• Paper Tower Exercise.  This a simple, fast activity you can do to build up teamwork skills.  Give each of your teams a piece of paper and tell them to build the tallest free-standing structure they can inside of five minutes.  At the end of five minutes, you can see who was most successful at this simple activity, and then you can discuss why.  Your teams can discuss who did the planning and execution, and which teams worked together most effectively to achieve the simple goal.
• Mine Field.  This exercise requires a wide open space, which makes it perfect for corporate parties hosted in large parks.  “Mines” are distributed throughout the wide open “minefield.”  These objects can be anything; something simple like cones or bowling pins works perfectly.  Pair your coworkers together in groups of two.  One partner is blindfolded and has to walk across the minefield while the other calls out directions.  The goal is for the blindfolded employee to cross the field without walking into any mines; it is a trust-building exercise and improves communication skills.
• Trip-planning exercise.  This is an exercise where each team is given an identical map and asked to plan a vacation within thirty minutes using a certain budget.  Awards can be given at the end of the exercise to the teams which were most successful.  For example, the team which planned the most relaxing vacation could win an award, as could the team that planned the most cost-effective vacation.  Another award could be given to the team that was able to see and do the most.

These are just a few examples of team-building exercises.  They are easy and inexpensive to plan and require very few supplies.  They build creativity and trust and help teammates learn how to distribute responsibilities and deal with time-based pressures.  They also help you to focus activities during your corporate party.  At Too Much Fun Club, we can help you set up fun activities like these which are ideal for your company and help you to accomplish your team building goals.  We can even help you to design fun team activities which fit in with the theme for your gathering!

• Free up your time.  If you’re planning a corporate party, you can let your office administrators and other staff members who would be saddled with the tasks of planning get back to their main job duties.  If you’re doing the planning yourself for an event, you can get back to whatever you’d rather be doing.  Maybe you’re planning a wedding celebration.  By contracting us, you can get back to planning the other aspects of your wedding.  It’s less stressful to pass the planning off to the experts, and then you can enjoy the other aspects of your planning more since you’ll have more time to get everything done.
• Save money.  Do you know where to find the best deal in San Francisco on catering?  How about the lowest fee to rent the best event space which is just the right size to host your party?  How much money have you budgeted for activities? Party favors?  Music?  When you contract with event managers, you can set a budget for the whole event.  At Too Much Fun Club, we’ll work within your budget to take care of everything at a price you can afford.
• Get ideas.  Planning a corporate event or another party can be quite a creative task, and sometimes it’s hard to come up with good ideas, especially if you don’t regularly plan events.  We’ll help you to come up with a creative, fun, and memorable theme for your event.  Don’t know what kinds of activities to include?  We have dozens and dozens of activities ready for any occasion, any climate, and any indoor or outdoor setting.  Not sure how to entertain attendees of all ages?  We have activities which are fun for both kids and adults.
• Cut back on stress.  A party is supposed to be a good time, but often the fun is at the expense of the person in charge of setting everything up.  Let everyone at your company have fun at your event (including you!) by leaving the stressful details up to us.  You’ll be amazed at how effortless the process becomes.

Even small parties can be difficult to organize.  Larger events with dozens or even hundreds of attendees can be a handful and a half.  Too Much Fun Club can set up the perfect large or small gathering, complete down to every detail, and do it all at a price which you can afford.  Ready for a consultation?  Get in touch with us today and we’ll get started.

How do you select a theme for your party?  Sometimes selecting a theme is as simple as letting the purpose of your event determine the theme.  Maybe you want to keep things simple and just make your theme something like “50^th Anniversary Party.”  Other times though you may want something more fun and creative.  Good themes are easily recognizable, easy to connect to, and lend well to activities, food, and décor.  That’s why many themes are based on countries and locations.  Here are some of the themes we’ve used for corporate events in the past:

• Caribbean
• Mexican Fiesta
• Moroccan
• Cooking (meaning cooking was an activity at the party)
• Beach
• Super Bowl

Notice how all of these themes instantly paint a mental image of a party?  When you think about a Mexican Fiesta party, you can immediately visualize the red, white, and green color scheme, and you can imagine the food—enchiladas, tacos, burritos and other Mexican cuisine.  Piñatas, salsa dancing and other activities would be easy to integrate into your party.

Likewise, you can paint a clear mental image of a beach party.  It’s easy for people to dress for a beach themed party, and you can enjoy fun activities like volleyball which you’d typically play at the beach.  This is another type of party which lends simple, clear ideas for food and drinks.  Pineapple and other tropical foods and drinks can add to the atmosphere.

Sometimes you can merge a corporate party with a holiday party or another timely event.  A Super Bowl party has a fun football theme, and makes it fun for football fans in your company to celebrate corporate achievements and share in the fun of the game with other enthusiasts.  You also could have a holiday themed corporate party like a Christmas party, St. Patrick’s Day party, or another holiday.

If you have an idea for a themed corporate party, we’re excited to heat about your vision and help you bring it to life.  We can provide suggestions if you need them, or we can just work with whatever idea you come to us with.  Still have no idea what theme would suit your company party?  We can help you select a theme which will make your party memorable and fun.  Have a look at our gallery to check out some of the past parties we’ve thrown and how the themes enhanced the festivities.  You’ll probably get a lot of great ideas just from browsing!

• Provide you with an event venue.  For example, Too Much Fun Club does most of its large corporate parties at Menlo College, a private Atherton school.  The grounds are beautiful and provide plenty of space for fun activities like picnicking, sports, games, and more.  Holiday events can be hosted at museums, mansions and other fun destinations.
• Set up an event theme.  Your theme might be based on the event you’re hosting (like a bar mitzvah). Or you might choose a fun theme like Caribbean, Carnival, Country and Western, or Hawaiian.  An event planner can bring all the props, party favors, décor, and activities to make it happen.
• Provide music for the occasion.  Whether you want a jazz band, a band that can play pop and rock hits, a DJ who can spin records, or a string quartet, an event planner can provide the perfect music for your event.
• Arrange for photographers to capture memories of your event.  Event planners can call in digital and film photographers and videographers to capture all the special moments so that you have memories of the fun for years to come.
• Set up parking, including valet parking services.  An event planner can also arrange for transportation for guests who cannot drive or take public transit to your event.
• Work out catering details.  Instead of bringing your own food or struggling to find the perfect caterer to serve delicious, affordable food at your gathering, why not let an event planner choose the best deal from the best caterer?
• Provide fun activities and equipment for interactive games, sporting events, and more.  Parties are much more enjoyable when you provide plenty for your guests to enjoy!

When you hire an event planner, you take advantage of all the connections and expertise that company has to offer, which saves you time, costs, and hassles.  Instead of contacting dozens of companies to help you set up your party, you can simplify matters by just contacting a single event planning company like Too Much Fun Club.  Whether you’re planning a wedding reception, a holiday party, a corporate event or some other type of gathering, you can then get on to the important business of having a good time!

One skill that is vital to the smooth flow of interoffice efficiency is the ability to have a good communication flow from employee to employee; and from one office department to the next.

Below are two fun team building activities for work that are designed not only for enjoyment but also help to build up employees’ communication skills.

I. Game: Observation Mobservation. (Living in the Moment)

The purpose of this game is to enhance specific skills among your employees, namely teamwork, change and motivation primarily through communication. This game can be played in a boardroom, conference room or lecture room. Participants in the game can be eight or more. The game can take 15 – 60 minutes, depending on the number of participants playing, and the list of questions the facilitator will ask.

Procedure:

1. All participants are given a piece of paper and pen or pencil. They should write down numbers 1 – 20 on their list, as they will have to write the answers to the questions that are asked.
2. The facilitator asks them to write the answers to 20 questions. Examples of the questions can be: a) How many keys are in your wallet? b) What color are the walls in the reception room? c) What is the color of the hair of the receptionist? d) Who has the longest hair among all the participants in this activity? The point of the questions is that they should focus on the environment and the people around them.
3. Make it edgy. After all the questions have been answered, let the team members exchange sheets with the person beside them for corrections as the facilitator gives the answers to all the questions.
4. Prize. Award a prize to the funniest wrong answer in the group.

Post activity:

Divide the participants into small groups. Assign one group member to take notes and give a group report. Have the group discuss among themselves the following questions:

• What stops us from being in the moment and taking in everything around us?
• When are we most “in the moment” to the point that nothing escapes our observation?
• How would enhanced observation, wherever we are, influence our relationships with other people and our career?
• How important is being “in the moment” to strengthening our communication skills?

II. Game: Art is Life (Communicating Across Human Barriers)

Everyone is born with differences such as family values, culture, educational background and the like. This game is designed to help people cross cultural differences by understanding that everyone communicates in a different way, based on the items mentioned above. This game is easy, and can also be played in a boardroom or conference room. Participants should ideally be an even number but if they are an odd number, the game can still be played. The time limit can be 20 – 40 minutes.

Procedure:

1. Ask the participants to say successively the number 1, then the number 2 and so on down the line. Once that’s done, let the number 1s stay on one side of the room, and the number 2s stay on the other side.
2. Let each number 1 pair with a participant from the number 2 group. Ideally, the facilitator should make sure the participants are paired with people they don’t know very well or are not very close to.
3. If there is an uneven number of participants, one group can have three members.
4. Once the pairs are made, decide who will draw the picture, and who will give directions on how to draw the picture. The facilitator will give cards to the person who will give directions. The card will say a word like “car” or “bug” or “piano.”
5. The person must describe to the person who is drawing how to draw the word in his card. He can’t us any word related to the item. For example, if it’s “bicycle” he can’t say “wheel.” He has to say, “draw two circles with a space between them.” In other words, they have to use words like “lines,” “circles,” “curves,” but no words that will hint at what is the object that should be drawn.
6. At the end of the game, each team can show the group the drawing, and the group should try to guess what the drawing is. Then the describer can give the correct answer.
7. An award can be given to the funniest team.

Post Activity:

Let two groups join together so there are four of five members per group. Let them answer the following questions:

• What was the main barrier that made it difficult for the drawer to do the exercise?
• What was the main barrier that made it difficult for the describer to convey the instructions to draw the object to the drawer?
• How did the exercise help the describer become more inventive in communicating to the drawer?
• How did the exercise help the drawer find more creative ways to help understand what the goal of the describer was?
• How can improved communication skills influence our personal relationships and our productivity in the work environment?

Interoffice Communication Skills Can Increase Productivity

Team building activities geared to boost communication can have additional benefits. A company with enhanced interoffice communication will have a heightened motivation because the employees’ morale will be boosted. Enhanced communication strengthens problem solving, decision making and adaptability. As a result, employee performance and productivity improves, leading to better business production. When employees have enhanced communication skills, everybody wins.

Too Much Fun Club uses fun wisely. We believe you can never have too much fun when you know there is a purpose behind it. We can help your company event to meet the objectives that you want to reach in ways that are relaxing, enjoyable and in this way, more effective learning tools.

Too Much Fun Club does full service event planning and entertainment for corporate picnics and holiday events. Based on what you want, your budget, goals and objectives, we will find a perfect venue, select a theme, prepare the menu for food and beverage, prepare a list of targeted activities, coordinate and organize all aspects of the event from set up to finish.

However, the truth is, team building should be an integral part of business. It is beneficial to the company as a whole, a win-win activity for you and your employees. If your team building is planned strategically, your employees will go back to work more motivated, and your productivity and revenue generation will increase.

The key is to hire a good event management company that understands what team building involves and how it can be maximized to create the best results for your business.

More than just having a list of fun games for the staff to play in a relaxing and fun environment — team building is a psychological discipline. An event management firm knows that even as your people are having fun, they are learning to communicate through the activities you have prepared for them. By observing your employees, you, as the boss, can discern the strong points of each of your employees.

You can determine – who is the leader? Who is well organized? Who works well and fast? Who has the potential to be a great communicator? Who is creative? You get valuable information from team building. But not all events management companies are created equal. You need an events firm that knows that team building is serious business.

With strategically selected activities and the organization of teams per activity, these observations can be elicited and then be put into play when it’s time to get back to business.

At the office, you can assign tasks to your employees according to the strengths you observed in them. They will feel more motivated because they know they are being productive and doing a good job.

You can even intermingle the team building activities with a conference event management meeting. Once you know your people better from how they participate in the event activities, you can have a group planning session to devise strategies to create a business plan for the following year, list down ideas for ways to improve business, and create targets for every department.

You can get the team involved in knowing where the business is going and in that way, everybody will be on the same page and feel like they each play an important role in your company.

Team building can also create a more positive and constructive atmosphere in your work environment. Put together a group of people who rarely interact at the office, and give them a group activity. This will enhance bonding and networking. The difference will show when they are back to work at the office. Another activity can be designed to put two people who have been at odds with each other together in one team to work for a common goal. That will diminish tension when they are back at the office.

It’s common for companies to have allegiances and divisions among workmates. Teambuilding can break these barriers down and help to create new networks and develop new friendships.

Too Much Fun Club uses fun wisely – for a specific goal that a company places before them. What are the objectives of their event? We can plan the event around these objectives.

Too Much Fun Club does full service San Francisco Bay Area event planning and entertainment for corporate picnics and holiday events. Based on what you want, your budget, goals and objectives, we will find a perfect venue, select a theme, prepare the menu for food and beverage, prepare a list of targeted activities, coordinate and organize all aspects of the event from set up to finish.

Remember: A happy office is a productive office. Employees work more efficiently in a positive and constructive work environment. Production increases and revenue goes up. You can’t lose with team building – and an events firm that knows its business is essential to maximizing on your investment in team building.

For the older kids, we have tons of inflatables they can enjoy.  How about a giant slide, Segways, video games, trampolines or a rock wall to climb.  There are also plenty of sports activities available.  We have found over the years that if we keep the kids happy, the parents will be happy.

As far as holiday events, we have an amazing data base filled with all sorts of venues that include museums, wineries, estates, restaurants, event venues and historical locations.  One of our favorite spots to have an event is the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park. This museum has it all.  An aquarium, a planetarium, penguins, great exhibits and it’s very own rain forest.  It does not get much better than this!  Call us so we can tell you about exciting venues in your area.

One of the many services we offer is finding that perfect venue for your event. Once we have the details from you, we will make suggestions on different venues that may work for your group.  Then we will head out for a site tour so you can make your decision.  Once we have the site, we will work with the caterers to determine the menu as well as coordinate all the other elements of the event.  We do the work so you can have too much fun!

One big event in June was for Salesforce.com. It was held at Menlo College and it was a huge hit with the group. This was a family picnic for the sales division and they loved it. We had an amazing array of activities and shows for the group. The event took place on the day England played the US in the World Cup. We created a sports bar feel in the lounge and had a big screen TV with food and drink available during the game.

As far as entertainment, we had an amazing array of inflatables available, a steel drum band and DJ, a petting zoo, pony rides, an exotic animal show with a sloth and more, as well as Henna Tattoo and caricaturists. The food was prepared by ABC and they did an outstanding job with the menu. We can’t think of a better place for picnics than Menlo College. With the swimming pool open as well as the games room with pool and ping pong, this was an outstanding event!

Let us know if we can assist you with event planning for your next celebration.