Search

Adventure Sports Innovation: Bringing Teams Together in a Covid World

Patrick Molloy, Adventure Sports Innovation

In Chattanooga, as vaccines roll out and our public health emergency starts to feel manageable, how are companies planning to bring their employees back together? Many employees have been working remotely for over a year.  Others have been on the front lines facing nervous customers in masks.  How do managers get their employees functioning as a team again, and is it worth considering the value of incorporating well-managed fun into a company’s “back-to-the-office” strategy. 

Here at Adventure Sports Innovation, like many local providers of group activities, we’re preparing for the return of corporate team building and team development events, and we’re anticipating that many organizations are going to look for novel ways to ease the transition back to working in person. The challenge of course, is finding ways to encourage fun and connection without encouraging risk. 

At ASI we do think it’s possible and we do think it’s worth it. We’ve always built our events around getting outdoors and trying new things, so we’ve always had to spend considerable time thinking about safety and risk management. We equip all of our guests with helmets and other appropriate safety gear, and all of our group excursions, virtual or otherwise, are guided by professionals. None of this prepared us for pandemic risk management, but we were luckier than most, and we found that many of our adventures were easily adjusted to keep people safe and happy. Cleaning happens constantly – of course – and we’ve adjusted policies to allow smaller groups to reserve exclusive access to our facilities for events. However, for larger groups – even as many as 30 participants – we’ve been able to leverage our location on the North Shore to develop new activities that take advantage of the beautiful outdoor spaces along the riverfront.

We have already held our first few small team events of the year and, so far, our system is working well. In fact, the reviews for group events this year have been even better than back in 2019 and early 2020, as everyone is excited to be together again.  Collaborating on topics like “Innovating within your company”, “Overcoming Fears to Success” or “Overcoming Unconscious Bias”, and then playing together for a couple of hours on Little Vehicles around town, VR Simulators, or on our unique Swincar electric off-roaders, seems to be the ice breaker and stress reliever that teams hard-wired throughout the pandemic really need.

Between the safety of our clients and our own concerns for the safety of our facilitators, there’s a lot to consider, but we’ve found that activities as simple as riding electric scooters, e-bikes and mini-Segways together on the Riverwalk can be a great way to remind people that it’s kind of nice to see their team every day. Plus, while under normal circumstances it’s difficult to both bond and be socially distant, we’ve found that riding Little Vehicles together has been a notable exception. 

We see the benefits of making something that's “not-so-normal”, become a part of a company’s “return to normal.” Will the market see it that way? Who knows. But if it does, we’ll be ready for it. 

Other Topics

In 2023, Austin Beveridge bought a house in Tahoe. Less than a year later, he needed to sell it when life changed unexpectedly.  He called the realtor who helped him buy the place.   "They weren’t nearly as good at selling,"…

Behind every major economic advancement is a story of strategy, collaboration, and vision. For Chattanooga, Novonix’s decision to invest $1 billion in expanding its battery manufacturing operations was far more than a business deal. It was the result of years…

In March, Unum welcomed its two newest apprentices, part of a groundbreaking regional program called Apprenticeship Works. Yet, for these new apprentices and all future ones to follow, there's a story they need to remember. Two years ago, Emily Daily,…

In today’s race for technological leadership, few regions can claim a true first. Chattanooga just did. With EPB’s $22 million partnership with IonQ to bring a state-of-the-art quantum computer to its existing quantum network, Chattanooga has officially become America’s first…

Last spring, Abhi Sastri traveled to Chattanooga from San Francisco, where his start-up FLUIX was headquartered. He'd been named one of five global startups in the 2024 CO.LAB and gener8tor Sustainable Mobility Accelerator.  Selected among 145 applicants spanning the globe,…

In November 2024, HK Architects hosted its 25th anniversary celebration. Quite fittingly, the party was held at Wheelhouse, HK's headquarters, a perfect example of the way HK design incorporates community building and adaptive re-use planning. HK’s story is remarkable, a…

Sign up for weekly updates.