Team Building in 2023

Team building has always been an essential aspect of any organization. However, since the pandemic started, it has become even more critical for regional teams to feel connected as a community. With the rise of remote work, it is easy for employees to feel isolated and disconnected from their colleagues. That’s where team building comes in.

When regional teams feel like a connected community, they are more likely to work together effectively and collaborate on projects. This, in turn, leads to increased productivity and better results for the company. Additionally, team building activities can improve communication skills, promote trust and mutual respect, and enhance problem-solving abilities.

Since the onset of the pandemic, many companies have shifted to remote work, making it more challenging to maintain a sense of community and connectedness among regional teams. Virtual team building activities have become increasingly popular as a result. These activities range from online games and quizzes to virtual escape rooms and cooking classes.

However, planning and organizing team building activities can be time-consuming and challenging, especially for businesses with limited resources. That’s why companies like Majestic Circus have emerged to help organizations with team building planning and development. These companies provide a range of services, including customized team building activities tailored to the specific needs of the organization.

By outsourcing team building planning and development, businesses can focus on their core operations while leaving the organizational aspects to experts. This approach can save time and money while still providing a positive impact on the company’s overall performance.

In conclusion, team building has always been important for regional teams, but it has become even more critical during the pandemic. Virtual team building activities have become increasingly popular, but planning and organizing these activities can be challenging. Companies like Majestic Circus can help businesses with team building planning and development, making it easier than ever to promote a sense of community and connectedness among regional teams.

So it has been a crazy year for everyone.  Everyone has been dealing with lots of changes to their every day lives both on the personal and professional side.  Now that Majestic Circus has turned 1 year old today it is time to catch up with one of the Founders of Majestic Circus to see how the journey has been so far and where he thinks the Circus can go from here.  Kevin Noonan is known by just his last name by most of his friends so we as we are so close with him we will call him Noonan as well.

And here comes Noonan……

Majestic Circus: Hey Noonan, Tell us a little about yourself…

Kevin Noonan: Hey, I would love to, but could you call me Kevin please?

MC: LOL, ok, let’s start over.  Hey Kevin, Tell us a little about yourself…

KN:  I was kidding, you can call me anything you want.  So where to begin.  I spent most of my adult life at Sea working for an amazing company you may have heard of called Carnival Cruise Lines.   But let’s go further back then then.  I was born in a small WNY town called Batavia, NY.  It was a really great town to grow up in.  I have 3 brothers that are spread across the world and we are al in VERY different lines of work, we could spend an hour on just this part so I will move on quickly.  After graduation High School I went to University of New Hampshire before heading to sea where I made my passion for entertaining into a career, met the love of my life (my wife Gemma) and got to work with, for and alongside a lot of the talented people that became RingMasters and helped Majestic Circus become what it is today.  I am currently living in my home town again with my wife, my son Jaxon and my Daughter (currently known as Button) is due right around Christmas Day (very convenient).

MC: You had the original idea for Majestic Circus, a year after the launch how are you feeling?

KN: Proud.  Just super proud, of what we have achieved and excited about what is to come.  Every day we are taking on new exciting projects with new exciting partners.  We started as a group of out of work entertainers with a fun idea to connect people in a time when that was really hard to do.  Now we have so many fun and secret projects going on behind the scenes that I can not wait to tell everyone about. 

MC: Creating an online business during a global pandemic is no small task, can you tell us a bit about the Journey of Majestic Circus from your initial idea to where you are today?

KN: Yes.  It was definitely interesting to start a business in April 2020.  Deep down I really just believe that if there was ever a moment that people needed to have fun, it was in the middle of a once in a century pandemic.  People were starving for interaction.  I am a firm believer in the power of live entertainment, no pandemic was stopping the importance of entertainment and the healing power of laughter.  One of my main driving forces behind creating Majestic Circus was that I had so many friends from Cruises that were out of work for almost a year.  I thought I had a way to keep entertainers doing what they love and entertaining!  I just needed to connect them with an audience and they would take it from there.

MC: Why do you think Majestic Circus has been so popular?

KN: Well #1 it is that we are VERY unique, and hosted live by talented entertainers.  Though our uniqueness is one of the great things about Majestic Circus it is also a curse.  Sometimes I feel like we are selling iPhones in 1980.  No one understands it lol.  Remote team building events and specifically live entertainment over a video streaming provider (we use zoom.us)  is very new and though we have a 100% satisfaction rate after 12 months of operation we still put lots of effort into finding new clients, so don’t be afraid to help us out and tell EVERYONE!  We love a referral 🙂

MC: Who is Majestic Circus for, and what are the benefits??

KN:  So we always answer this question the same way, our events are not just for any body, they are for EVERYBODY.  In our corporate events we find that sometimes the loudest and funniest players are, the quietest ones in their team or families.

MC: Majestic Circus is very popular with corporate teams looking for virtual team building, after hosting many companies over the last year do any of them stand out and why?

KN: Every event is special in it’s own way. I would hate to name them by name but we had one group that played Get it! with 200+ participants in 50 different locations, It was the most organized mayhem of any event we have hosted to date – That was a lot of fun! We also hosted a themed school event for a grade school near Harvard, which was very well received. We are proud to have been trusted by big corporate companies like Capital One, Expedia, Starbucks, Accenture, and Liberty Mutual to engage and entertain their teams.

MC: The team at Majestic Circus has an array of talents, how do you plan to utilize these in the future?

KN:  Well as I hinted at above we are already working on tons of new things behind the scenes.  As we grow I know there is a lot we can do in consulting for hotels, resorts, casinos, river boats and cruise ships, and building entertainment experiences and events for anyone looking to provide fun for their clients/guests.  We want to become, (Well we will become) the go to Entertainment company for various needs.

MC: Where do you see Majestic Circus in five years time?

KN: Oh boy, the sky’s the limit.  I am excited just thinking about it.  I hope, I mean I think, I mean I know we will be known as the company leading the way in virtual entertainment and cutting edge live experiences.  As much fun as it is to host events for people we like to build events for companies even more.  Jake, James and I are all determined to keep growing every year and making this into the one stop shop for fun.  

MC: As a founder of Majestic Circus, what are you most proud of?

KN: Well it is probably a cop out but I am proud of the ability of the team to find an audience again.  I have also been able to reconnect with so many friends that I have worked with over my 25 years in entertainment.  I love being able to keep entertainers entertaining, I am a  true believer believing in the power of live entertainment no matter what…

Lets talk again in a year 😉

The Majestic Circus team caught up with Erin to tall about what we love the most….. Majestic Circus.  In less than a year we have launched an online entertainment company that brings live experiences that are fun, energetic, and interactive straight to your home or workplace, quickly becoming one of the leading virtual employment engagement solutions in the industry. We provide virtual entertainment to keep your employees excited and engaged.  Our vision is to help industry leaders increase team productivity and overall performance through our unique games matrix. We want to bring the fun and excitement back into your workplace, and one of the people that does it best is Erin!

And here comes Erin……

Majestic Circus: Hey Erin, let’s start with an easy one, can you tell us a little about yourself…

Erin: I am originally from Montreal Canada and have been traveling around for the past for years  entertaining and bringing joy to hundreds of people, my true passion.  I am super bubbly and love entertaining and making people laugh.

MC: You have been a RingMaster with us since day one, and regularly host a lot of our corporate Experiences, what makes these different from the Experiences we see on the website?

E: The main difference between a regular event and a corporate event is that my participants are NOT used to unmuting, turning on their cameras and having a good time.  My participants are used to logging into zoom for a 9 am meeting to discuss business as opposed to having a good time and sharing a laugh.  The best part about hosting corporate events is that I can break the ice and take people out of their corporate shell and watch them connect and have a great time with their colleagues.

MC: Have you hosted a company during a Majestic Circus Corporate Experience that stood out, if so why?

E: Definitely! I would say the company that stands out the most would be Multilearning!  I ended up hosting a holiday corporate experience for them in December and they included every employee in the experience, it was hectic!  This experience was interesting because this company offers virtual events catering to medical and scientific associations across the world, so let’s say that they know a thing or two about hosting events online.  The pressure was definitely on… Not only did I have to break the habit of them constantly muting/turning their cameras off but also had to manage the insane amount of participants joining last minute.  The best part about this experience was the fact that they had an amazing time!  Sometimes being on the other side of the camera is great, and in this case it was.  The amount of jokes, laughs and fun that they had was refreshing.

MC:  What are some of the benefits of a company planning a virtual team building experience?

 E: Reconnecting with colleagues, Live entertainment hosted by professionals from the comfort of your home, Affordable & Engaging

MC:  Why is Majestic Circus so popular for virtual team building?

E: There are other virtual platforms that offer virtual team building activities but MC is the only company offering live gaming experiences hosted by professional entertainers.  All of our Ringmasters offer a different experience based on their personalities and skills that all share one thing in common… FUN.

MC:  What advice would you have for someone looking to plan an event for their team?

E: The number one advice I would give to someone who is looking to plan an event for their team would be to make sure their team has fun.  Keep in mind that a lot of people are lacking that live interaction experience, and that is exactly what MC offers, with an extra fun twist.

MC: What are the best Experiences for large teams to play and how does that work?

E: In my opinion, the best experience to book for a large team would be Know It!  Whether you have a group of 75 people to a group of 200 people, Know It! will keep everyone engaged and having fun the entire time.  Know It! will test your useless information knowledge, puzzle solving ability, and the occasional song lyric.  As I said before, Know It! will keep everyone engaged and having fun by grouping people together and selecting a team captain.  The team captain will then have to consult with his/her teammates to lock in that final answer.

MC: Have you ever hosted corporate experiences in which you have teams in different time zones?

E: Yes! We have hosted participants from different parts of the world. We had events where certain teammates were located on a different continent.  But that is exactly what MC represents, reconnecting colleagues, friends, and family members no matter where they are in the world.

MC: What type of companies are the corporate experiences for?

E: Our corporate experiences are for any company that is looking for live entertainment experiences.  I have hosted corporate events from all sorts of different backgrounds, anywhere from tech companies to dairy companies from all over the world.

MC: During the last 12 months throughout the world people have made a “Zoom mistake” – can you share with us one of yours?

E: Considering we have all been working at home for the past year, most of us have adapted to this new home office lifestyle…except our animals.  My “zoom mistake” was assuming that my dog understood the zoom etiquette.  For the most part, your family/roommates would generally keep it down and not bother you during a zoom meeting… not my dog.  Even though I would feed, walk and entertain my dog before hosting an event, I would say half the amount of time she is next to me (out of camera) begging for attention.

Well now that you have met Erin you know that she would be a great RingMaster to book with.  She is ready to have a great time with you and your group.  What are you waiting for?

I have always been a huge fan of all things games. We actually have a home video of my dad asking my three year old self what I wanted to be when I grew up to which I exclaimed “Vanna White!” I’ve always had a huge love for games but what really ignited this desire to create my own game came after watching “Survivor” for the first time. 

I started hosting my own version of the show which I called “Survivor Backyard” when I was in 7th grade. At 12 years old I somehow convinced my parents to let me invite 8 other kids over to compete in the game I created over two days. This went on to become an annual event that I hosted every summer for the next ten years. This got me a bit of notice in my small town of 150 people which gave me all sorts of odd jobs including the planning and hosting of birthday parties, our high school pep rallies, community talent shows, and eventually the director and MC of the world famous Longville Turtle Races. I then went on to work on my college’s campus activity board as a co-president, self-designed my own class titled Game Show Production, landed a job as an activity host on cruise lines. This unique background eventually landed me a job in the head office of Carnival where I was responsible for creating all the trivia, games, activities, and special events on board the ships. The next step was to officially take on the title of Game Maker Majestic Circus!

The first game I created for Majestic Circus was Know It! I have always loved getting a team together and heading over to the pub for a little midweek trivia but I found it was often the same format; “We will ask five questions in a specific topic, you write them down, we will collect them”. While there is nothing wrong with that and it’s always a good time, I always felt it could be just a bit more dynamic.

When Majestic Circus came to me I was excited to put my love for obscure game shows and my activity planning expertise to use. From the minute I started working on Know It!, which was first called “The Big Quiz”, I knew I wanted to find a way to have dynamic teams. Typically, when you play any sort of trivia you create your team and that is your team the entire time. I wanted to change that. Knowing that groups would be playing with friends, families, and colleagues, I wanted to make sure players got a chance to play with everyone. Randomized teams in each round allows just that. Additionally, the ever changing team dynamic prevents a single team from ever completely dominating the game. (It’s not fair if only one team gets the trivia super whiz of the family for the entire game!) We began testing this team changing format from the very start and after positive feedback from my favorite test group (my best friends), I knew we had the right format.

As players are always on a team throughout the game, I knew I needed to add an element that allowed for individual choice. I wanted something that wasn’t solely triviabased so no single player ever felt like they were put on the spot, but still something that would allow for an individual choice to impact the game. For this I looked exclusively to the world of game shows. Something prominent in all game shows is an element of luck. Whether that be picking the right door in “Let’s Make a Deal” or spinning the wheel on “Wheel of Fortune”, players, and viewers, love an element of luck. This led to the creation of The Lucky Board, an opportunity given to players twice in the game to pick from a board of 16 numbers. Some numbers gave bonus points while some took points away. I first introduced this in our second round of trials and it was immediately a hit with the test groups. The excitement and reactions from players as the leaderboard shifted after each round made me so happy. 

During this first test the leading player asked if they could pass. At the time that answer was no, but it got the gears turning just a bit more. So after a few tweaks, we landed on the final version of this luck element which we called “Pick It or Stick It”. Now, players can either choose to pick a number for themselves or they can “Stick It” and force another player to pick instead. This can be done offensively to try and take down those at the top of the leaderboard or more defensively to avoid negative numbers themselves, and maybe if they are feeling nice try and help out their friends on the bottom. Everyone has their own strategy when it comes to picking which helps to make every game unique from the last. 

After coming up with the base format I began to get to work on the games of Know It!. At its core, all eight games in Know It! is trivia based; but each game has an added layer that requires you to think just a bit differently. For example, one of our games Singing Gibberish requires players to guess the song title from a set of lyrics shown on the screen BUT, in our game the lyrics were translated to fifteen different languages first. Go Figure requires players to answer simple trivia questions such as how many sides are on a triangle or how many colors are in the rainbow. But what happens when those questions are linked with a plus sign, turning the questions into a math equation, which you must answer under the pressure of a ticking clock? 

When designing these games I was often inspired by game shows, especially the great game shows of the ‘60s and ‘70s. For example one of the games in Know It!, Double Feature, came to me while I was watching “Concentration”. While the games are vastly different, the idea of combining trivia and a classic game of memory resonated with me and led to the creation of the game. Another round in Know It!, Bidding Wars, was very much inspired by “The Price is Right”. While I was developing Know It! I thought it would be fun to add a trivia game that adds an element of strategy. After being outbid by a dollar on “The Price is Right” (this really happened, video below) and constantly thinking about the bidding strategy, I knew it would also work in a trivia style game. 

While there are only four rounds in a game of Know It!, there are eight games available. Something I wanted from the very start was an element of choice. The thing about trivia is one size doesn’t fit all. One group might love number guessing games but another might prefer more pop culture based games. With this in mind, I added a simple element of round selection. In each round the group votes on one of three games or topics to play. As each group is different, so is each game. I love being able to put control back into the hands of the players to allow them to shape their game and outcome.

After months of testing, trials with several different test groups (including a group located in Hawaii which I began hosting at 3:00 AM), and over 20 different revisions to the game, I had finalized the first ever Majestic Circus experience. Know It! was a true labor of love that turned into something really special. It’s exciting to know that i’ve created a game that has been enjoyed by so many groups and has been used as a vehicle to help friends and family reconnect. 

DAT DAT DA DA DAT DA Da DAT DAAAAAA DAAAAAAHHHHHHH

Now that the Circus is in full swing now for just about 5 months now (I can not believe i just wrote that) we have decided to start to showcase all of the AMAZING talent that we have all over the world entertaining you.  We will be looking for help from you to decide who we interview next.  Actually it would be super fun to get questions from you as well.  If you have any suggestions for who we should interview next week please put them in the comment section.

We chat with one of our original RingMasters who tells us about his love of the Circus and his goals for 2021! Ladies and Gentleman, The super popular Steven Schwartz!

Q: Introduce yourself, tell us a little about yourself and where you are from;

A: Hi Everyone! I’m like a peacock, you gotta let me fly! I’m an only child who was born in New York, raised in Georgia, college educated in Florida and then continued moving south to work in the Caribbean.

Q: Tell us about your Career so far and how it brought you to Majestic Circus;

A: I have always kept myself busy from a young age, participating in extracurricular activities at school and practicing my music. Once I graduated from The Florida State University, I ended up holding 5 very different part time jobs at the same time. I worked in Tallahassee for almost 2 years before interviewing and then landing a job with Carnival Cruise Line as part of the entertainment team. After 1 month onboard, I realized another passion of mine was entertaining guests face-to-face. I learned so much from my 8 years onboard ships from public behavior to leadership and more. The friends I made (who are like family to me now) are extremely smart and talented and I am glad that after 8 years, I can continue to do so virtually with our creation of Majestic Circus! 

Q: Why did you join the Circus & what excites you the most about it?

A: This was an opportunity to be a part of something new and exciting. I would be able to gain invaluable experience while continuing to do what I love; to bring a one-of-a-kind experience to people. 

Q: You have hosted both of our current experiences which is your favorite to host and why?

A: That is a tough question…but my favorite experience to host has to be KnowIt! Some of the questions and puzzles are easy when you have time to think, but when you have added stress (ie. only 30 seconds, deciding who on the team is correct, etc.) it changes the game! Watching people break out of their “shell” to compete and have fun really tops it, too.

Q: During December Majestic Circus hosted over 30 companies for various corporate experiences, do you have any standout moments during all of those bookings?

A: I remember being one of many RingMasters to host an IT company. Now, I pride myself on helping people let loose and have fun. I was told it would be tough to get the employees to participate, so I took that as a challenge. After the event, so many employees said “I’ve never seen that person move so fast and I’ve worked with them for over 10 years!” We were able to break down barriers between coworkers which they didn’t even know existed. Now they will be able to share that experience and look back on the fun they had.

Q: What would you say to someone who hasn’t tried Majestic Circus yet?

A: I’d say something along the lines of…”WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!?” This world is ever changing and recent times have shown how tough it is to have fun while also connecting with friends and family. Majestic Circus provides the opportunity for families, friends and colleagues to laugh and have fun together. 

Q: Who is Majestic Circus for?

A: Literally everyone! Friends, family, co-workers, young, old, tall, short, it doesn’t matter! I have hosted over 40 events at this point and I am still having fun…even though I know the answers lol.

Q: When you imagine Majestic Circus in 5 years time what do you envisage?

A: I envision Majestic Circus being a top tier entertainment experience company.  We will be able to expand and even host live events in certain cities, if needed.

Q: During the last 12 months throughout the world people have made a “Zoom mistake” – can you share with us one of yours?

A: I had a virtual background on and we were about to start a meeting and I needed to change my shirt. Well, I thought I was out of the frame when I started changing but everyone could still see me! I didn’t hear them trying to warn me because I just took off my headphones and placed them down, so there was no hope for me.

Q: Ok last question, finish the sentence – In 2021 I want to…

A: Own a car. I’ve driven countless rental cars and cars of family/friends, but I have never owned my own car. The time for this is 2021!