What if, instead of yet another meeting, your team transformed into a crew of engineers with one clear mission: build a flying object that outperforms everyone else’s? With Flying Objects, TeamBuilding.it’s creative format, that question becomes reality. In roughly 1.5 hours, brainstorming, hands-on making and healthy competition combine into an experience that truly sticks — and that works equally well indoors and outdoors.

The challenge: fly farther, fly more accurately

At the heart of Flying Objects is an energising, adrenaline-fuelled competition: each team must design and build a flying object using only recycled materials, then pit it against the other teams’ creations across two key dimensions — distance and precision. There are no ready-made solutions, no instruction manuals. What matters is the group’s ability to think together, experiment, fail fast and improve before the final challenge begins.

This approach closely mirrors real workplace dynamics: limited resources, a clear objective, time pressure and the need to coordinate effectively. The difference is that it all happens with a sense of lightness and enthusiasm that’s rarely found in a boardroom.

Roles, resources and team dynamics

One of the defining elements of Flying Objects is the assignment of roles. Within each crew, three key figures are defined:

• Designer: leads the design phase, translating the group’s ideas into a concrete build plan.
• Tester: is responsible for testing and optimising the object’s performance during intermediate trials.
• Strategist: manages available resources, monitors time and steers the team’s tactical decisions.

This structure is intentional: simulating workplace roles within a playful context helps participants experience leadership styles different from their own, appreciate the value of delegation and see first-hand how complementary skills lead to better outcomes. All without a single theory slide.

Why it works: problem solving in action

Flying Objects is particularly effective for tech teams, curious minds and professionals used to thinking in terms of problems and solutions. The format activates cross-functional skills that often go untapped in everyday work routines: applied creativity, lateral thinking, managing uncertainty and communicating under pressure.

The initial brainstorming phase pushes the group to generate ideas quickly and select the most promising ones. The build phase demands practical coordination and real-time adaptation. The final challenge tests the ability to stay focused under pressure. In short, it’s a perfect microcosm of the challenges every team faces daily — with the added benefit of being able to laugh at mistakes and learn immediately.

With 22 years of experience and more than 130 original formats, TeamBuilding.it developed Flying Objects to answer a precise question: how do you create an activity that genuinely engages people, generating authentic learning without the heaviness of a formal training room?

How to organise Flying Objects for your company

The format is available in both indoor and outdoor versions, adapting to corporate spaces, event venues and outdoor settings. The standard duration is approximately 1.5 hours, making it ideal as a standalone activity, an energising warm-up within longer training days, or a dynamic break during conventions and corporate meetings.

Our facilitator teams — based in Rome and Milan — take care of everything: from providing materials to managing the competition dynamics and running the final debrief, where teams reflect on what they experienced and connect it to their real work context.

Flying Objects sits within the Creative area of our catalogue, designed to stimulate innovation, lateral thinking and collaboration through hands-on experiences. It’s the right format whenever you want to break patterns, surprise your colleagues and achieve concrete results in terms of team cohesion and motivation.

Frequently asked questions

How many people can take part in Flying Objects? The format is scalable and adapts to groups of various sizes, from smaller teams to large corporate audiences. Participants are divided into balanced crews, each with assigned roles.

Do participants need any technical or creative background? Not at all. Flying Objects is designed to be accessible to everyone, regardless of professional background. The challenge is intentionally open-ended: there are no right or wrong answers, only more or less effective solutions to explore.

Can it be held both indoors and outdoors? Yes, the format is available in both indoor and outdoor versions, making it suitable for a wide variety of locations: offices, hotels, conference centres, corporate outdoor spaces and event venues.

Does Flying Objects include a closing reflection moment? Yes. At the end of the challenge, our facilitators lead a brief debrief in which the group reflects on the dynamics experienced — from role management to communication under pressure — and connects them to their everyday work context.

Ready to bring Flying Objects to your company? Get in touch to find out how we can build the perfect experience for your team.

To protect participants’ privacy, the images were recreated with AI based on real events.