We all heard the talk about team building through extreme sports like white water rafting or quasi military exercises (night vision glasses and all).
Many more people try to hammer out their ‘strategic’ details in endless conference calls and meetings.
A kinder gentler alternative could be the Conference Bike which seats 7 people in a Circle. One person steers it, the others 6 can pedal if they wish.
What was originally an art project by Eric Staller who describes his work as coming "in three sizes: SMALL (studio work), MEDIUM (urban UFOs) and LARGE (permanent artworks in public places)" has seduced many people around the world.
According to one of its US distributors, The Dutch Bicycle Company (in Somerville, Massachusetts) "more than 150 Conference Bikes are now being enjoyed by a wide variety of groups in 10 countries. It is a tour bike in Paris and New York, a tool for corporate team-building in San Diego, a way for blind people to bike in Dublin, a human-powered bus in Germany and a vehicle to convey people at theme parks in Japan and Spain. Conference Bikes are also being used to transport employees on the Amazon.com campus in California".
In Seattle The Dutch Bike Co rents it for $79 an hour and say that since they have a Cobi-7 "it changes the laws of the universe. Motorists suddenly park their cars, jump out and join us. Pedestrians wave hello, laugh and point. Children, well, children, let’s just say they go nuts. Whimsy on wheels."
I personally would go for the smaller Quintette (pictured above, from Conference Bike site) which as its name suggests seats 5.
The musical connection might be the reason. There is a quiet quality to chamber music.
I found my way to this unusual meeting tool via 9 Pieces of Unusually Creative Office Furniture (on Web Urbanist)
Thinking Outdoors for Monday Work Etiquette #48
Previously: At Comcast, the Left Hand does not always Speak to the Right Hand
Related: The World’s Fastest Couch (Do Not try this at Home)!