Charity Team Building in Manchester: A Guide for Teams and Conference Organisers

Manchester is where a large share of the UK's conferences and offsites now happen, and every one of them has the same problem in the middle of the agenda: the slot after lunch that has to get people out of their chairs without feeling like a punishment.

We have run charity builds across the UK since 2011, and Manchester is one of the cities we are in most often, partly for that reason. More than 60,000 people have taken part in our events, and the conference ones are where the format earns its keep.

This guide covers where in Manchester it runs, why teams and organisers book it, the events Manchester teams choose, the two that land with the MediaCity crowd, what it costs, and how to get started. The shortlist is on our Manchester page.

Where in Manchester does charity team building run?

In whatever room you already have. We run events across Manchester, in Spinningfields, MediaCity and the city centre hotels. An office floor in Spinningfields works, so does a studio space in MediaCity or a function room at one of the conference hotels.

We deal with the venue directly on access, floor protection and timings. Nobody on your side has to relay messages. The venue just needs to know the date. Tell us the room size and we will confirm the event fits, or suggest one that does.

Why do Manchester teams and organisers book it?

For a team, the reason is that everyone has a job. A build cannot be finished by three keen people while the rest watch, and there is no fitness element or anything that singles anyone out, so departments and levels take part on the same terms.

For an organiser, the reason is the agenda. A build fills the difficult slot with something that has a point, runs to time, works alongside the AV, and gives the leadership something true to say from the stage afterwards. Our event planning page covers that side.

For both, the write up has a number in it. Five bikes, a named Manchester charity, a date. See how to put a team day in your ESG report for the detail.

Which events do Manchester teams book most?

Charity Bike Build. Teams earn parts through challenges, then build a bike, safety checked by our mechanics and given to someone leaving a hostel, a young carer or a family with no car, with helmets, locks, lights and pumps. The count since 2011 is past 3,000 bikes. Two and a half hours, for anything from 8 to 2,000 people. See the Charity Bike Build.

Scooter Dash. Fifty minutes on the clock. Fully recyclable scooters, collected by a local children's charity that afternoon. It is the easiest yes for a busy agenda. 10 to 500 people. See Scooter Dash.

OnBoard. Two skateboard decks per team, one for the artists and one templated. The boards go to children and young carers living in poverty, and over 1,700 have been donated. 6 to 500 people. See OnBoard.

Which events suit MediaCity and tech teams?

Manchester has a large digital and media workforce, and two events land particularly well with people who spend the year shipping things nobody can hold.

Flying Start. Teams build a drone, write the code that flies it, then race it through an obstacle course with the room watching. The drones go to primary, secondary and SEND schools for STEM lessons, so the donation repeats every school year. 6 to 300 people. See Flying Start.

Clean Air Machines. Teams earn our oZone charity currency through climate challenges, then spend it on parts for a machine that goes to a local classroom. Tested by the University of Sussex, and pupils can take the machines apart afterwards as a lesson. 8 to 200 people.

How does a build fit into a Manchester conference?

Scooter Dash fits a one hour gap between sessions. Fifty minutes on the clock, alongside your AV, and delegates are back in their seats with a scooter built.

The Bike Build and the Great Philanthropic Challenge carry a whole afternoon and run for up to 2,000 people, so an entire conference can take part at once. Teams of about ten work at their own stations, our crew runs the room from the front with a microphone, and the charity collects everything at the end in front of the hall. Our guide to team building for large groups goes into the mechanics.

How much does charity team building cost in Manchester?

The same as London or anywhere else in the UK. Where you are makes no difference to the price.

You pay one total for the group, set by the size band, and that covers the crew, the kit and what the charity takes away. As a guide, Scooter Dash is £2,212 excluding VAT for up to 12 people, OnBoard is £1,779 for up to 12, and the Charity Bike Build is £3,388 for up to 16 people, two bikes donated, or £4,703 for up to 40, five bikes.

The full price list is published, band by band. Tell us a headcount and roughly where, and you will have a price in a minute. Get a price.

Which Manchester charities receive what you build?

It depends on the event. Bikes reach people leaving a hostel, young carers, and families who have no car. Scooters are collected by a local children's charity. The skateboards go to young carers and youth projects. Drones and Clean Air Machines go to schools.

We match you to a charity that fits what your business cares about, and if you already have a Manchester charity partner, the Great Philanthropic Challenge lets them write the list of what goes in the care packages.

How to book charity team building in Manchester

1. Count the room. How many people, give or take, and a week you have in mind. 2. Name the room. Spinningfields office, MediaCity studio, city centre hotel. Tell us the floor area and we will confirm it before anything is booked. 3. Get the three that fit. Drop the headcount into the price tool and you will have three priced options before the kettle boils. 4. Tell the venue we are coming. We take it from there with the venue. 5. Turn up. We are set up before your team walks in, and our crew runs the session so nobody on your side has to host. How it works covers every step between the first call and the van leaving.

The bottom line

Manchester has no shortage of places to take a team, and no shortage of conference slots that need filling. What it has fewer of is afternoons that leave something behind. A charity build leaves bikes, scooters or skateboards with a Manchester charity, and gives your team a story with a number in it.

It runs in the room you already have, fits a working day or a conference agenda, and costs the same as it would anywhere else. The only question is how many of you there are.