The appeal of some traditional Scottish outdoor team building activities could be worth a look.

With a plethora of team building activities available to companies and planners, it can be tricky deciding on what will truly engage a group, bring them closer together, and help them achieve their very best.

Donald Kinross, who runs The Highland Games Events Company from a base near Perth, says clients are increasingly looking for physical, competitive outdoor experiences that get people moving and interacting in an energetic way and has seen how the kind of activities he specialises in can enliven groups: “People have a certain idea of what conventional team building is like – overly concerned with insights, psychometric profiling, and intensive debriefs – but fun, team-based, competitive experiences like caber tossing, weight over the bar, tug of war, and more light-hearted things like welly wanging and haggis hurling, alongside strongman-type events like tyre flipping and the farmer’s dash can create a much better result. It’s all scaled down to make it safe and achievable for our age range of participants, which runs from about six to 96.”

The events are steeped in tradition and the history of the Highlands: “Take caber tossing, for example – it’s believed to have originated from clans chasing each other around the mountains. When it came to river crossings, they used cabers (a Gaelic word for a beam) to cross from one side to the other, which is why you’re looking for that straight flip. Hammer throwing actually originated in Ireland and was originally a chariot axle and wheel which developed into something closer to the Highland games hammer throw you see today.”

That heritage plays well when attracting foreign delegates to international conferences. Donald finds that people are drawn to the history behind the events, often tracing Scottish ancestry or travelling over with their families to experience it first-hand. And another great advantage of Highland games activities is the stunning natural surroundings they take place in, adding an invigorating sense of occasion.

Of course, many companies specialising in Highland games are based in Scotland, but operations are mobile and events can be staged anywhere in the UK. As Donald says: “We’re happy to operate almost anywhere there’s a suitable patch of grass, as long as the venue is happy for us to leave a few dents in the lawn by the time we’re finished.” Naturally, when south of the border, there’s some playful ribbing of English clients: “We often joke about bringing the lighter weights for the English!”

Highland games as corporate team building exercises are great for getting groups out of the office or boardroom and into nature to participate in fun physical tasks which emphasise cooperation and problem solving over athletic skill.

The light-hearted nature of many of the games breaks down awkward social barriers and helps colleagues bond in a genuine way, regardless of company hierarchy.

Team building is about getting everyone involved and feeling they’re part of something together, so inclusivity and accessibility are important concerns.

With a Highland games set up, scalable equipment such as lighter implements and adjustable weights and heights can flex for a wide age and ability range, but there are limits – running-based events are harder to adapt for mobility issues, and soft or wet ground can restrict wheelchair access. Operators plan around this, warming up with lighter implements and briefing instructors to adjust facilities on the day.

When it comes to engendering esprit de corps among a workforce, Highland games events offer something unique: “A lot of our instructors are ex-army, and we always say the best way of bringing a team together isn’t through the high-performance approach that usually comes with corporate team building. It’s about giving people the time and opportunity to have fun and do something constructive together. That’s the key thing – a couple of hours outdoors at a beautiful venue, activities delivered with a real sense of humour, and if we can tie that into a whisky tasting or a bottle of champagne at the end, even better! The feedback we get is that it’s been fun, well organised, and that clients have enjoyed having the opportunity to really enjoy time with each other away from the office.”

Thehighlandgameseventscompany.co.uk

Hospitality and Events North

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