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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It was the summer of '86

We have been doing some clean up at Tourism Burlington and came across some “blogs” from the summer staff of 1986.  Twenty-five years ago our office didn’t have the internet, social media and computers which means our summer travel counsellors used a typewriter or *gasp* hand-wrote their work summaries (which today we call blogs!)

Here are a few highlights from what we found, hope you enjoy these as much as we did.

“The summer of 1986 proved to be eventful for Pamela B., Lisa M., and Bill B., as they began their summer job on May 5 and continued through until September 5.  The three students’ duties began with a tour of local attractions of the Burlington area to familiarize them with the area and its facilities.  The travel counsellors then began their job promoting Burlington in their second week of employ.” 

Our fun and friendly counsellors



In 2011 we now employ seven travel counsellors and next Monday we will be sending them on a Familiarization trip to learn more about what to see and do in Burlington.  Watch for an upcoming blogs on their adventures.

"The travel counsellors also had an opportunity to present Burlington at a variety of functions such as the Christie Do Festival, The Sound of Music Festival, Joseph Brant Day, and CNE Heritage Day.  These events took the travel counsellors out of the office, and gave them a great opportunity to sell the city to a large audience.”

 

This year our travel counselors are out and about again at local events and festivals.  So far we have attended The BAC Fine Art and Craft Festival, Doors Open Burlington, The Sound of Music Festival, Canada Day Festival, The Great Waterfront Trail Adventure and the Country & Blues BBQ.  Look for them at the upcoming Joseph Brant Day Festival, Sandcastle and Children’s Day Festival and Ribfest! 



Look how charming they are!

 “The V&C also afforded the opportunity to work in an office atmosphere.  There was a constant need for office skills such as telephone manners, typing expertise as well as all round office charm…Lisa on the other hand, hand produced the newsletter for the month of September.”



Today’s travel counsellors are still full of all round office charm just drop in and see!  They also are adept at e-media, texting, tweeting, posting, blogging, navigating the internet, and keeping us all in the know about the latest and greatest in pop culture and beyond.  We still produce a newsletter quarterly for our visitors and you can receive it right to your inbox by signing up online.

At the compass

“The second major event of this period was the Sound of Music Festival.  We worked outdoors answering questions from passing tourists, handing out literature about Burlington, and serving orange juice to all the parade participants.  It was quite an enjoyable weekend.”



Our travel counsellors are still a major presence at summer events and festivals  working in the information tents providing visitors with information about Burlington and more.  You’d be surprised what people ask our staff and probably more surprised to learn they usually have the answers!



A timely group



“The month of July has proven to be a boom month for tourism.  We had 3,400 visitors through the Information Centre. ..August 15, Heritage Day at the C.N.E. allowed two of the travel counsellors the opportunity to work in co-operation with some Board of Directors of the Visitor and Convention Bureau.  Grant C., Bonnie C., Jim G., and Carole N., spent the day promoting the city under less than ideal weather conditions.”

We don’t have our July visitations yet but in 2010 we greeted over 3,700 visitors and we now staff both our year round location on Locust St. as well as providing information at Discovery Landing and at festivals and events.

“The three of us also met Jane R., who is the Project Officer for Employment and Immigration Canada.  She asked the three of us specific questions about ourselves, and what are our future endevours.  She was also asking us about our jobs here at the Visitor and Convention Bureau, just to make sure things were running smoothly.  We told her not to worry because everything is perfect and we are enjoying ourselves immensely.  Of course, we cannot forget about our happy travelers as they are still lost and we are still helping them get back on their road to happiness!”



Summer 2011



At the end of the summer we hope that Elyse, Kat, Natalie, Ellen, Becky, Michelle, and Amy also had a great time here at the Visitor’s Centre.  They will definitely have lots of similar experiences to our summer staff of ’86 but with a 2011 flair.  As I finish writing this blog and giggle again about the use of white out on the typewritten pages I have just transcribed I wonder what the staff of 2036 will think of us.