Meetings + Events

By Sandra Eagle

Face-to-face interaction was the first event casualty of the COVID-19 lockdown, but Toronto-based Conundrum Adventures have nimbly pivoted to an online reality to help with teambuilding in these social distancing times.

Known for their escape room and outdoor teambuilding endeavours, Conundrum is using new ways to refocus teams on buildilng stronger connections in this time of isolation.

Conundrum principals, Matt Casey and Lynn Ferguson-Pinet, are offering two new virtual teambuilding programs for remote workers to feel connected—one an escape room-style event and the other a pub-type quiz. The programs are hosted online and the participants are given a code for their mobile device to play the games.

The pub quiz is focused on engagement, letting people have something to be sociable about, says Ferguson-Pinet. “I find that when we get on the phone we tend to talk about the virus. The quiz engages people so that it could be an icebreaker to start a conference call or help a team to wind down the day.”

The escape room scenario requires teams of four to five participants to catch visual clues and solve puzzles to break out of a locked room. Ferguson-Pinet explains, “the focus is on collaboration to bring out the strengths of different team members. Even though people are working remotely, we still need to build on each other’s ideas and solve our business issues.”

Any adventure that Conundrum does tries to build on the four core temperament styles of logic, action, structure and focus. “These four types are built into our team adventures—if you’re having fun and not being lectured to, you learn a lot more,” adds Ferguson-Pinet.

Remote teams are not a new concept, however innovative strategies to strengthen your virtual teams will certainly be a positive byproduct of these unprecedented times. Innovation often emerges in times of disruption. There’s never been a better opportunity for our industry to shine.