You want to maximize your attendees’ educational and networking opportunities, so you pack your agenda with sessions, speakers, and meetups. But you can’t rely on attendees to digest the whole schedule and maximize their own participation.

Consider how iBeacons—Apple’s location-based technology—can help, says Ben West, founder of Eventbase, a mobile event app platform used at SXSW and the Sundance Film Festival, among others.

Place beacons outside session rooms, and when attendees walk by, the beacon sends a signal and unlocks specific content that the attendee receives on his or her smartphone (or smartwatch). “For example, if there are still seats available for a panel discussion or film screening, event organizers can push an alert to nearby attendees,” West explains. “iBeacon technology helps personalize massive events and offers new ways to get more information or context based on what’s around you.” And when attendees walk out of a session, he says, the beacon can “trigger a poll to gauge speaker and content quality.”
 

That’s just one team name groups might choose from a hilarious list provided by Bowlmor AMF in its bowling teambuilding guide. Consider a couple of hours off site at one of Bowlmor AMF’s centers in 18 cities nationwide, where catering is available along with suggestions for bowling awards (not just for high scores, of course!), Bowling Bingo, Bowling Poker, and Funky Bowling, where participants bowl in a different way for each frame (with their non-dominant hand, while sitting on the lane, etc.)

Visit the Bowlmor Web site for more info and pricing.

Cinemark Theatres has 335 big screens available in 41 states for presentations, meetings, or private screenings. Check the company's Web site for a theater near your office or venue.

The best teambuilding activities allow colleagues to learn a little, have some fun, and see each other in a fresh light. Charlotte Chipperfield’s wine-blending seminars check all the boxes. Founder of The Wine Key in Sausalito, Calif., Chipperfield teaches groups about how the four varietals (merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, and petit verdot) are most often blended to create a Bordeaux wine. The teams try their hands at it, as well as naming their blend, creating a label, and telling a story about it. Each team presents its whole package to the larger group, with Chipperfield acting as judge and choosing an overall winner.

Chipperfield also does a straightforward Wine 101 class—how to taste and buy whites and reds, the winemaking process from vineyard to bottle, and pairing wine with food—that can be added to an incentive itinerary. She says nondrinkers still appreciate the education. (She's also partnered with olive oil companies to do oil tastings.)

Find out more at her Web site.

Wallrus is a free tool that allows you to create a customized social wall that broadcasts live Twitter and Instagram feeds to a single hashtag along with your organization’s logo. Paid packages add moderation, videos, unlimited hashtags, and more customization options, including things like contests or schedules. Setup is as simple as selecting your hashtag and your theme, then plugging in your laptop to an HDTV or projector. Visit the Wallrus Web site for more.

The Biltmore Hotel, Coral Gables, Fla., offers 100 fitness classes a week, free to all guests. Guess who rarely takes advantage of them? Meeting attendees. No surprise there. With agendas scheduled down to the minute, it’s tough to put aside an hour for a spinning class, no matter how energizing.

That, says Charlotte Prescott, director of spa and fitness, is the reasoning behind new wellness packages that planners can overlay onto their meeting agendas without missing a beat.

Start with a morning stretch: A fitness instructor joins your group in the meeting space and leads a few stretching and deep-breathing exercises. In the afternoon, trade the calming break for an energizing session with a mini Zumba class. “It’s not intimidating or serious,” Prescott says. “Everyone laughs. It’s a release for the mind as much as for the body. And it’s memorable.” Pair any session with refreshments including fruit, protein bars, and smoothies.

The 275-room Biltmore Hotel has 75,000 square feet of indoor/outdoor meeting space.

You probably know someone who’s into CrossFit, the exercise program practiced at thousands of gyms nationwide that features high-intensity workouts in an atmosphere of camaraderie and competition.

Now one of these gyms, Cave CrossFit in Los Angeles, has created fitness-based teambuilding activities for corporate groups. The Corporate Wellness program is designed for all ages and experience levels and is meant to be fun and inclusive.

For a recent corporate experience, teams were instructed to jog in a line as the leader carried a weighted medicine ball. Then the person in the back of the line had to run to the front and replace the leader and carry the ball. “By presenting obstacles that can only be accomplished through teamwork we allow every individual to contribute and succeed,” says Cave CrossFit Owner Brian Jaffe. “We can tailor any event by scaling and modifying every workout, promoting a fun and exciting atmosphere.”

Cave CrossFit trainers can even bring certain workouts to local offices or meeting venues. Find more details at the Cave CrossFit Web site.