The COVID-19 pandemic has completely changed how companies operate. Instead of going to the office daily, holding meetings and working closely with fellow employees, most are working from home or in hybrid form. That’s why hosting corporate events and team building exercises off-site, in a safe and socially distant environment, is more important than ever for local teams to connect.
Puzzle Rides, a mobile escape room-style scavenger hunt on golf carts, offers team building excursions for up to 80 people through Old Town Scottsdale and Historic Downtown Prescott. Teamwork, combined with elements of the route, are used to solve a series of puzzles before time runs out. The adventure puzzles are like an escape room where teams have a limited amount of time to reach their final destination.
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“Coordinating 80 people on a fast-paced, moving excursion is a puzzle in and of itself, but the memories that are made are well worth the challenge,” said Katie Dufort, Founder of Puzzle Rides Scottsdale and Prescott. “We’ve had nothing but phenomenal feedback from local companies who are looking to treat their staff to a day of fun while successfully navigating all of the new rules the pandemic has thrown at them.”
The most popular Puzzle Rides experiences for team building outings are the Puzzle Relays that are designed for 20 to 80 people. Held in a local bar or restaurant, the event lasts two hours and is split into four phases of puzzling. Each phase takes 25 minutes, and groups will be mixed at the beginning of each new phase to make sure everyone works with each other. During each phase, groups will need to complete a puzzle while sending two of their teammates away to gather clues on a golf cart at different times. With only 25 minutes to complete three tasks, teams must quickly decide who is best suited to stay and work the puzzle, or head off to find the far-away clues via cart. In the fourth phase, teams must work with clues left by prior teams to solve the final puzzle and win the relay!
Local companies have declared the Puzzle Relay Pub Crawl as a favorite because it takes riders who are 21 years and older through several local establishments to savor beverages while trying to solve a series of puzzles. Other favorites include Ghost Riders, where teams ride through historically haunted spots to get equal parts spook and surprise, Pirate’s Treasure Adventure where teams don their pirate garb and swashbuckle their way through town and Wild West Heist where teams attempt to find loot hidden by bank robbers back in the 1800s.
“I continue to hear over and over again that our Puzzle Rides outing was the best retreat activity we’ve ever had and it was truly because of Katie and her team,” said Angi Coleman, Office Manager at Small Giants Marketing. “The attention to detail was amazing and my entire team had the best time. The spots that were chosen for us in Prescott were great and people loved switching up their teams.”
For work groups, Puzzle Rides are a ton of fun and extremely beneficial. Besides boosting employee engagement, puzzles help colleagues develop key soft skills including:
1. Boosts Communication: Teammates must practice communication and act diplomatically in order to complete the puzzle. If they aren’t able to talk things through, it’s almost impossible to achieve their goals.
2. Improves Collaboration: Puzzles require employees to complete a variety of challenges. In most cases, someone will be better suited to complete a specific puzzle than the others, so dividing and conquering is not out of the question. By collaborating, other people’s strengths are welcomed and not frowned upon or seen as a threat.
3. Increases Bonding: Puzzle Rides make guests feel like a kid again and because of that, employees tend to let their guards down, open up and get to know their colleagues better. Doing something that isn’t related to work will more often than not, bring out the best in people.
4. Pushes Thinking Outside The Box: The clues aren’t always easy and it takes a village to think and talk them through. Creative thinking will definitely be utilized in order to find a solution to the puzzle.
5. Creates Lasting Memories: Once the experience is over, team members walk away with lasting memories and a ton of laughs that they can revisit the next time they’re at the office or on a Zoom call together. They will be reminded that they have much more in common than just working at the same company.
Puzzle Rides Scottsdale and Prescott will work with team leaders to choose the best experience for their group. For more information on pricing and to book your mobile escape room adventure, visit puzzlerides.com.
