We’re still in stitches over our event producer Adam’s failed R&D session while building our new favorite toy, the beer puppeteer. Let’s just say a lot of perfectly good beer was sacrificed for that project, which you can watch in all of its glory here.

And it totally seemed like a good idea to transport an entire truckload of snow from Mt. Hood to Portland to build a sled run for a holiday party…that is, until we realized we’d have to bring in additional heavy equipment to actually move it on site, build the thing by hand and battle torrential rain that threatened to turn the entire load into a block of ice. With some hard work and a bit of luck, it all worked out in the end and the Nike crew had a blast playing on the hill, as did this sledding Sasquatch:

Of course, it wasn’t all just lighthearted shenanigans. Our clients continue to trust us to lead their team building efforts because they know we go deeper than simply providing an activity. We create an experience, with tangible results and solutions. This year, we brought in renowned facilitators like Jon Paul Crimi to lead intensive breathwork sessions that provided participants with such a release it moved some to tears, and best-selling author Laura Jack to share lessons of compassion and the importance of focusing on the ‘self’ to be better for your team.

One of our favorite moments was a champagne toast on a hike with a group from Columbia Sportswear, just days after the company’s beloved founder Gert Boyle passed away. That special moment gave them a much-needed outlet to share what she’d meant to them, and turned out to be one of the highlights of the year for the Global Sessions team members who were honored to be part of it.

2019 was a big year for us, with a huge expansion in our client base thanks to opportunities to work with companies like Google, Intel and Ernst & Young. We brought groups to inspirational locations throughout Oregon like Sunriver, Pronghorn Resort and Pacific City, and scoped out new spots including Paws Up Ranch in Montana where we stayed in glamping tents and tested out team building activities like horseback riding, fly fishing, and even an authentic cattle drive. Not bad for a day at the office! We’ve also expanded our product offerings, like an influencer experience we put together for a Nike product launch, and a calendar full of incredible holiday parties (featuring the likes of archery tag, a hockey arena and mermaids, as you do).

Finally, we continue to fine tune our team with new roles internally, adding key facilitators to our rockstar crew and investing more into our media efforts so we can regularly share all of the fun, immersive experiences we create.

From our team to yours, happy holidays and best wishes in 2020!