Posted: Tuesday 9 June 2009
Team Building with Ernst & Young
A group of unexpecting employees from Ernst & Young were greeted by Team Challenge Company for an afternoon of fun Team Building activities incorporated into our unique 'Trade To Win' Team Development program.
The group of around 80, which was split up into 8 teams, was greeted early in the afternoon and given their brief for the day of Team Building ahead. Their mission was to earn as much fun money as possible by competing head-to-head in a number of Team Building activities, then use the winnings to buy enough materials to design, build and launch their very own rocket! All very exciting stuff, and the day ahead was to prove a great mix of fun, laughter, hard work and achievement for all involved (except maybe Team Royal Aberdeen, who were rubbish!)
The Team Building activities provided both Outdoor and Indoor Entertainment, with the teams battling against each other in Rollerball, Scrambled Egg, Target Golf and Bridge Build on a typical Scottish afternoon in June - which basically means there was sunshine, rain, wind, and for a short while, hail stones! Helium Stick broke the ice before the teams were thrown head first into the rest of the Team Building tasks, and without much early success, the Team Challenge Company crew was nervous to say the least. However, the teams pulled it together and many performed pretty spectacularly throughout the rest of the afternoon.
The Rollerball saw some of the most audacious and radical designs we have ever come across, with some looking more like a rollercoaster than anything else! Team Murcar produced the most beautiful design ever seen, though practicality was low. Team Cruden Bay's construction, though less than pretty, recorded a fabulous time of 39 seconds, which proved to be the top time of the Team Building afternoon. Check out this creation in the video link below, a great effort by the entire team.
As the weather came in and the Team Building challenges drew to a close, the teams found themselves at the Rocket Shop, frantically purchasing as many materials as possible to allow them to build their rockets in a relatively limited time period (which proved the downfall of many teams!!!) With the shoddy rocket building complete, it was time for the final Team Building challenge - the rocket presentations! The teams met General Gillian, to whom they presented and answered questions in the Apprentice Style Boardroom meeting before we all headed back outside for the big finale of the Team Building afternoon - the Launch!
Of the 8 teams on show, we had 5 (barely) successful launches, with the rockets built by Royal Aberdeen, Turnberry and Murcar not allowed to launch due to safety reasons...basically their rockets were so badly built there was a small danger of explosion! The Gleneagles rocket soared skyward, but not for long, and after failing to connect their parachute, the missile plummeted back to earth fairly quickly. It seemed the best had been saved to last, as the rocket built by Team Loch Lomond roared into what seemed like outer space. The on looking crowd erupted in raptures of applause as the rocket peaked at around 600ft, before the parachute deployed and drifted safely back to earth. What a result!
It was time for the Team Building afternoon trophy presentations, and there was no doubt which team would walk away winners. Team Loch Lomond stepped up to collect the Duncan Christie Memorial Trophy, an honour and privilege which many an Ernst & Young employee has yearned for in their time with the company. The fun continued into the early evening, with Corporate Entertainment on offer in the shape of Quad Biking, Archery and Laser Clays. Mike was a mean shot at the Archery, and brought Derek along for comedy value. There were a couple of cruisers on the Quad Bikes, and so we've included a quick video to show off their silky driving skills.
The Team Building session with Ernst & Young had proved a massive success, with all involved thoroughly enjoying their day of tackling Team Building challenges whilst working towards that final, common goal of launching a rocket! A big thank you must go to Mike and the rest of the team for their work in organising such a fun-filled event, and we at Team Challenge Company really look forward to working with the Ernst & Young Team again soon.
