Picture 20 lawyers scrambling through Port Townsend, Wash., looking for a colorful wooden fish — a city landmark. It's all part of the Amazing Race, the most popular teambuilding program put on by Canadian Outback Adventures, West Vancouver, B.C.
The program is based on the TV show of the same name. Teams of three or four search for landmarks and clues that lead them to the finish line. The catch? Participants must get from point to point without spending money.
“Teams wound up hitchhiking with strangers in the backs of pickup trucks,” says Quentin Wildsmith, a partner at Lasher Holzapfel Sperry & Ebberson in Seattle, which used the program. Sea kayaks were also used.
COA has offices in Canada and the U.S., and has run events for groups of 10 to 500 participants, says Rob Holden, corporate sales manager. COA will bring the race anywhere in North America, with activities suiting the destination. Races usually last four hours, but some groups do two-day, overnight programs. For more information, go to www.canadianoutback.com.