Out of The Office: Unique Meeting Places and Team Building Spaces

Wining and dining used to be just a sales strategy. From lavish dinners and box seats to golf courses and A-list lounges, creative venues were part of the art of doing business. And they still are. Except entertainment is no longer just for the client, and where business gets done isn’t only about sealing a deal. The right places and activities can boost your business by way of team bonding and building relationships of all kinds. Place and productivity are more connected than ever.

Getting out of the office—whether it’s with your co-workers or a new client—is a great way to create interactions normally trapped inside email. It also helps strengthen relationships and tap into the kind of thinking that gets stalled inside the confines of conference rooms. So get out there and get business done better.

CHANNEL CREATIVITY

Take the team out for Paint Nite to get those creative juices flowing.

Paint Nite

Need to teach some left-brained analytical thinkers some right-brained skills? Stretch their creativity over a cocktail and canvas. Spend an evening in your company’s private paint studio, also known as your favorite downtown watering hole. Paint Nite events take place in thousands of bar and restaurant locations across the country and come with all the paint supplies you need for an art project guided by a professional artist. Custom events can also be created to match company themes or special occasions. Call it two hours of creative fun that ends in personalized wall art for your office.

Mystery Dinner

If you need to wine and dine, make your group meal more memorable with a bit of theater. Not just any theater, of course: Book your table for a fully immersive mystery dinner party. Let professionally trained comedy improv actors lead you and your guests through an unsolved crime. Chew on the clues as you work your way through a multi-course meal. Next topic for the follow-up call: whodunnit?

A CHANGE OF SCENERY

Breather locations feature modern décor and a relaxed environment for that welcome change of scenery your next big meeting needs.

Breather

Want to take your office activity down a notch? Breather lets you work at resting heart rate in beautiful spaces designed to spark creativity. Book a room for an hour or a day to hold a meeting, workshop, client presentation, or even a photoshoot. Your space comes fully prepped for productivity, from whiteboards and chargers, to video screens and Wi-Fi. The best part is, you can reserve a room right from the app. (And you never have to clean up.)

Liquidspace

Got a great space you want to share? Or need a remote workspace when you’re on the go? Liquidspace lets you rent or find a flexible office, fast. Think of it as the Airbnb for offices. Need a space with a kitchenette? Easy. How about a Tiki bar? That, too! Want to impress a client with a corner office and a skyline view? Done. With over 3,200 verified venues in more than 750 cities, you’re sure to find the right location, ambiance, and design for any business need.

FRIENDLY COMPETITION

Escape the Room

A little competition is never a bad thing, and there’s nothing like a brain teaser to motivate your brightest minds. Ready to test your mental mettle? Take your team to an escape room, a physical adventure game that unfolds in a themed room. The object of the game? Two or more people get locked in a decorated room and must solve puzzles to escape before time runs out. It’s usually an hour long and themes range from a time travel lab to jail cells. Sound simple enough? One escape room company reports a less than 20% success rate. Challenge accepted.

Watson Adventures Scavenger Hunts

Teams that play together stay together. Get schooled on the secret of scavenger hunts by an Ivy League former journalist who was also once a writer/editor for Entertainment Weekly. Founder Bret Watson has been setting up intriguing hunts since 1999. Not only is it a team bonding experience, each event is a cultural exploration as you find your way through fascinating outdoor places and historical landmarks in your city of choice.

TAKE A BREAK FROM ROUTINE

Getting out of the office—whether it’s with your co-workers or a new client—is a great way to shake up routine.

The 21st century office is sometimes not an office at all. It’s an environment that challenges, inspires, and teaches beyond four walls. When it comes to taking business to new levels, sometimes you just have to break out of the routine. Whether you need to work on team dynamics, train leaders, or meet with clients, where you are and what you do can make all the difference. So choose your space and activity wisely—and shake it up often.