The Toy Factory Philanthropic Team Building Simulation

Assemble Bicycles, Scooters, Remote Control Cars and other Toys for Charity
to Fine-tune Your Team's Sales & Marketing Skills

Please note these are NOT strictly recreational events
They are FULL, facilitated BUSINESS TEAM BUILDING SIMULATIONS

The Toy Factory simulation merges our Inc. Inc. and You're the Boss: Apprentice Simulation to create a truly unique experience. This business simulation creates a parallel universe that mirrors and reflects your organization's realities. The goal is to give your team an opportunity to:

• work with members of other teams
• experience departments, functions and organizational levels that are different from their usual roles
• improve their sales and marketing skills and strategies
• break down silos and enhance cross-functional teamwork

This simulation is available in Canada (Toronto, Montreal), Malaysia, Singapore, Dubai, and Jamaica.

We strongly recommend that you devote at least a full day to Bikes R Us for a thorough debrief and to give your group ample opportunity to return to their intact teams and bridge between the simulation and your real world business challenges.

The 1 1/2 - 2 day version of this team building session will give us an opportunity to guide your team through decision making, strategy formulation and implementation planning.

Another option would be to have a half day planning and strategy session a week before the day on which the bicycles will be built and sold.

We also have versions of this simulation that incorporate elements of our You're the Boss: Apprentice Team Building simulation. In these versions, 2 or more companies are given an Apprentice style project including sales and marketing task. An Apprentice style boardroom is used for debrifing. Nobody gets fired.

• The Dollhouse Experience, a team building simulation of a doll house factory

Please note that the dollhouse team building simulation is not a low budget option. Each dollhouse will cost about $650 - $750 to finish and furnish. Also, the doll house option requires AT LEAST 1 1/2 days to do the full simulation. For a recreational option, the doll house assembly can be done in a full day. We can have a team of 15 people work on each dollhouse and assemble furniture for it.

• The Toy Factory, a team building simulation with toy. It can involve building toy kitchens or workbenches, assembling scooters, model airplanes or remote control cars, or putting together gingerbread houses, Christmas shoeboxes for children from underprivileged and war torn areas (cost effective option)
  
  
• Bikes R Us, a bicycle manufacturing company that assembles and then compete to either sell, raffle or auction off bikes to raise money for charity

Here are some approximate costs for material to help you plan your budget

• Christmas shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child to be distributed to children from underprivileged and war torn countries (very cost effective option)
• Gingerbread Houses $ 12.00 each (November & December only)
• remote control cars (range from $40 - $225 each)
• toy workbenches (about $50 per work bench)
• toy kitchens (about $150 each)
• scooters ($50, $80, $130, or $200 each)
• bikes with helmets $200 each
• dollhouses ($650 - $750 per fully furnished dollhouse)

We add our facilitation costs to these prices. For bike assembly we also will have bike technicians to provide safety and inspect the bikes in order to ensure safety.

Approach

If you are making your selection based on the lowest quote, please note that we are not the lowest cost provider. We use North American made bikes, not foreign made with safety concerns including the risk of lead paint. A bike helmet will need to be purchased for each bike. We use a team of professional bicycle technicians to ensure the safety of the children who receive the bikes. This may cost us some business but we will not put the safety of children at risk to offer low cost entertainment for corporations.

We will divide your group into at least 2 companies that they will run for about 3- 4 hours (not including lunch). Then, we will debrief their experience and glean key learnings about working in a cross functional environment, the importance of operating as a cohesive unit, and overcoming the silo mentality.

Scenario:

After a brief recruitment and orientation session, participants will begin to operate at least 2 companies, competitors in the same market . Each company's role is to manufacture, market and sell bicycles.

Some clients have asked us to an outdoor element to this simulation. As part of the QC process, we can include a Bike Rodeo or Bike-a-Thon consisting of a variety of team competitions for participants with various levels of physical fitness and riding ability. An outdoor BBQ or picnic lunch would be fit very nicely with this option. If you want to include some rugged challenges, we will need to make arrangements for medical and first aid staff on standby. Great care will have to be taken to re-inspect and thoroughly clean the bikes before they are sold or given to the charity. To accommodate outdoor challenges, dinner for participants should be included in your budget as we will need to continue into the evening to deliver all aspects of the programme. If you really want to go the next step in making this a truly philanthropic team building experience, you can invite children from low income areas to the bike-a-thon and in the end surprise them and your staff by donating the bikes to the children.

There are several approaches to the sales task.

• We can select a specific charitable organization that will receive the bikes.
  Representatives from that organization can play the role of corporate client. The sales teams will design and develop a customized presentation for the client. During the presentation, they will also use the brochures and collateral developed by the marketing team. "The client" will select the winning team.
  
  
• In advance, licenses and stalls can be obtained so that the sale can take place at a local market.
  The role of each marketing team will be to create a buzz and draw in as many customers as possible so that the sales team can sell the bikes. The company that raises the most money for charity through the sale of the bikes wins. All funds raised and bicycles that are not sold will be donated to a local charity for children.
  
  
• Another strategy could be for the teams to to sell raffle tickets for the bikes and raise money for charity.
  
  
• If the bike rodeo option is selected, teams could obtain sponsors for a charity bike-a-thon competition.

This session does require some logistics so we strongly recommend that you book it at least 6 weeks prior to the date of your team building session.

Pre Session Logistics:

A Few Weeks Prior to the Session
Participant Profiles and Learning Styles Inventories will be used to assist with planning and team formation. Some of the questions will help us identify which participants are familiar with some of the tools we will be using, which individuals possess video equipment and digital cameras and which individuals are proficient in Powerpoint. We will ensure that we spread the individuals with the required skills out between the companies. Participants will receive communication about the purpose of the simulation, organizational charts and floor plans, their position, role and responsibilities within the simulation.

The Day Before the Session
Facilitators will set up the large meeting room and one of the breakout rooms to be used as a company the day prior to the session. It is also highly recommended that we set up the area the day prior to the session and hold a 2 hour briefing session with the individuals who will be playing the role of team leaders in the simulation. The facilitators will set up the other rooms the night before the session.

3 - 4 Organizational Levels

• Chief Team Leader
• Team Leaders
• Manufacturing Team Supervisors
  (for Large Groups Only)
• Team Members

4 Teams

• Manufacturing
• Sales
• Marketing
• Corporate Communication

Role Descriptions
and Task Assignments:

Manufacturing Team
The manufacturing team will assemble, decorate and test the product (2 - 5 bicycles per company). There will be a QC inspection by a bike technician. The testing could also consist of a brief relay and obstacle course.

Marketing Teams
The marketing teams will design and implement a marketing strategy to create a buzz and generate interest by prospective customers.
(For the Bike Rodeo or Bike-a-thon options they will develop a TV commercial that will be shot and used in both the sales presentation to select a winner and the final boardroom when the presentation specialists are re-capping the Company’s strategy).

Skill and Equipment Required: The marketing team members should be proficient in the use of Powerpont and have one or two lap tops.

Sales Team
The sales team will prepare a sales presentation, set up the sales display and be the primary force to sell the bicycles. (For the Bike Rodeo or Bike-a-thon option, the Marketing team will develop a TV commercial and other marketing communication pieces for prospective corporate client.)

Corporate Communications Team
This team consists of:

• Presentation Specialists
  Presentation specialists will stay at the venue and develop a 5-minute presentation that provides an overview of the each company’s strategy, strengths, challenges, and results.
  
  Skill and Equipment Required:The presentation specialists must be proficient in the use of Powerpoint and must have their own laptops that they can bring to the location.
  
  
• Videographers
  Videographers will be assigned to each area of the company to capture the experience on video and take still photos. They will have an opportunity to edit to their footage and create a 2 - 3 minute montage for use in conjunction with the company presentations.
  
  Skills and Equipment Required: Great care should be taken to select people with their own camera equipment and editing skills for the videographer roles.

AGENDA OPTIONS

Business Simulation Only

Bike Rodeo/ Bike-a-Thon

Orientation

Team Briefing Sessions

Manufacturing & Strategy

• Manufacturing Teams Assemble Decorate and Test the Bikes
• Marketing Teams Design the Marketing Strategy, Print Brochures and Market Bike Sale
• Sales Team Prepares the Sales Presentations and Sets up Stall or Presentation Room
• Corporate Communication Team Prepares Presentation to Describe Company Strategy and Capture Highlights of the Day

Lunch

Sales Challenge

Debriefing Preparation

Boardroom

• Company Presentations
• Video Highlights
• Discussion of Team Strategy and Lessons Learned
• Announcement of Results and Winner
• Application Exercises Focusing on Your Company's Business Challenges

Orientation

Team Briefing Sessions

Manufacturing & Strategy

• Marketing Team will also be responsible for developing TV Commercial for Videographers to shoot

BBQ Lunch or Dinner

Bike Rodeo or Bike-a-Thon

Sales Challenge

Debriefing Preparation

Boardroom

• Will also include TV Commercials

Lunch or Dinner

In hot climates, we recommend doing the team leder briefing in the morning, starting the session after lunch, doing the bike rodeo in the evening or early the next morning when it's cool and finishing up at lunch time.

To help you plan your corporate team building session, please check out:

Our Corporate Team Building Primer

Spice of the Month: Accelerated Learning Ezine

Our payment terms are 50% at the time of booking and the balance 1 calendar month prior to the session.

Events and sessions booked less than 1 calendar month in advance must be paid in full at the time of booking. There will be a 10% late booking surcharge due to the compressed timeframe for logistics. NO EXCEPTIONS.

To describe your requirements and find out how we can help you achieve your objectives, please submit the Booking Request Form that you can access through the Book Services tabs or links.

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