Catalyst Ranch’s
Creative Juice Blog
The creative life of our social media pilot Bryan, like that of many other Ranch staffers, goes well beyond the Catalyst confines. He shared with the Creative Juice Blog an inspiring team-building activity he created for his teaching artist colleagues in Chicago. With the holidays in full swing, I’m reminded of an uplifting team-building [...]
The past two years have been a time of great change, shifting challenges, adjustments, learning, and isolation. The Catalyst Ranch leadership team recently worked with executive coach and facilitator Jackie Sloane to reexamine our roles and how we relate to each other, as we look to the future and prepare to welcome more of you [...]
Catalyst Ranch has been the go-to creative meeting and event space for going on 19 years. This hasn’t come without help from amazing partners and vendors who add that extra cherry on top of our delicious innovative sundae. For example, when our clients are looking to create a truly experiential teambuilding experience for their offsite gathering [...]
Time for Team Re-Building: When and where to activate face-to-face team building As the number of vaccinated people continues to increase each day and the pace of re-opening accelerates exponentially, businesses large and small are grappling with many logistical challenges. But one of the most urgent is the need to re-build their teams and strengthen team [...]
We are known around Chicago as the place for team building. We're sort of a big deal. Groups don't just come to Catalyst Ranch to do amazing ice-breakers and exercises. That's only part of it. What's more is that we offer a wide selection of Meeting Mix-Ins and Add-Ons: We've vetted a number of outstanding third [...]
What's on your meeting's agenda? A welcome address, introductions. Maybe a get-to-know-you activity. Presentations followed by a few blocks of break-out groups. But what agenda items make your meeting unique and experiential? If that piece is missing, you lose a valuable method of ensuring your attendees remember this event and retain its content. That's why we've [...]
Previously on The Digital Adventures of Pogo... One can never be over prepared for an activity. For when you least expect it, the unexpected can occur. Ranchhands to the rescue! Meeting Mix-In Magic! The energized sounds from the Polka Room were building to a dull roar. Inside, Deborah, the meeting planner, watched the attendees become fully [...]
Build a Motorcycle to Build Your Team! Bike Build Chicago, from Preferred Vendor Moto Guild, is the perfect out-of-the-box experiential learning, team-building activity to motivate, empower, and create camaraderie among your employees. The event is set up to explore better ways to work together through an out-of-your-comfort-zone task that is both challenging and rewarding once the [...]
Reason #17 to love this year: get 17% off an improve it! workshop and 17% off your room rental price (either half day or full day) when booked at Catalyst Ranch! Just make sure to book your workshop by March 31st, 2017 and get this once-a-year offer. Utilize improve it!’s out-of-the-box thinking and fun energy at one [...]
Jodi Whitlock of Corporate Event Interactive tells us about how their team got started, where she likes to vacation (don't forget the wine!) and what's coming up for CEI. What made you get into this business? CEI began as a traditional event planning company. We quickly discovered an affinity for the teambuilding and interactive part of [...]
