How to add a business game to a conference or company offsite: an HR and agency checklist
Business Life runs business games for teams across Europe, the UAE, Georgia and Kazakhstan. A business game can open a conference, connect two content blocks or serve as the main working session at an offsite. Its place in the agenda determines the duration, room layout, energy level and facilitator’s work. HR owns the business objective and audience context. The event agency connects the activity to the venue, technical production and the day’s schedule.
Step 1. Define the game’s role in the agenda
A 1.5–2.5 hour format such as Black Square can fit a shorter slot. Participants need internet-connected smartphones, and rotating captains bring different people into the lead. Edges runs for one to three hours and supports up to 120 people. These formats are easier to place between presentations or before a workshop.
For the main offsite session, consider Big City at 3–4 hours, Right the Helm at 4.5–5 hours or Incentive Space Simulation at 4–8 hours. Protect a long session in the agenda. A late start, compressed debrief or catering service during play can break the sequence of rounds.
State the session outcome
Write down the question that the team will discuss after play: approaches to change, information flow across functions, decision criteria or motivation. Ask the facilitator to track how participants debate, share information, respond to mistakes, take the lead and reach agreements.
Step 2. Give every supplier the same brief
- date, city, venue address and onsite contact;
- confirmed attendance and possible range;
- working language and interpretation needs;
- net session window and adjacent agenda items;
- room plan, furniture, stage, screen, sound and internet;
- facilitator access, setup time and technical test;
- access requirements and venue restrictions.
Keep one current version of the brief. Name the client decision maker and one agency coordinator. Give the facilitator useful audience context without confidential personal assessments.
Step 3. Design the participant journey
Map the move from theatre seating to working teams. Leave a surface for each team’s materials and clear paths for the facilitator. For a digital format, display the QR code or link early, test Wi-Fi under realistic load and provide charging points.
Use one sentence in the introduction to explain why the group is playing. The facilitator then covers rules and criteria. After the final round, reserve time for three questions: what the team did, what followed from those choices and what may transfer to work. A winners announcement does not replace this discussion.
Assign event-day roles
| Role | Responsibility | Checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
| HR | Objective, audience and work context | Brief and debrief questions |
| Agency | Timing, venue and suppliers | Master run of show |
| Facilitator | Rules, rounds and debrief | Materials ready |
| Technician | Screen, sound and internet | Test before doors open |
Step 4. Run the final check
Confirm attendance, seating, materials, links, catering and facilitator transport one day before the event. At the venue, rehearse the opening, team transition, first slide and microphone. Keep a small timing buffer for instructions without taking time from the debrief.
After the event, collect the facilitator’s observations and brief participant feedback. Record topics for the next team meeting. The game supplies shared experience; the follow-up turns it into work decisions.
Compare formats in the business games catalogue. To match a game to your conference or offsite agenda, send the programme and group profile.