Planning a meeting in Las Vegas or attending a convention in Las Vegas and having to organize satellite events?
| Creating Value with Camaraderie and Speakers |
There is no doubt that the fundamental agenda of a corporate meeting is to get down to the brass tacks of communicating significant information to a captive audience. However, research has found that when attendees are in better spirits they are more willing to absorb information. Besides aiming to have an audience filled with sponge like minds, team building exercises can leave significant and lasting effects that stretch back to the corporate office. Thus, it is feasible to reach your primary meeting goal while also including a little fun in the guise of team building. The first part of this article will highlight a few Las Vegas area activities that are well-matched for team building exercises. The last part will underscore the merit of hiring a speaker who can be packaged with their published work.
Team Building Activities
Las Vegas eagerly welcomed the addition of Big League Dreams to the city’s 68-acre Freedom Park in 2010. Big League Dreams is the premier developer and operator of recreational sports facilities in the country, making it an ideal addition to the Las Vegas Valley. The playing fields are built as scaled-down replicas of famous ballparks such as Boston's Fenway Park, New York's Yankee Stadium and Chicago's Wrigley Field. When the fields are not in use by local leagues, they are occupied with special events like slow pitch softball games, company picnics, birthday parties, location shoots, and business meetings. The capabilities and impressive look of Big League Dreams makes it a great place for a team building softball tournament.
Your softball game will be held on the replica field of your choice which includes Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field, Crosley Field, Angel Stadium, and Dodger Stadium. With these icon baseball fields as your team building backdrop, you are sure to elicit someone’s childhood dream as they experience the feeling of playing in the "big leagues." The 35-acre complex contains electronic scoreboards, stadium lights and authentic stadium seating for you and your spectators. The fields can also be used for company picnics with customization of your choosing like waterslides, face painters, and a hot dog eating contest. The 20,000 square foot indoor pavilion can be used for the meeting portion of your event and then easily transition to the field for team building. The onsite food and beverage department will cater your event with options like an outdoor BBQ, delicious buffet, and fully stocked bars or coolers. Big League Dreams is experienced with creating themes like a Hawaiian Luau or a casino night and also offers a wide array of enticing packages priced to fit many budgets.
If a group softball game is not exactly the thrill you were in search of for your team building activity, check out Bootleg Canyon Flightlines. The company has created a series of zip lines with multi-runs and multi-lines that range in length from 1,150 to 2,550 feet. The Bootleg Canyon attraction gives riders views of Boulder City, Eldorado Valley and Lake Mead and on some runs, riders can achieve speeds of 50 miles per hour. It is understandable that this activity may bring out trepidation for some of your guests but part of the team building exercise could be to help each other overcome apprehension. After guests assemble at the base for orientation and training, groups of approximately 12 guests are shuttled up to the top of Red Mountain where they will begin their descent on a series of 4 lines flying across canyons. The flightlines are owned and operated by Greenheart LLC has which has built environmentally friendly zip lines and canopy trails around the world. In addition, Greenheart LLC is in line with the eco-tourism mandate of “conserving the environment and sustaining the well being of the local community.”
Recently the company extended their operation to Freemont Street in downtown Las Vegas. Those who want to test zip-line flying before trying the more daring lines at Bootleg Canyon, the Fremont Street lines are perfect. The Fremont Street Experience contains four lines that move riders 800 feet from the Fremont Street parking garage to a 14-foot-high landing platform near the performance stages. The downtown zip lines are less expensive and a shorter duration than the canyon tour, just long enough to get a feel for the experience so if riders do not like it, they are done in a few seconds. Riders are expected to be able to achieve speeds of 25 miles per hour on the lines. This adventure will be a journey that your meeting and event attendees will never forget.
Continuing the theme of thrilling team building exercises is the SkyJump Las Vegas exploit. With the tallest observation tower in the United States at 1,149 feet, the Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower was bound to incorporate exhilarating, one-of-a-kind attractions to get participants adrenaline rushing. This is exactly the case with SkyJump’s controlled free fall from the 108th floor. Jumpers are harnessed in and attached to a cable that is connected to a descender machine. Guide wires keep the skyjumper on course and on target. Just before reaching the rapidly approaching ground, the skyjumper is slowed down for a controlled and safe landing.
There is nothing like taking a leap of faith with your colleagues to help form an immediate bond. While your fellow jumpers are waiting their turn they can watch your jump with a birds eye view from inside the Tower glass on the 108th floor. Others will be able to watch from the viewing area in the SkyJump landing area or from below in the open air as you tumble towards the earth.
SkyJump was recently used by more than a dozen Las Vegas based CEOs, top executives and politicians to raise money for Boy Scouts Scoutreach program. Each participant raised a minimum of $855 in pledges, one dollar for every foot. This charity event fostered the same team building aspect possible for other organizations.
Team Building Activities
Las Vegas eagerly welcomed the addition of Big League Dreams to the city’s 68-acre Freedom Park in 2010. Big League Dreams is the premier developer and operator of recreational sports facilities in the country, making it an ideal addition to the Las Vegas Valley. The playing fields are built as scaled-down replicas of famous ballparks such as Boston's Fenway Park, New York's Yankee Stadium and Chicago's Wrigley Field. When the fields are not in use by local leagues, they are occupied with special events like slow pitch softball games, company picnics, birthday parties, location shoots, and business meetings. The capabilities and impressive look of Big League Dreams makes it a great place for a team building softball tournament.
Your softball game will be held on the replica field of your choice which includes Fenway Park, Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field, Crosley Field, Angel Stadium, and Dodger Stadium. With these icon baseball fields as your team building backdrop, you are sure to elicit someone’s childhood dream as they experience the feeling of playing in the "big leagues." The 35-acre complex contains electronic scoreboards, stadium lights and authentic stadium seating for you and your spectators. The fields can also be used for company picnics with customization of your choosing like waterslides, face painters, and a hot dog eating contest. The 20,000 square foot indoor pavilion can be used for the meeting portion of your event and then easily transition to the field for team building. The onsite food and beverage department will cater your event with options like an outdoor BBQ, delicious buffet, and fully stocked bars or coolers. Big League Dreams is experienced with creating themes like a Hawaiian Luau or a casino night and also offers a wide array of enticing packages priced to fit many budgets.
If a group softball game is not exactly the thrill you were in search of for your team building activity, check out Bootleg Canyon Flightlines. The company has created a series of zip lines with multi-runs and multi-lines that range in length from 1,150 to 2,550 feet. The Bootleg Canyon attraction gives riders views of Boulder City, Eldorado Valley and Lake Mead and on some runs, riders can achieve speeds of 50 miles per hour. It is understandable that this activity may bring out trepidation for some of your guests but part of the team building exercise could be to help each other overcome apprehension. After guests assemble at the base for orientation and training, groups of approximately 12 guests are shuttled up to the top of Red Mountain where they will begin their descent on a series of 4 lines flying across canyons. The flightlines are owned and operated by Greenheart LLC has which has built environmentally friendly zip lines and canopy trails around the world. In addition, Greenheart LLC is in line with the eco-tourism mandate of “conserving the environment and sustaining the well being of the local community.”
Recently the company extended their operation to Freemont Street in downtown Las Vegas. Those who want to test zip-line flying before trying the more daring lines at Bootleg Canyon, the Fremont Street lines are perfect. The Fremont Street Experience contains four lines that move riders 800 feet from the Fremont Street parking garage to a 14-foot-high landing platform near the performance stages. The downtown zip lines are less expensive and a shorter duration than the canyon tour, just long enough to get a feel for the experience so if riders do not like it, they are done in a few seconds. Riders are expected to be able to achieve speeds of 25 miles per hour on the lines. This adventure will be a journey that your meeting and event attendees will never forget.
Continuing the theme of thrilling team building exercises is the SkyJump Las Vegas exploit. With the tallest observation tower in the United States at 1,149 feet, the Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower was bound to incorporate exhilarating, one-of-a-kind attractions to get participants adrenaline rushing. This is exactly the case with SkyJump’s controlled free fall from the 108th floor. Jumpers are harnessed in and attached to a cable that is connected to a descender machine. Guide wires keep the skyjumper on course and on target. Just before reaching the rapidly approaching ground, the skyjumper is slowed down for a controlled and safe landing.
There is nothing like taking a leap of faith with your colleagues to help form an immediate bond. While your fellow jumpers are waiting their turn they can watch your jump with a birds eye view from inside the Tower glass on the 108th floor. Others will be able to watch from the viewing area in the SkyJump landing area or from below in the open air as you tumble towards the earth.
SkyJump was recently used by more than a dozen Las Vegas based CEOs, top executives and politicians to raise money for Boy Scouts Scoutreach program. Each participant raised a minimum of $855 in pledges, one dollar for every foot. This charity event fostered the same team building aspect possible for other organizations.
1
2
If you have expertise in a particular area relevant to planning meetings and or events, you may submit a 400 to 750 word "how-to" article for possible inclusion in any of our magazines and/or our websites.
If accepted, your submission will be edited for length and clarity. There is no monetary payment if your item is used; instead, you can publicize yourself through a five-line biography with your contact information that will appear at the end of the article.
Send submissions to
editorial@MeetingPlannerResources.org. We will contact you if your submission is chosen.
If accepted, your submission will be edited for length and clarity. There is no monetary payment if your item is used; instead, you can publicize yourself through a five-line biography with your contact information that will appear at the end of the article.
Send submissions to
editorial@MeetingPlannerResources.org. We will contact you if your submission is chosen.