Are you looking for unique, affordable ways to motivate staff, award employees who met their sales goals, or encourage cohesion, communication and camaraderie among your team members? If so, you may have already discovered that many team building and employee incentive options are rather expensive and may not fit your budget. This is particularly true during the current economic crisis, which has forced more and more companies to get creative when searching for ways to reward or motivate their team as the funds for these types of activities shrink. And, as luck would have it, when team building and employee appreciation budgets are getting tighter due to dropping profits is exactly the time when you need your team to be more motivated and cohesive than ever.

Thankfully, there are plenty of affordable options available that will allow you to create an exciting team building experience or incentive for less than $200 per person.

Here are some examples:

• Organizing ride-alongs for employees to experience the exhilaration of a stock car racing around a track
• Scheduling full- or half-day white water rafting trips
• Arranging one- or two-day customized nature or outdoor adventure programs at a local wilderness area
• Finding a local company that offers bungee jumping

It has a been a tough year and although the economy has stabilized a bit and there are signs of recovery, many companies are cautious when it comes to incentives. You may be torn between an honest desire to reward and inspire your employees and yet be acutely aware of public scrutiny.

Day trips might just bridge the gap. Look close to home for inspiration. Is there an area nearby for white water rafting? The struggle to keep afloat on a vigorously churning river has a good many parallels to the corporate world. People form tight bonds when they struggle toward a common goal and sharing a fabulous meal afterwards doesn’t hurt either.

The goal of the trip is to inspire employees and reward them for a job well done. A trip to the Bahamas would be terrific but if a day trip to a vineyard or spa is more in the budget do not hesitate. Moreover, don’t be afraid to ask your team for suggestions. They may surprise you with some creative and affordable ways to spend a day. Perhaps a jazz festival would be better for your top salesperson than a fly-fishing expedition. Great tickets to the next home team game could work just as well as a day of pampering at a nearby spa.

Everyone needs rewards as well as a salary, especially in hard times. Celebrate for life is good!

When you go to Colorado, you won’t see Cartman, Kenny, Stan, and Kyle, but you will experience some of the worlds most beautiful scenery, fun activities, and high level accommodations. These advantages make Colorado one of the best places to hold your meetings.

There is lot’s of scrutiny right now on meetings and conferences, which are lately seen as frivolous expenses. To help avoid that stigma, some companies are scaling back meetings already scheduled. Some are avoiding scheduling new ones. Others are canceling altogether. However, with a place like Colorado available to you, no one needs to do this. Here’s why. Read the rest of this entry »