Jan Smolaga
Action Challenge Director
Let’s be honest – most corporate away days aren’t exactly the stuff of legend.
A conference room in a hotel. A trust fall with Dave from Finance. Yet another personality test (shout out to all my INTJ’s out there).
If your company supports a Charity of the Year, there may also be the annual fundraising calendar. A bake sale. A sponsored walk. Perhaps even the dreaded bath of beans.
All perfectly worthwhile, of course. But what if your team could do something people actually remembered, got excited for, and talked about for years to come?
Imagine standing at Everest Base Camp, crossing the Sahara on foot, or taking on a trail challenge through Iceland’s volcanic wilderness. The fundraising impact is bigger. The stories are better. The team bonds are stronger. And for many organisations, the benefits go beyond the challenge itself.
Over the last 25+ years, we’ve helped companies including HSBC, Harrods, DHL, Dell, Citi, PwC, BlackRock and Marks & Spencer use challenge events to engage staff, support charities and create unforgettable experiences.
1. They Create Genuine Team Bonds
Most team building exercises last an afternoon.
Shared adventures create stories people tell for years.
When colleagues pull together and encourage each to the summit of Kili, deal with unexpected rain showers, or have the shared bond of using squat toilets… relationships develop far more quickly than they ever could in a meeting room.
Everyone is in the same boat. Hierarchies disappear. Conversations and in-jokes happen naturally. People see different sides of one another.
2. They Give Staff Something To Be Proud Of
Most employees won’t remember this year’s quarterly roadmap meeting.
They will remember that feeling of trekking on the Great Wall, or crossing a finish line in Jordan’s Wadi Rum.
Adventure challenges provide a tangible achievement that participants can talk about long after the event has finished. They bring back more than just a medal!
The confidence gained often carries back into the workplace.
3. They Are An Exceptional Staff Reward
Top performers don’t necessarily want another bottle of wine or Amazon voucher.
Many organisations use overseas challenges as part of recognition programmes, rewarding employees with experiences rather than things.
A shared trip to Morocco, Nepal or Iceland becomes a powerful retention tool.
4. They Support Staff Wellbeing
People spend much of their working lives behind screens.
Training for a challenge encourages healthier habits, regular exercise and improved wellbeing long before departure day.
We include unlimited free UK training walks on all challenges too – so there’s support at every step, and a reason to focus on wellbeing from day 1.
5. Fundraising Results Can Be Immense
Let’s face it:
“Please sponsor me while I sit in a bath of baked beans” can only generate so much enthusiasm.
Steve and Kathy’s monthly bake sale can only raise so much (although their muffins are great with a coffee).
A trek to Everest Base Camp or climb of Kilimanjaro tells a very different story.
Participants invest months preparing, donors follow the journey, and fundraising often becomes easier because supporters can see the commitment involved.
Our partnership with Justgiving means we are able offer some neat fundraising tools, such as branded fundraising pages, leaderboards and more. A little bit of healthy competition can lead to transformative fundraising sums for your charity of the year!
6. They Bring Clients Into The Experience
Adventure challenges don’t have to be limited to employees.
Many organisations invite clients, suppliers and strategic partners.
Walking side-by-side for five hours creates very different conversations from those taking place across a boardroom table.
The relationships formed can be incredibly valuable
7. They Generate Positive Publicity
Your team taking on a 500km cycle challenge isn’t the time for modesty. A corporate challenge creates content.
Training updates.
Fundraising milestones.
Team stories.
Photos from the finish line.
Many companies use challenge events as part of wider ESG, CSR and employer-branding activity.
It’s your company brand all over a great positive story.
8. They Demonstrate Corporate Values In Action
It’s easy to talk about teamwork, resilience and determination. It’s much harder to demonstrate them.
Challenge events provide visible examples of employees living those values.
That’s powerful for staff, customers and stakeholders alike. It’s a conversation opener with new clients, and a reason why talented candidates should choose to work for your company.
9. They Can Directly Support Charity Partnerships
Corporate challenges can become the centrepiece of a much wider charity partnership.
Take Dell Technologies and The Talent Foundry. Over more than a decade, the partnership has combined volunteering, fundraising and overseas challenges to support young people from underserved backgrounds. We’re proud to have delivered many of their overseas challenges, including Kilimanjaro, Machu Picchu and most recently, Everest Base Camp.
The success of the partnership was recognised at this year’s Third Sector Business Charity Awards, when Dell and The Talent Foundry won the Education & Employability Award .
10. They're Actually Fun
This sounds obvious, but it matters.
Most people don’t tell stories about workshops & trust falls.
They tell stories about watching the sunrise over Everest.
About crossing desert dunes.
About reaching a finish line side by side with their colleagues.
About the campfire chats each night, and the dubious dancing at the celebration dinner.
When people enjoy something, engagement follows.
And that’s why challenge events work.
Ready For Your Own Corporate Challenge?
Whether you’re looking to reward your top performers, strengthen team relationships, support your Charity of the Year, engage clients, or simply give your people an experience they’ll be talking about for years, we’d love to help.
Our Tough Trails Challenge Series offers a fresh alternative to traditional corporate events. Open to walkers, joggers and runners, these fully supported two-day trail challenges offer the choice of 2 full or 2 half marathons over 2 days – with spectacular destinations, professional event delivery and exceptional hospitality.
Choose from:
- Iceland Tough Trails Challenge – volcanic landscapes, geothermal hot springs and dramatic highland trails
- Saharan Tough Trails Challenge – desert trails, spectacular dunes and Bedouin-style camping
- Jordan Tough Trails Challenge – the extraordinary landscapes of Wadi Rum and Petra
Teams can enter together, share the same adventure, and take on the challenge at their own pace.
Download our Tough Trails Corporate Brochure and discover how a challenge event could support your employee engagement, wellbeing, CSR and fundraising objectives.
