Why was the French Team Building Federation created?
Fanny Dautzenberg There have been many upheavals in the event market, and more specifically in team building, notably with the rise of platforms that directly connect clients and service providers. These marketplaces list a large number of activities under the label "team building", without truly distinguishing between them. It is from this observation that the founding members' desire to come together within a federation was born, in order to structure, professionalise, and add value to the market. This begins with having a clear definition of what team building is. For us, these are activities intended to foster team cohesion, create interpersonal communication, and stimulate collective intelligence. It is not the same as well-being or leisure activities. Team building almost has a managerial function: we intervene at the heart of teams. However, today, everything is thrown into the same basket, which debases the term. We therefore wanted to communicate more effectively about what constitutes a team-building activity and what does not, and to draw up a charter of commitment as a guiding principle among members.
What does this charter contain?
Fanny Dautzenberg It is based on five pillars. The first is legality: complete respect for labour legislation, tax and social obligations, and mandatory subscription to professional liability insurance specific to event activities. The second is the physical and psychological safety of participants. The third is quality: all staff supervising activities are trained and professional. The fourth is inclusivity, to ensure that activities are accessible to everyone. The fifth is CSR: members are aware of good practices and are committed to offering activities that are as respectful as possible.
Who makes up the federation today, and who are you looking to attract?
Fanny Dautzenberg We currently have 30 members: Arcane Experience, CBR Team Building, les Coqs en Pâte, Azefyr, among others. We are primarily looking for players who share our definition of team building and who commit to all of these criteria. We directly approach professionals we know, and our growing visibility also generates spontaneous membership requests, which we collectively filter.
With the clients, who is in charge of the team building file?
Fanny Dautzenberg The stakeholders are varied: team leaders, office managers, executive assistants, communications managers, or HR managers.
Could you tell us more about the label you've just launched?
Fanny Dautzenberg Yes, we have launched a "Places and Hotels" label. The aim is to gradually extend the federation's scope beyond just activity providers, to encompass all those who sell these services and, step by step, reach the end customer. A business or hotel with FFTB certification will be able to promote its certified partners, and the customer will have a distinctive mark of quality. We are also working with platforms: for example, we have entered into a partnership with Kactus, who created a dedicated filter for FFTB-certified companies. This certification addresses a real gap. Nowadays, team-building activities on platforms are lost amidst axe-throwing or mindfulness sessions! This is not at all the same thing, and it does not meet the same objectives. Having an identifiable mark of trust is essential, particularly for companies facing significant challenges in employee engagement and mental well-being.
Why the name "French Federation", which is rather sporting terminology?
Fanny Dautzenberg It came quite spontaneously. I hadn't drawn the parallel with sport, but it's true that a connection can be made.
La World Cup must be a good time for team-building activities…
Fanny Dautzenberg Some members are proposing activities that capitalise on this event. But June remains a flagship month for team building anyway, just before the holidays.
Watching a match with colleagues: is that team building?
Fanny Dautzenberg No, not according to our definition. There is no device designed to foster communication, connection, and cohesion. That said, it’s a convivial moment, probably spontaneous, and it does a lot of good for morale. Even if it doesn’t fit our definition, watching matches together is a good time!
What are the major trends in the sector? The teleworking it should encourage demand to strengthen team cohesion...
Fanny Dautzenberg There is a strong demand for outdoor activities, "in the countryside," outside of large urban areas. Playful formats remain very popular: murder mystery games, escape rooms... And team building often remains linked to a seminar or a study day. Regarding remote working, the need for cohesion is real, but it is offset by companies' budgetary concerns. After strong post-Covid growth, we are stagnating a little today. Companies want to offer activities to their employees, but economic and political considerations often prevail. We are seeing this concretely: projects are launched, then abandoned due to a lack of budget.
Artificial intelligence is permeating all sectors. Is team building an exception?
Fanny Dautzenberg We are receiving requests for AI awareness activities. Several members are proposing them. The interest is real: AI cannot be rolled out solely from the top down. If the company imposes it without employees embracing it, it won't work. Team building creates genuine interaction, a fun "sandbox" where people can experiment without risk. It's an effective way to encourage this adoption of AI. That said, it's not the majority of our activities. And the impact of AI on our profession remains marginal: we organise activities in the real world, which encourage participants to look up from their screens and connect with other people. AI isn't capable of competing with that yet!
