When discussing team building with a group of people, the responses are typically across the board based on past experiences as a planner or participant. It can be hard for attendees to get jazzed about such programming unless it contains something truly unique, helpful for a cause, or related to the meeting destination. Colorado excels in taking groups beyond the surface, and Colorado Meetings + Events has searched out professionals in the
field who can speak to the state’s many many offerings and top activities.
Corporate groups especially like to feel immersed in the state’s great outdoors, notes Scotty O’Brien, owner of The Team Building Co. in Denver. “This state has so much to offer for all seasons of the year and all types of groups with various individual physical limitations and engagement levels,” he says. “With the Rocky Mountains as a backdrop, how do you go wrong?”
After several hours of meetings, getting outdoors is often a welcome break to get connected with colleagues on a deeper level. “Depending on the season, we offer whitewater rafting, ropes courses, outdoor cooking classes, corporate Olympics, and even snowmobiling,” O’Brien says. “I love to do a full-day immersive program with teams cooking breakfast together, having their meeting information shared by the higher-ups, doing an organized group activity, and ending with a chili cook-off.”
However, the concept of team building is relatively broad. What does it really mean? The answer depends on a group’s goals and desired outcomes. To determine this, Cat Alletto, CEO, facilitator, and producer for Denver-based Spark4, divides “team-building” requests into three primary categories: team bonding, building, and development.
“Team bonding is often requested by hybrid or virtual teams who want to connect in person, share some laughs, and bring levity to a content-heavy agenda,” says Alletto. “Team building is about taking connection a step further by practicing collaboration, problem solving, and innovation, while building appreciation for one another. And then there’s team development, which has grown rapidly in the past couple of years. These programs combine energy and fun with professional growth, giving participants new people skills they can take back to their client and colleague relationships,” she explains. “Research shows that even simple team-building games and get-to-know-you experiences can improve performance on complex tasks later. When you intentionally use team bonding, building, and development as ‘play with purpose,’ you can actually increase the return on investment of the entire meeting.”
Giving Back
“Human resources staff, managers, and planners are remembering that their team is the most important investment they have,” says O’Brien. “You can’t do it without your peeps.”
He adds that clients also want to ensure the team-building activity is purpose driven, seeking to answer questions like, “What can it accomplish, how will this help build my team, what can the program do to help others, and how can my team learn
from it?” Many of The Team Building Co.’s clients like to help the communities where their meetings are held. Traditional bike builds, care package preparation for military troops, and
volunteer hours at nonprofits like Rocky Mountain Food Bank in Denver remain popular options.
Beyond large-scale community service endeavors, Alletto is seeing groups lean into “on-demand, donation-based activities.” She says, “These allow attendees to drop in between meeting sessions and assemble care packages or other items for area nonprofits. It [provides] a flexible way to give back while keeping the focus on the flow of the event.”
Corporate groups also are plugging into annual fundraisers like Jane-A-Thon, a ski and snowboard event organized by Denver’s Invest in Kids nonprofit and held on Mary Jane Mountain at Winter Park Resort. Money raised helps improve the overall health and well-being of young children and families in Colorado who are experiencing the impacts of poverty. Each participant is challenged to raise a minimum of $250, and corporate teams frequently hire buses for the day, have themes and matching outfits, and plan celebratory après-ski gatherings at the resort.
When Colin Stone, project executive for Denver-based Hyder Construction, was introduced to the Invest in Kids nonprofit and the Jane-A-Thon fundraising event, he sensed it was an ideal match. “It combined everything we value: giving back to the community, supporting Colorado kids and families, and sharing meaningful experiences as a team,” says Stone. “What started as a charitable outing has become our most anticipated event of the year. Jane-A-Thon not only strengthens our internal camaraderie and team spirit, but it also brings our business partners together in support of a cause we all share a passion for. Hyder Construction upped our game and style points by outfitting our participants with some swank team [ski suits].”
Fostering Interaction
Spark4’s most popular programs move attendees out of hotels and engage groups with area destinations. “Our ‘Geo Game Trek,’ a hands-on scavenger hunt designed by our team, is consistently popular, as is ‘Colorado Checkpoint,’ an adventure [modeled after the TV series ‘The Amazing Race’] combining historic, scenic, and cultural landmarks with classic team-building initiatives led by our staff,” says Alletto. “One standout this summer was ‘Fast & Curious,’ a Formula 1–inspired program that included pit-crew challenges and relays, culminating in a remote-control car race finale.”
Commerce City-based Offen Petroleum has booked Spark4 team-building activities for about 80 participants during its national sales conferences in places like Beaver Creek, Breckenridge, and Vail. These have ranged from traditional outdoor group exercises to in-depth workplace personality assessments. “Other activities included rocket building, where we defined and attached our goals to rockets before launching them,” says Danny Sells, senior vice president of sales for Offen Petroleum. “We also had arts and crafts sessions, such as vision boarding, where we envisioned what the next 10 years could look like and
mapped out how to achieve our goals.”
“The goal of our team-building activities is centered on connection, humility, and drive,” says Sells. “These three core competencies are crucial for effective team building. Alletto and her team at Spark4 are exceptional at delivering what I call ‘pixie dust’—those magical moments that happen outside the office and are incredibly valuable.”
Mountain Destination Ideas
Drew Welsheimer, group sales director for Snowmass Tourism, offers several ideas for novel group outings. For team bonding, head to Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village. Groups of up to 10 can book the ranch’s studio experiences that help ignite creativity. Another fun option is exploring the Lost Forest activity center at Snowmass ski area. Here, one of the main features is the Treeline Trial Challenge Course that combines rappels, zip lines, bridges, and ladders. There are five courses along with seven zip lines, a climbing wall, and an alpine coaster.
He also recommends two area nonprofits for team-building activities that have community impact. Carbondale-based Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers helps maintain and preserve the area’s outdoor spaces and offers custom stewardship projects that last four to six hours for groups of six to 30 people. The nonprofit provides everything, including tools, training, logistical support, and project leadership. Habitat for Humanity Roaring Fork Valley welcomes groups to work on construction sites, with the volunteer commitment lasting from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
C Lazy U Ranch near Granby offers an all-inclusive getaway for corporate retreats. For team bonding, quintessential Colorado activities like fly-fishing, mountain biking, hiking, yoga, trap shooting, archery, hatchet throwing, and zip-line and ropes courses are available. Groups can step it up a bit more to improve communication skills with cattle-pushing clinics and programs.
During cattle pushing, participants learn to herd, sort, and move cattle as a team, simulating cowboy tasks that require synchronized movement and mutual trust—all while on the backs of horses. The activity emphasizes both verbal and nonverbal communication, patience, and adaptability, and the experience can be connected back to leadership and collaboration principles that are consistent with workplace values. During “The Amazing Race” activities, teams of four to eight participants rotate through a series of challenge stations, such as the ropes course, archery, fire building, hatchet throwing, and trap shooting. The format encourages strategic thinking, time management, and role delegation as teams compete for the highest score and best time.
Team Development
Colleen Huther, general manager at the Hotel Boulderado in Boulder, has more than 30 years of experience building and being part of successful hotel teams across Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt Hotels Corp., and Marriott International brands. She opened Hyatt Centric Downtown Denver in 2021 with an all-female leadership team, a first in the brand’s history.
Huther shares her expertise through a new team-building workshop, “The Boulderado Blueprint: Building Teams.” The 1 1/2-hour workshop is open to any group gathering at the hotel and includes Huther’s tips and tricks for building high-performing hotel teams, advice learned from leadership training for senior executives, an interactive case study during which participants walk through a hotel opening, and a game-style competition to build the strongest dream team using fictional candidates.
Boulder-based Colorado Wilderness Corporate & Teams focuses on team development that blends outdoor adventure with leadership science. The company’s client base is varied and from throughout the U.S. “We have worked with U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers, the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies coaching staff, and Fortune 100 executives,” says owner Joshua Baruch. “[We also have hosted] programs for USA Fencing, Google, and several other national organizations and corporations. They come for the same reasons: Colorado’s natural environment paired with highly customized, evidence-based programming
that can’t be replicated indoors.”
andersonranch.org
boulderado.com
clazyu.com
cwrag.com
gobuildteams.com
habitatroaringfork.org
iik.org
rfov.org
spark4team.com
