What is March Madness? 🏀
March Madness is the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division 1 men's and women's basketball championship tournament that kicks off every March and lasts until the first week of April.
Why is it called March "Madness", you ask? 68 teams compete per division, making that 136 teams in all. There are so many games happening all over the country simultaneously and in such quick succession, which explains the frenzy in the name!
Why should you plan an event around March Madness at work? 🤔
Sports provide an opportunity for people to connect and bond over shared interests – or rivalries! 😉 We can guarantee college basketball will be on many people's minds and the topic of quite a few water cooler chats.
Why not take your office's collective enthusiasm for these basketball games and plan fun team building activities that embrace, rather than compete with, the March Madness hype? Any opportunity to foster connection and boost employee engagement amongst your teams is a good opportunity, in our opinion!
Here are 5 of our favorite March Madness party ideas:
1. Play basketball trivia ❗
Everyone loves a little friendly competition, especially when the topic of college sports is involved. Here's a fun activity that doesn't require fancy decorations or a basketball hoop: March Madness Trivia!
This game features rounds of trivia all about college basketball teams, players, mascots, and more. Not a big basketball fan? No worries! Those who aren't the biggest sports buffs can still win points for witty answers, so creativity is encouraged!
This is the perfect activity for teams who like to compete against other departments! The bonus of sparkle points for creativity is a great way to encourage teams to put their heads together and think outside the box.
How to get started 👉 Gather all the teams and try to score the most points in March Madness Trivia!
2. Throw a no-buy-in bracket challenge ✏️
It wouldn't be basketball season without some tournament bracket challenges. For the unfamiliar, brackets are broken into the first round of games, followed by the second round, sweet sixteen, elite eight, and semifinals, leading up to the final championship.
To play, simply take your guesses at who will rise to the top of this knock-out style competition. By the way, no one's ever correctly filled out an NCAA tournament bracket, so your colleagues should feel encouraged (not required) to participate with their team in good fun, even if they know nothing about sports!
Don't worry, to make this HR-friendly, this is a no-buy in competition. Instead of asking everyone to contribute to an office prize pool, make the reward something simple, like an extra day of PTO, a gift card, or a fun jersey from their favorite team!
Encouraging an office-wide tournament bracket challenge is an easy, low-stakes way to encourage office engagement without requiring much of your employees. Even your colleagues who don't have much invested in the basketball championships have the chance of winning a prize!
How to get started 👉 Print your 2024 March Madness brackets and invite everyone who'd like to participate in predicting the winners for all the games!
3. Host a beer tasting 🍺
Beer and basketball go hand in hand, so why not plan an office happy hour for your party? Make your event more interesting than just sitting around with some brews and talking about the latest tournament upset by hosting an educational beer tasting!
In this engaging experience, a beer expert will guide your teams through a tasting experience of lagers, pilsners, and more! Learn about various beer styles and the various ways to understand and describe their flavor profiles.
This happy hour does more than just offer time for coworkers to hang out at the end of the day together. Participants can ask their beer expert all the questions they have brewing and branch out with new flavor profiles and styles next time they're picking up provisions for the next big game.
How to get started 👉 Celebrate March Madness with a Beer Tasting!
4. Decorate sports-themed cookies 🧑🍳
Here's an out-of-the-box idea: have a sports-themed cookie-decorating party! In this fun-filled event, your employees can enjoy each other's company while decorating sugar cookies in a variety of sporty shapes with intricate royal icing frosting techniques.
At the end of the class, your employees will be equipped with a dessert on theme to enjoy during their next game viewing with friends or family!
This is a great event for those who like a hands-on bonding experience. Plus, for parents working from home with young kids around, it's the perfect activity to include the little ones in the fun!
How to get started 👉 Show your team's colors in Sports Cookie Decorating!
5. Host a final championship potluck 🏆
There will be a lot of games to keep up with during March. When the final game rolls around on April 8th, end the day with a final championship potluck at the office! That will get everyone in the spirit for the final tip-off. Here are some ideas to kick your party up a notch:
- Ask each person to wear the colors of the team they hope will take the title!
- Encourage guests to bring their favorite game-day food. If you can't decide what to serve, check out these tailgate slow-cooker recipes.
- Get a small basketball hoop for the office and see who can make a three-pointer!
Office potlucks are a great way for everyone to enjoy delicious food, have some fun, and engage in a low-stress setting at the end of the day. Asking everyone to contribute to the spread makes it an event that requires minimal planning ahead of time. Plus, sharing food is one of the best ways to connect with people.
How to get started 👉 Create a sign-up sheet where employees can share what they plan on bringing so you don't end up with a bunch of dips and no chips! 🤦♀️
Make your party a slam dunk with Confetti 🏀
Even though March Madness isn't necessarily a work-related celebration, it's a great time to bring the team spirit from the court to the office with fun, get-to-know-you events. This March, plan some team building events that celebrate the camaraderie in your office and encourage employee engagement.
Make your hoop dreams a reality. Contact [email protected] to start planning the best March Madness party today!
