Fun corporate event for 60+ in Bay Area
August 30, 2017 10:55 AM Subscribe
My company will be holding our annual retreat in the Bay Area this October. We're looking for a fun evening event we can stage for the entire staff (a little over 60 total) that's social and inclusive. We have a very diverse staff in every sense of the word—all sorts of ages and backgrounds. We will be staying in the East Bay. Last year, we did a dinner cruise in the Bay, which was a success. Your ideas for something different are most welcome!
Do you have a budget per person? Does your team normally spend time in the Bay Area (so they would want to do cool unique Bay Area things) or do they live here (so they would be OK with doing a typical corporate event that's not Bay Area specific, like a cooking party)?
Speakeasy recommends/requires 1920s period clothing (or at least dress clothing) for participants, are you OK with events that require your team to dress up? Do you have a specific goal like "foster teambuilding" or will the event be a success as long as people have a good time?
posted by phoenixy at 3:00 PM on August 30, 2017
Speakeasy recommends/requires 1920s period clothing (or at least dress clothing) for participants, are you OK with events that require your team to dress up? Do you have a specific goal like "foster teambuilding" or will the event be a success as long as people have a good time?
posted by phoenixy at 3:00 PM on August 30, 2017
Oh, the teambuilding event I want to do next for my team is Reason. Escape rooms always go over well, and Reason seems pretty cool. They claim they can do "special events" accommodating up to 100 people, although they don't really explain on their site what that entails.
posted by phoenixy at 3:05 PM on August 30, 2017
posted by phoenixy at 3:05 PM on August 30, 2017
Response by poster: Do you have a budget per person?
I'm not sure what the budget is, but pricewise, we probably want to stick to the realm of what we did last time (which was a private dinner cruise for a few hours on a mid-sized boat that had two decks).
Does your team normally spend time in the Bay Area (so they would want to do cool unique Bay Area things) or do they live here (so they would be OK with doing a typical corporate event that's not Bay Area specific, like a cooking party)?
A good chunk lives in the Bay Area, but probably two-thirds do not. Doesn't have to be a unique Bay Area thing, though that would be nice.
Are you OK with events that require your team to dress up?
Speakeasy looks cool, but I don't think we'd be interested in something that requires dressing up.
Do you have a specific goal like "foster teambuilding" or will the event be a success as long as people have a good time?
The latter, but the former is cool, too.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 3:29 PM on August 30, 2017
I'm not sure what the budget is, but pricewise, we probably want to stick to the realm of what we did last time (which was a private dinner cruise for a few hours on a mid-sized boat that had two decks).
Does your team normally spend time in the Bay Area (so they would want to do cool unique Bay Area things) or do they live here (so they would be OK with doing a typical corporate event that's not Bay Area specific, like a cooking party)?
A good chunk lives in the Bay Area, but probably two-thirds do not. Doesn't have to be a unique Bay Area thing, though that would be nice.
Are you OK with events that require your team to dress up?
Speakeasy looks cool, but I don't think we'd be interested in something that requires dressing up.
Do you have a specific goal like "foster teambuilding" or will the event be a success as long as people have a good time?
The latter, but the former is cool, too.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 3:29 PM on August 30, 2017
Hmmm...some other things we have done:
Parties that Cook is a common go-to for a large group event. It's always been outside my budget but it will probably be within yours.
We did also did a team event of a similar size at The Crucible. We broke into groups where everyone signed up for a different activity and made their own thing, but I imagine it would be pretty cool to do the big group project option. It's a good outing if it's the kind of thing your team is into. (It's an industrial space, where you're on your feet a lot, it's not luxurious or anything. Worked well for a team of engineers.)
posted by phoenixy at 5:02 PM on August 30, 2017
Parties that Cook is a common go-to for a large group event. It's always been outside my budget but it will probably be within yours.
We did also did a team event of a similar size at The Crucible. We broke into groups where everyone signed up for a different activity and made their own thing, but I imagine it would be pretty cool to do the big group project option. It's a good outing if it's the kind of thing your team is into. (It's an industrial space, where you're on your feet a lot, it's not luxurious or anything. Worked well for a team of engineers.)
posted by phoenixy at 5:02 PM on August 30, 2017
Response by poster: Thanks! Really appreciate these suggestions.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 7:40 PM on August 30, 2017
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 7:40 PM on August 30, 2017
This is only fun for engineering fans and people who like looking at water, but if that applies, the Bay Model in Sausalito is unparalleled, and there are lots of fun places to eat in Sausalito. You can get there by boat cruise, too.
posted by clew at 11:01 PM on August 30, 2017
posted by clew at 11:01 PM on August 30, 2017
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posted by wnissen at 11:36 AM on August 30, 2017