Beat The Bomb seemed like it could be the perfect team-building activity. That's what our firm was looking for so we decided to give it a shot.
On Tuesday evening last week we headed to an office building in Dumbo for our paint challenge. Upon arriving we entered a dimly lit bunker-type atmosphere:
After checking in and getting settled, our first task was to pick a team name. One suggestion was "Marshmallows," for the white hazmat suits we would be wearing and the delicious snack we would resemble. Others suggested using the first initial of each team member's name to form a word: MAPAS, PSAMA, ASPAM. Spam caught on; we also really liked marshmallows. Thus "A Spam Marshmallow" was born and our team's identity forged.
Having named our team, we were ready for the garb. We hopped into our faux hazmat suits and later geared up with helmets and gloves.
We communicated, strategized, and made our way through 4 rooms, each room presenting a different challenge that required collaboration. The objective for each room was the same: do our best with the challenge presented in order to earn time for the 5th and final room -- "the bomb room."
We programmed computer screens, slithered between laser beams while crossing from one side of the room to another, and memorized and utilized color and shape patterns.
We then proceeded to the bomb room for a video game challenge and our chance to beat the bomb.
Though we didn't succeed in beating the bomb (few do), we destroyed a handful of targets, got smothered in paint, and ended the evening in smiles and laughter.