CBRE summer incentive: carton boat and winery experience by the sea

The event was designed around the team itself, with plenty of room to relax and enjoy the day without adding a formal programme or business agenda to the occasion. Choosing the right setting for a team that already gets along.

When a team already works well together, organising a corporate team building event requires a different kind of attention. The people taking part already know each other and have an established way of working, so the experience can be built around what they genuinely enjoy rather than around activities designed to encourage interaction. The success of the event therefore depends largely on choosing the right setting and format, while leaving enough space for everyone to relax and enjoy the occasion without feeling that they are following a programme designed to achieve a particular outcome.

Among the venues we considered was a seaside resort whose setting suited the kind of summer experience CBRE had in mind, while also providing the spaces and services required for the event. Being by the coast meant that the programme could naturally include time by the water and outdoors, while the relaxed atmosphere of the resort gave the day a distinctly different feel from the team's usual corporate routine, allowing everyone to enjoy the occasion at an easier pace.

Carton boat racing in the resort pool

With the resort pool available, the team took part in a cardboard boat race, building their boats on site before putting them to the test in the water. The activity suited the group particularly well because everyone was already familiar with one another, which allowed the humour to develop naturally as people worked out how to build a boat that could actually stay afloat. As a matter of fact, such activities suit already cohesive teams particularly well, since they leave plenty of room for spontaneous interaction and the kind of moments that are difficult to create with groups still finding their footing.

A winery visit rooted in the local territory

Beyond the pool-based activity, the itinerary included a visit to a local winery with a tasting, giving the group an experience genuinely tied to the region, and that distinction matters more than people often realise, as an incentive trip loses some of its value when the activities feel interchangeable with those available in any other location.

The winery visit gave the group a chance to spend part of the afternoon at a slower pace after the boat race. During the tasting, people had time to talk without the usual interruptions of a working day, and hearing about and tasting the local wines added some context to the visit. The main appeal, though, was undoubtedly having the time to enjoy a glass together and simply stay in the moment for a while.

What actually happened on the day

Every objective set out for the trip was met, and the team genuinely enjoyed themselves during the cardboard boat race, the structured winery visit and the free time built into the schedule. Internal bonds within the group strengthened further, which, for a team that was already tight-knit, was exactly what the client was aiming for.

Worth mentioning too: the event planning team itself ended up bonding with CBRE's group in a playful, relaxed atmosphere that everyone genuinely appreciated. That's not a detail typically included in event recaps, but it says something meaningful about how the experience developed, with everyone involved becoming part of it.

This is also a typical example of how team building does not always have to fix a problem, but can also be a useful way to give a good working group the space and setting to enjoy being a team.