Spring has sprung forward! Finally! Team building events provide a unique way to engage your group in fun ways outdoors.  Technology is continuously reinventing itself – with iPads,  smartphones, and QR Codes, companies are  upgrading the traditional scavenger hunts to keep up by incorporating technological devices. Corporate Event Interactive (CEI) is one of them – staying ahead in the event technology race!  The following two activities allow teams to be competitive while focusing on the end goal – having fun and engaging with one another.

In the Amazing Windy City Challenge, each team receives an iPad pre-loaded with apps, riddles and puzzles and an interactive digital map.  As they traverse Chicago, teams encounter Roadblock Challenges and gather portions of the Windy City Phrase.  Teams receive messages and challenges from their office headquarters, requesting them to take creative photos and interact with locals, tourists and even other teams.  Photos are rated on accuracy and creativity. All the while, teams collect points to help them become the winning team!

CEI also offers the Urban Techno-Hunt where teams hit the streets of Chicago in search of historic locations and fun challenges.  Again, using a pre-loaded iPad equipped with riddle and puzzle clues, the teams are  set off to discover Chicago’s history with a 21^st century spin! Teams remain in constant communication with headquarters, receiving messages updating them on bonus challenges to earn extra points, and trivia questionsanout either their surroundings or industry, or both.  At the end, teams re-group and final scores are tallied so the day’s most tech-savvy team can be crowned!

Call CEI today to book either of these two challenges and get your teams running the pavement, moving their fingers, feet and minds, and enjoying the Spring after this long winter!

By: Rosita Carobelli-Zukowski
All in Place Communications and Creative Design
https://www.facebook.com/pages/All-in-Place-Communications-and-Creative-Design/520797897954796

Happy New Year! It’s a brand new year with a new outlook. Companies that put on events for their clients and employees may be interested in a recent BizBash article, 2014 Preview: Predicting the Most Overrated and Underrated Event Trends. Words such as “thought-provoking”, “interactive”, “casual” and “local” are the new mindset when approaching the value and benefits guests will get  by attending events and activities this coming year. In appealing to a wide range of guests companies must keep in mind the value of offering events that include corporate social responsibility elements, yet are trendy and fresh.

CEI not only offers team building activities but also events that give back to the community at large. CEI’s Bright Horizons allows teams to work together to paint pre-drawn murals to brighten up walls of local underprivileged schools, healthcare facilities, children’s shelters or senior centers.  With Innovation Stations, teams pull their creativity together to work on a variety of projects and challenges. These imaginative activities help boost morale, stimulate communication and spark imagination; important to enhance overall employee relations on an everyday basis.

What’s an event without food! Beat this harsh winter we’re having with the hot Sassy Salsa Showdown team building event. With every “spicy” riddle and puzzle clue completed, each correct answer earns teams an ingredient to create their mouth-watering salsa creations. Before serving their salsa mixtures to their peers, each team will create a special sales kit geared towards a 60-second advertisement spot on their local super-station.

This year offers a world of possibilities for companies looking to continue fostering strong employee engagement within their companies as well as developing stronger client relationships.  Which events do you want to put on? Memorable, engaging, and interactive ones? CEI can help!

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By Rosita Carobelli-Zukowski
All in Place Communications and Creative Design
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

2013 was a busy year on the CEI blog – take a look at a few of our favorite posts:

Charitable Events Interactive Slideshow

Click “Start Prezi” and use the left and right arrows to navigate.

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How to Make a Treasure Hunt

Looking for some ideas for creative clues and puzzles? Let us do the leg work for you!

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Digital Map of Chicago

Click on the buttons on the map to explore this Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired map of the Loop and to learn more about what CEI can do for your next event.

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Five Ideas for Office Games

Read through these office game ideas and have a little DIY office fun!

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CEI President in Huffington Post – How to Attract A Level Talent With a C Level Budget

Ed Graziano writes about his philosophy of business in the Huffington Post.

So maybe you don’t have the budget to drop $360,000 on an epic treasure hunt like Goldman Sachs did as a charity fundraiser, but that doesn’t mean you can’t put together an unforgettable treasure hunt for your friends, family, or coworkers. We at Corporate Event Interactive have been doing this for years—here are some tips from our playbook.

If you haven’t reserved any venues for your company’s employee holiday party yet, it’s not too late.  According to Bizbash Magazine, after the recession hit, companies have been more interested in encouraging their staff to meet one another by participating in fun team activities, as opposed to the formal sit-down dinners of the past.  CEI can confirm this trend as the company has seen interest in team building activities spike in recent years.  The company has over 125 fun events, and two in particular are highlighted below:

Murder, Mystery and Intrigue – Murder, Mystery, and Intrigue is an interactive and improvisational game.  It’s an opportunity for employees to put their Sherlock Holmes investigative skills to the test while actors in costumes enhance the mood of the room by revealing clues.

Sassy Salsa Showdown  – If you are looking to throw a hot, fun-filled fiesta for your employees, why not incorporate the  Sassy Salsa Showdown.  In the showdown, guests will be divided into culinary teams where they must complete a series of “spicy” riddles, puzzles, and clues.  With every correct answer, teams earn an ingredient from the “super market” to be added to their salsa creations.

Charitable Events Interactive Slideshow

We are pleased to announce Corporate Event Interactive’s digital map of Chicago!

• Explore: Click on the buttons on the map to explore this Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired map of the Loop and to learn more about what CEI can do for your next event.
• Win: Select the green raffle ticket below to be entered to win a $100 gift card to Lettuce Entertain You – that is, if you have what it takes to solve the riddle underneath the ticket. Winners will be announced on our Facebook and Twitter pages at the end of Corporate Event Week (9/13).

Good luck!

Map It Monday

• Explore Corporate Event Interactive’s Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired Digital Loop Map to see what we can do for your next event.

Trivia Tuesday

• Brush up on your CEI & Chicago trivia (and increase your chances of winning the raffle at the end of the week) by answering questions on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

Wildcard Wednesday

• Check in with our Facebook and Twitter pages for a surprise challenge!

Thirsty Thursday

• Join us for a night of networking at the Chicago Drink Exchange at Fado’s.

Free Stuff Friday

• Stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter pages to see who won the raffle!
• The more you chime in on our Facebook and Twitter pages during the week, the more chances you’ll have to win the $100 gift card to Lettuce Entertain You! (Be sure to take a crack at the riddle for another chance to win!)

By: Rosita Carobelli-Zukowski

All in Place Communications and Event Planning
www.allinplace.ca

Chicago’s John G. Shedd Aquarium

Summer is almost done … Welcome Fall. With September upon us, it is time of a renewal of sorts after some much needed vacation time. Some companies are also starting to think of their Christmas/Holiday Cards (and even ordering them!) as well as planning for their Holiday Corporate parties. There’s always the thought: how are we going to top last year’s party? How can we make it unique, more fun and engaging to say “Thank You” to their employees for all their hard work throughout the year?

In Chicago’s downtown area, consider hosting your next event at Chicago’s John G. Shedd Aquarium. It holds more than 32,500 animals housed in the aquarium. How cool would that be to watch dolphins and whales swim by the glass as you mingle and dine with your co-workers! Shedd has an in-house events and catering team that will work with the needs of each company. Whether your event is for 50 or 1,200 guests, Shedd has seven additional event spaces available in different sizes to work with your needs. There’s also Shedd’s Phelps Auditorium that is equipped with state-of-the-art audiovisual technology which can be used for meetings, award ceremonies, etc.

The aquatic animals would provide hours of entertainment as the guests watch in awe of their beauty and mysterious yet charming behaviours!

For more information on booking this unique venue space, please Click Here.