a few group options:
PageBreakXTreme Action Park, Fort Lauderdale
Groups rise to the challenge of a ropes course, split into bowling teams and compete on six full-size lanes, go head-to-head at hoops, or engage in the premier event—go-kart racing—at 90,000-square-foot XTreme Action Park in Fort Lauderdale.
“This type of activity encourages employees to communicate in new ways, all working together to complete a task, crossing the finish line and winning the race,” says Elizabeth Sommerfeld, XTreme’s marketing director. “Of course, everyone participates in the championship trophy celebration and the after-party complete with food and drink.”
Party space is generous—a 5,000-square-foot banquet/event room, a 2,500-square-foot VIP sky box lounge with private bar, a trackside conference room and two smaller private party rooms.
“We can accommodate several size groups among these areas or a complete buyout to rotate over 1,200 people,” Sommerfeld says.
Attendees will learn the ins and outs of ATV riding at Revolution Off Road in the Central Florida town of Clermont. Trails are designed for both novice and expert riders, so guests can go as slow or fast as they like, with guides on hand to help steer around bumps (though some will want to take them on).
Florida Tracks & Trails, Punta Gorda
Miles of trails are waiting to be explored via ATV, UTV, dirt bike, go cart or golf cart at Florida Tracks & Trails in Punta Gorda, which also offers a sanctioned facility for motocross and can accommodate every level, from beginners to experts. For groups looking to challenge each other, Florida Tracks & Trails specializes in the tactical, hyper-competitive game of paintball.
“We’ve had EMS and fire departments battle it out on the paintball fields,” says Tiffanie Cool, operations manager. “But we’ve also had companies come out and have barbecues on our beach and we’ve put on fall festivals for other companies. We can accommodate groups as small as a handful to groups in the thousands.”
Daytona International Speedway
With Daytona’s transition from speedway to stadium, there are more areas than ever for groups to gather, including new luxury Sky Suites with theater-style seating and state-of-the-art connectivity.
“It lends itself to so many opportunities for that meeting planner who wants to think outside the box and is looking for something different,” says Linda McMahon, director of group sales at the Daytona Beach Area CVB. “Once you have your group photo at victory lane, that’s very inspirational and motivational.”
Meanwhile, on-site activities like the Richard Petty Driving Experience rev up the entire group, as attendees ride shotgun in an authentic NASCAR stock car driven by a professional instructor.
Fit For a King
With Rolls Royces tooling past multimillion-dollar mansions and elegant shopping enclaves like Worth Avenue, Palm Beach County has a certain panache, and the same goes for its teambuilding opportunities.
International Polo Club, Wellington
It’s the sport of kings, but princes like it, too—Prince Charles played here in the ’80s—and so will attendees when you plan some teambuilding time at the International Polo Club in Wellington, set in the western part of the county about 30 minutes from the Palm Beach County Convention Center.
The club not only offers polo instruction leading to exhibition matches, but tennis and croquet as well.
“We’re very flexible,” says Matthew Tarantino, catering sales manager. “Groups have done obstacle courses and sumo wrestling here. We have 250 acres to work with.”
After their games of choice, sit-down dinners for 220 or 500 are waiting.
National Croquet Center, West Palm Beach
With roots going back to antiquity, the modern game of croquet took England by storm in the mid-1800s. Although it was ultimately eclipsed by tennis on the international sports scene, croquet remains perennially popular, a game open to all ages and fitness levels and played with healthy doses of sunshine and social interaction.
At the National Croquet Center in West Palm Beach, that sense of conviviality starts right away.
“As soon as groups step off the motorcoach, we have staff passing them a drink, then we bring them out on the croquet lawn. While they’re out there, we serve hors d’oeuvres and drinks,” says Scott Reiser, director of catering. “Winners will play winners, losers play losers, then we have a shootout. Then they may have dinner. It could take anywhere from three to four hours.”
Water Worlds
Teambuilding in Florida continues well beyond the confines of dry land. Tell attendees to break out their swim gear for the following:
School of Surf, Cocoa Beach
Hometown of world surfing champ Kelly Slater, Cocoa Beach is the place to go if you want to learn to surf. And it’s easier than you might think.
“We teach people who have never even seen the beach,” says Todd Holland, owner of School of Surf. “When we take them to the water, it’s the first time they’re seeing the ocean.”
Holland says these novices often do well, riding their first waves by lesson’s end. School of Surf’s two-hour programs start with safety drills and how-to demonstrations at the store, then the group heads over to the beach to begin. Larger numbers are broken into groups of 10 and there is a ratio of one instructor for every four people. Equipment is provided, and the only requirement is the ability to swim.
“We try to keep it very safe and very laid-back. We’re a family business,” Holland says.
Nathan Benderson Park, Sarasota
Customized teambuilding programs are waiting at Nathan Benderson Park in Sarasota where world-class rowing and training courses will welcome the World Rowing Championships in 2017. In the meantime, groups can get a taste of this challenging sport, pairing up in groups of four or eight for an intro to boat racing, or 12 to 20 participants in dragon boat paddling. They also may combine multiple aquatic and land activities, including tandem kayaking paddling and racing as well as land races and scavenger hunts.
“We also can provide a motivational speaker tailored to the company’s specifics or niche,” says Zach Hilferding, program manager of Suncoast Aquatic Nature Center Associates at Nathan Benderson Park.
