Team Building in Burlington

We are very fortunate here in Burlington to have a number of unique venues for staff /organization team building activities.  We discovered this first hand when our small Tourism Burlington team went offsite for a planning session.  Within walking distance from our office on 492 Locust St. is ThinkSpot located in a heritage home in the heart of the downtown.  It has nine unique and funky rooms that can accommodate from 2- 17 people and their tagline is Moving Ideas Forward. 

Our "Thinkspot"

We knew as soon as we arrived that our day was going to be different from any other planning meeting.  Thinkspot owner Debra greeted us warmly at the door and immediately showed us the entire facility.  There were no other bookings so we had our choice of rooms and we settled on the largest one at the front of the house with the big comfy chairs and gas fireplace.  This was a great choice as the day was cool and rainy but we were oblivious to the weather.  We were encouraged to help ourselves to coffee, fresh fruit and home-made scones however, it took us awhile to settle down to business as there was so much to look at. 

Who will be victorious?

First of all there is a big board room table that doubles as a ping-pong court which we tested out shortly after arriving.  There is a tickle truck of dress up items and we soon were decked out in hats, scarves and tutus to set the tone for the day.  There is also a box of lego, chess sets, and Zen gardens to help you relax and release your creative juices.  In fact ThinkSpot offers facilitation of Strategic Play using LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY™ methodology
 plus provides other facilitated programs.  The large table in our room had all kinds of sweet treats to keep us sugared up and motivated throughout the day.  To top this off the entire place was decked out for the holidays which gave it a really cozy and at home feel.

Debra and her team have thought of everything, with state of the art a.v. equipment including a smart board, huge white boards, she even had reading glasses as one of our staff forgot theirs! 

We found the calming atmosphere, the fun tools and the great food was the perfect mix for a successful day.  We not only accomplished all the things on our agenda but got to a few other items plus enjoyed a leisurely lunch catered by Grinning Gourmand.



Wearing "the hat"



We also learned about “the hat” which is worn by anyone that dismisses an idea, puts a negative spin on something or is generally “shutting down” the creative process.  At some points we could have used more hats but the lighthearted nature of “the hat” had us all laughing and focusing on the positive.

Are you looking for a place to have a special corporate retreat or meeting in a unique or intimate setting?  In addition to ThinkSpot there are numerous other great locations in the city including Paletta Lakefront Park and Mansion, (my Grandmas’ china and Grandpas’ books are on display there) Geraldo’s at LaSalle Park, Burlington Art Centre, Royal Botanical Gardens, Burlington Golf & Country Club, Burlington Convention Centre, Ron Joyce Centre- DeGroote School of Business, the Burlington Performing Arts Centre, St. Lukes’s Hall plus numerous spaces at our Burlington Hotel Association hotels.  Tourism Burlington can refer you to facilities that meet your groups needs plus assist you with delegate activities and accommodation. 

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