Tips for Planning a Successful Corporate Brewery Tour

As the dry season is at its peak and summertime is at its prime, office workers everywhere are looking for an excuse to kick back and quench their thirst with a cold brew.

If you have noticed this urge from your employees to be out and about, you may be wondering what can be done to boost office morale. Planning a corporate brewery tour will uplift spirits in the office and gear the crew up for some vital team building and bonding. Brewery tours are a unique twist to typical and traditional corporate happenings, allowing more time for co-workers to get together in a new, unique environment while eliminating the negative stigma of traditional team building events.

Many leaders look at team gatherings outside of the office as a splurge, when in all actuality it is an investment in your people. Team building activities and social events are proven to increase employee engagement and enhance company culture.

Here are some tips and tricks in successfully planning the best office brewery tour with us:

Define Purpose & Goals:
There may not be much room for discussing concrete business goals and objectives when taking the trip due to the movement between venues (and the amount of beer being consumed). As the leader of this team outing, consider scheduling the visit around a conference or sales meeting so that it serves as a reward for all the hard work you’ve all just accomplished! During the drive, or perhaps at one of the venues, why not create trivia questions that are aligned with your company or goals you’ve just discussed? Hand out one or two brewery tour vouchers to those who get the most answers correct as an additional perk!

Pick a date:
It’s a formality for most company leaders to plan their company’s team building event for a Thursday or Friday, which works great! Yes, there are quite a few beer tasters enjoyed throughout the day, and typically the group goes to dinner together after the tour ends, so there may be a few groggy risers the following day!

To avoid this and continue to get the best energy from your team, it may be a good idea to plan your tour on a Friday so your employees and peers feel the smooth transition from weekday to weekend. Make your employees aware of the day out a few weeks in advance so they’re able to plan their time accordingly whilst in the lead up to the tour. This helps keep them from feeling rushed, as well as gives them something to look forward to. If you’re a leader of a specific department and want to get your team together for an impromptu meetup, take a look at our live tour calendar or give us a call and we can help you pick a date that works best for everyone.

Rally the troops:
Golden Rule for corporate events: do not make this team building event mandatory! The last thing you want to do is make your employees feel forced to participate. Contrary to our tastes, not everyone likes to drink beer – or drink at all! We still encourage them to join the day, as not only is there plenty of education, we truly believe there is a beer out there for everyone and want to help them find it!

Alternatively, wine and cider are options at the majority of the venues we visit, so all bases are covered. Remember that some employees and peers may also have projects that are due around the time of your event that they would like to focus on. As mentioned before, let your employees know well in advance about this event so your colleagues can plan ahead. Emphasize the importance of attending the event, while also appreciating their dedication to their work. After all, you want to make this a fun and productive activity rather than a forced one.

Depending on the size of your organisation, you may want to register your corporate brew tour online to keep track of who is coming. This is ideal for larger groups so that you can communicate to only those who can attend or want to participate, and add in any event details that are easily accessible.

Select a tour that works best for your group:
Here at Hop On Brewery Tours, we offer a variety of beer and distillery tours to best suit your office needs and budget. Before deciding on which tour you want to take your group on, it may be a great idea to figure out if you would like to do a full-day tour vs a half-day tour.

We have a variety of full-day and half-day options, including combination packages with activities like a go-karting, axe throwing, or virtual reality! Once you’ve decided on this, you can then narrow down your options. Each tour has a customised layout perfect for beer (or spirits) education, tasting and appreciation!

For more details and help with picking which brew tour you would like to take the company on, click here.

Details:
As far as logistics go, communicate with us for pick up and drop off locations. We may be able to customise this portion of your trip to accommodate your team. Be sure to remind each guest to bring their I.D for the tour and wear closed shoes.

Maintain the excitement:
The hype of the tour will soon come to an end, and it will be time to think of more ways to keep your employees connected and engaged with your mission. Here are some great ideas to keep the company morale at an all-time high:

• Weekly employee roundups to discuss the company or individual employee successes
• Holiday parties
• Make brewery tours an annual perk!

Book Southeast Queensland’s best brewery tour or distillery tour today to create memorable moments with your peers and employees.

We look forward to having you Hop On with us!

Cheers and beers,
Matt and Joslyn