If there’s something we look forward to each year at Hotelogix, it is that time of the year when everyone is driven to achieve one goal: Bonding and having fun at the annual team outing.
This year, we had a bunch of newcomers in the team and were really looking forward to an informal setting to break the ice between the old-timers, newbies and the colleagues coming down from our Noida office.
We zeroed in on an ideal property to achieve this – Discovery Village, nestled amidst the scenic valley of Nandi Hills and popularly known for its range of team building activities.
The preparations started in full swing three weeks in advance, with every department contributing to the planning – from arranging the DJ, working on fun certificates, deciding on the cricket teams to visiting the site for a recce. We christened the outing ‘Chill in the Hills’ and were ready with a lot of merchandise to make it memorable.
The Fun Begins… Day 1:
At 8:45 am on 6th September, we commenced our journey in a bus loaded with a lot of super-charged folks and a few sleepy heads. The one and half hour journey was packed with singing, dancing and posing for photographs.
On reaching the destination, everyone was thrilled to see the property overlooking the imposing Nandi Hills. A quick game of Foosball, Table Tennis and a few Energizer activities later, we got together for a tough challenge.
Drums and Planks:
This activity pitted the teams against each other and was a hard task to crack. Each team was given 4 barrels, a few planks and was asked to cross an imaginary sea on fire, within 25 minutes. After a lot of strategizing, team efforts and smart thinking, one team managed to complete the task in time.
The amount of energy spent in this task had everyone heading for the buffet lunch soon after and then playing volleyball in the swimming pool. The pool had a magnificent view of the mountains which made for great clicks.
Drum Circle:
By 7 pm in the evening, we had gathered indoors in a circle for a fun-filled drum activity that rejuvenated our spirits and unraveled many learnings. A musical maestro guided our team to follow his beats and we created many rhythms in sync. One of the many rhythms was based on the method of looping the sound of varied instruments. This had different members of the team creating a part of the melody from a particular instrument, which was then looped to the sounds of the others, and resulted in a wonderful composition. The activity brought up key messages such as how important it is for each one of us to play his/her part well for the organization to work in harmony and the power of listening before getting into action.
Party Time!
As the DJ took to the table, we let our hair down and danced until 3 AM. The original plan was to not leave the dance floor until we witnessed the sun rise from the valley but we soon had everyone heading for the bed one after the other as the spirits started fizzling.
Day 2:
All refreshed after a quick breakfast, we were set for our second day’s activity that tested our individual mettle.
Rope Course Challenge:
After detailed instructions by the trainer, we harnessed ourselves and geared up to face the seemingly daunting challenge in this activity that had obstacles on ropes, 30 feet above the ground. Crossing each obstacle required a lot of concentration and soldier-like determination. After a few of us successfully completed this activity, others mustered the courage to try it too. A great activity designed for personal development, it made a lot of us overcome our fear.
Howzaatt!
Lunch was followed by a cricket match that had 4 teams at loggerheads over the trophy of the Hotelogix Premier League. The game got everyone engrossed and competitive – even our colleagues from the USA, Brazil and Colombia.
After refreshing evening snacks, it was time to leave this wonderful place and go back home. The bus journey back was marked with a long traffic jam but it did not dampen the spirits as everyone was bonding well and sharing their stories with each other. And, we achieved what we had set out to do: get closer and work together better than before as a team.