Introduction
Choosing a team building package usually starts with comparing brochures and activity lists side by side, which is exactly backwards. At Holiday Gogogo, the companies who end up happiest with their choice tend to decide things in a specific order, well before they look at a single itinerary. This article covers that order.
TL;DR: Key Takeaways
Choosing the right team building package means deciding your objective first, setting a realistic budget second, and only then comparing specific providers and packages against those two fixed points. Comparing activities and destinations before locking in the objective and budget is the most common reason people end up choosing the wrong package.
- Decide the objective before looking at any specific package or destination.
- Set a realistic budget before comparing providers, not after one quote anchors it.
- Compare providers against your objective and budget, not against each other alone.
- HRD Corp claim plans should shape the budget and provider stage specifically.
What Order Should You Actually Decide Things In?
The right order to choose a team building package is objective first, then budget, then provider comparison, rather than browsing packages and activities before either is fixed. Deciding the first two locks in what the third step should actually be measured against.
The Decision Order
- Decide the objective the trip needs to achieve.
- Set a realistic budget based on that objective.
- Compare specific providers and packages against both.
Why Should the Objective Be Decided Before Looking at Packages?
A clear objective, communication, leadership, cross-department bonding, or simply reward, should be decided before looking at any specific package, since it determines what a good outcome even looks like. Choosing a package first and reverse-engineering an objective afterward rarely produces a coherent programme.
How Do You Set a Realistic Budget Before Comparing Providers?
Set a realistic budget before comparing providers, factoring in venue, transport, facilitation, and any HRD Corp documentation costs if a claim is planned, rather than letting one appealing quote anchor the number. This keeps the comparison stage focused on genuine trade-offs, not on chasing the first attractive price.
Frequently Asked Questions About Choosing a Team Building Package
1. Should we set the budget before or after seeing what’s available?
Only if the objective can genuinely flex to fit the number, and even then, some objectives, like deep leadership development, need more time and facilitation than a very tight budget allows. Confirm this trade-off honestly before committing to either figure.
2. How do we compare providers fairly once we’ve shortlisted a few?
Ask each provider to explain how their proposed activities connect to your stated objective, not just what the activities themselves are. A provider who cannot answer this clearly is a weaker fit regardless of how appealing the itinerary looks on paper.
3. Does wanting an HRD Corp claim change this process?
It affects the budget and provider comparison stages specifically, since a claimable programme needs a registered provider and documented objectives, which not every package, provider, or destination can support equally well or at the same cost.
4. How far in advance should we start this process?
Two to four weeks is often enough for a straightforward package, but a claimable programme, a large group, or a mixed-skill team typically needs more lead time to get right. Start earlier if any of these apply to your trip.
5. Is it reasonable to ask more than one provider for a proposal?
Yes, and this is common practice, since seeing a few genuinely comparable proposals measured against the same objective and budget is usually more useful than comparing one provider’s own options against themselves alone.
Conclusion
The right team building package gets chosen by deciding the objective and budget first, then comparing providers against both, rather than starting from an appealing brochure. At Holiday Gogogo, we work through this order with clients before recommending anything specific. Request a group quote to start the process properly.