Planning a meeting in Las Vegas or attending a convention in Las Vegas and having to organize satellite events?
Team Building in Vegas Style
Establishing and fostering a constructive and effective group is crucial to a successful company or business venture. Research and experience show that active, external team-building events help embolden this essential camaraderie and synergy among employees as they engage in tasks beyond the everyday expectations. The question is, what kinds of activities are right for your group at your Las Vegas event?

Every meeting destination city offers something unique to the event—local or regional culture, cuisine, history or available activities and attractions—which often becomes a significant factor for why groups choose that city. Since Las Vegas is your chosen event location, your attendees undoubtedly expect to experience some of the thrill and spectacle that makes this city truly one of a kind. Team building can and should reflect what the local area has to offer, so break away from those same old conference room antics and give your group something that is truly found only in and around this glittering gem in the desert. Not only does this let attendees explore the local flavor, people often internalize information better when they get it while doing fun and stimulating activities with physical, intellectual, social and business components.

From gaming to taking in the highlights in the city and the desert beyond, take a look at some of the Vegas-specific team-building programs you can offer to your group for their destination event in the Las Vegas Valley.

Casino gaming lessons
One of the first things that comes to mind when people think of Las Vegas is casino gambling, but the tables can be intimidating for newcomers who are unfamiliar with the games or wary of doing something wrong. To build confidence and encourage prospective gamblers to play, most casinos offer some form of free lessons for particular table games. Event planners easily can turn this opportunity into a team-building activity either casually or formally.

Learning about these high-stakes games involves paying attention to and implementing strategy, proper table etiquette and weighing risks against the gains—all of which are important lessons for those navigating the corporate world. Plus, in the authentic setting that is Las Vegas, attendees get a taste of what the city is known for in a safe and risk-free way where no actual money is exchanged.

Times and types of drop-in lessons vary by property, so depending on where you group is staying or what they want to learn, options are many. See the Free Gaming Lessons by Casino sidebar for a list of several casinos that offer free lessons for various games. It is always advisable to call ahead to confirm the lessons. Some casinos may be willing to arrange a private lesson for your group at a designated time, so just give one a call and get your group game for team building.

Active Group adventure quests

In part, your group came to Las Vegas to experience it, but often this gets relegated to visitors seeking out what is immediately accessible near their hotels or during free moments between scheduled meetings and events. But the fabric of the city goes way beyond gaming in flashy casinos, sitting by a resort pool all day or hitting the thumping clubs all night. Plus, leaving your group up to their own devices to experience the thrills of Sin City could get a little out of hand.

Let your event attendees or employees experience more of what Las Vegas has to offer with an organized team-building adventure event that showcases the local area while ramping up the key business skills your organization needs. Furthermore, by engaging your group in truly unique and interactive team building of this kind, the skills they learn translate exponentially back to the workplace and they have fun doing it in the glitzy city or the grand natural beauty of the desert.

This may seem like an overwhelming challenge for a meeting planner, especially if Las Vegas is just a destination for your group, so turn to experienced experts that will take care of everything and do it with style and substance. Las Vegas has no shortage of perfect locations for adventures, and several companies provide these explorative, interactive, high-octane team-building scavenger hunts and games that create lasting memories and spark amazing productivity. Plus, they are tailored specifically to the Las Vegas Valley.

—In the City

In a city like Las Vegas, there is no shortage of adventures to be had and journeys to complete. Following are just a few of the ways companies deliver the city to your group and go above and beyond your team-building expectations.

The Amazing Urban Race by A Direct Effect combines the navigation skills of a road rally with the problem-solving skills of geocaching at the frantic pace of a scavenger hunt in Las Vegas. With a packet of clues, teams race against the clock and each other toward the final destination, choosing between tasks at roadblocks and dealing with detours or U-turns. Racers mostly travel by foot but can use public transportation to get to unusual city sites. The Amazing Urban Race underlines creative problem solving, time management, strategic thinking, sequenced planning and team decision-making all while building relationships and positive team attitudes. Better yet, these activities cannot be solved by just one person so every team member must participate actively to win.

Better yet, A Direct Effect can customize any race to cater to specific requirements while guiding you to the right Las Vegas venue and working out all the fine details.

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