A team-building game created by Team Tactics came to fruition during the coronavirus pandemic, thanks to an emotional social media post. Another uplifting story from our Silver Linings series.
It all started with a picture of Tina Benson’s dog Beanie. The CEO of Team Tactics had just written a heartfelt message on LinkedIn writing, “the pain I felt where I’ve had to make more redundancies with my dynamic/young/enthusiastic staff in a day that I never thought I would ever have to do is absolutely horrendous.
"Every team event for the next 8 weeks has been postponed/cancelled. Uncertainty is too great.
Tina Benson."So we scale down, contain the business so that as a company who has been established for 25 years, will be there when companies are ready to celebrate that we’ve ALL come out the other side.”
She had so many positive responses from the post, including one from a client, who suggested creating a virtual game as people were working from home and needing entertainment. So there was a potential demand for it.
Team-building game takes shape
“I said you are absolutely right. I said to the team let’s create a game. We’ve got two weeks, let’s create.”
Fortunately, Benson was able to re-employ her staff, thanks to the furlough payment offered by the government. Everything was back on a high and Team Tactics were gagging for action, keen to create a lively and interactive game.
Seal the Deal team-building game.Benson reveals that their game, Seal the Deal is proving a hit with their clients. The work from home team activity game can have up to 22 contestants playing at one time. “We did a trial with our clients with great feedback. We’re getting some real laughter going and we are really happy with it.
“This game isn’t going to make us a lot of money as we are selling it at £10 per person. But it will help us cover some of our overheads. People can have a glass of wine and play this game. All you need is a laptop and a Zoom download, a microphone and a camera.”
Celebrating 25 years in the business
The rollercoaster world of event planning is exemplified in the unfolding fortunes at Team Tactics. Benson was proud to celebrate 25 years in the business, when the coronavirus pandemic reshaped not only the meetings and event industry but the world.
Benson can roll with the punches as she has survived through tough times such as the financial crisis of 2007–08, when companies were tightening their budgets. “Everything was price-driven. All the city people who were our target market – the banks, accountants and law firms – were looking for hospitality that was at the cheaper end. They couldn’t be seen to be spending lots of money in an age of austerity.”
Benson’s clients were in the financial sector, such as Goldman Sachs and Bear Stearns.
However, she realised that a new market was emerging. “We were getting more enquiries about team events and team away days. That is where we have been ever since.
“We were the first company to do corporate cooking in London. We worked with a Singaporean restaurant chain and created lots of Asian-style cooking.”
A new breed of client
Gone were the pin stripes and braces and in were the clients wearing jeans, trainers and tee shirts in the 23-25 age range. “You go into their offices and they have pool tables, bean bags, and coffee stations. They are very different from traditional banks. They also care about their staff and I think this is a key area which is changing.”
Benson and her team have created a whole range of exciting interactive games including GPS treasure hunts, Game of Zones, (which is a little like Crystal Maze).
“It costs £75 per person, and involves getting out and around in London, getting people out of the conference space,” Benson says.
Her favourite game is Canal Clue Quest, a treasure hunt in electric boats along Paddington Basin in London.
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https://youtu.be/O8vaqAv5IgI
