“Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet
on the ground.” ~Theodore Roosevelt
AN OVERVIEW OF THE ANT & THE GRASSHOPPER
Did you do an online search using the phrase "team building"? Then depending on the search engine you got
between 45 thousand and 400 million hits! So what sets us apart from all those other team building companies?
ORIGINALITY! We are NOT a team building department store where you can find all the same team
building programs everyone else offers. We offer only one-of-a-kind, unique, high quality, experiential team building
programs we call "Innovative Games". We know you won't find these programs anywhere else because we created them. We
are also the only company to facilitate these programs. No sales people. No middle men. You are
buying direct from the person who created the program and that's who will be customizing and facilitating your event.
How it works:
- All of our programs use "play" to motivate, educate and forge strong teams.
- We travel throughout North America and beyond.
- We do not provide the venue. You organize the location and we bring the program to your function.
- We offer our services to organizations and groups of all sizes.
- Pricing is based on the program, the size of your group, the location and the length of program.
- Our prices start at $2000 plus expenses.
Here are a few of the skills our team building programs focus on:
- Problem Solving
- Communication Skills
- Conflict Resolution
- Leadership Skills
- Organizational Development
- Interpersonal Skills
- Presentation Skills
- Morale Boosting
- Negotiation Skills
- Ice Breaking
- Time Management
- Goal Mapping
- Creative, Out-of-the-box Thinking
Our team building programs are an excellent complement
to all types of corporate functions including:
- Sales Training
- Leadership Training
- Training and Development Programs
- Planning Retreats
- Product Launches
- Intern Programs
- Incentive and Awards
- Kick-Offs
- Orientation Programs
- Silo Busters
- Year End Celebrations
"You can learn more about a person in hour of play than in a year of conversation." ~ Plato
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FOUR
PILLARS
The Ant & the Grasshopper is built on these four pillars:
- INNOVATION
All of our innovative programs are designed and created in-house. You can’t
find these imaginative, one-of-a-kind programs anywhere else.
“Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by
originality overcomes everything.” ~ George Lois
Because we create all of our own programs we can customize each and every
event to our customer’s needs. We go to great lengths to tailor
the right program for each customer. One size does NOT fit all.
“The only man who behaved sensibly was my tailor; he took my measurement
anew every time he saw me, while all the rest went on with their old measurements
and expected them to fit me.” ~ George Bernard Shaw
- QUALITY
We are committed to providing only quality programs. 2008 is an anniversay for our founder. As of this September Kevin Prentice will have been facilitating
corporate team building events for 20 years! Experience makes for Quality. We know we
can't please ALL of the people, all of the time, but we did pretty good in 2007 with a customer approval rating of 99.20%! Kevin knows what works
and what doesn't. We are NOT one of those "can do" companies because, quite frankly,
there are some things we can't do, and there are other things that just shouldn't be done. We prefer to tell you up front
than have you discover it on the day of the event. So when we say we "can do " something, you can rest assured it
will be done well!
“The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment
to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.” ~
Vince Lombardi
- INTEGRITY
We are committed to doing business with integrity. We strive at all times to treat our customers, our clients, our staff, and even
our competitors the way we would like to be treated; honestly, ethically and responsibly, with fairness and forthrightness. That includes the way
we advertise
and market ourselves. All the information on this site and in our advertising materials was written by us and we stand by it. All of the programs
advertised herein are our copyrighted properties created, tested and titled by us. We don't claim to have invented team building, scavenger hunts
or the murder mystery but we can state with confidence that you have never experienced a team building program like ours
before. They are truly innovative, one-of-a-kind creations. Charles Caleb Colton stated with irony that "Imitation is the sincerest form of
flattery", but we were anything but flattered when some of our titles and our marketing materials were clipped and pasted onto a few of
our competitor's sites. We assure you that we are the original creators of such world wide team building successes as Spy School©, Spy Hunt©, and all
the other "Innovative Games" advertised herein. When you buy from us we guarantee you are getting exactly what you pay for;
no bait and switch, no substitutions, no knock-offs and no "new and improved" versions - nothing but the high quality original.
“Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value.” ~Albert Einstein
- FUN!
Comedy and laughter are important components of all our events. Every event is designed to go all the way
to 11 on the “fun-dial”.
Most fun-dials only go to 10 but we have added one more number on our
fun-dial so we can take it up a notch.
Our trained facilitators and performers love what they do and the programs
we offer, and it shows! Their genuine enthusiasm is infectious and will
carry over to your group.
“You've achieved success in your field when you don't know whether what
you're doing is work or play.” ~Warren Beatty
“Humor is something that thrives between man's aspirations and his limitations.
There is more logic in humor than in anything else. Because, you see, humor is
truth.” ~Victor Borge
“Humor is mankind's greatest blessing.” ~Mark Twain
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OUR
STORY
THE FABLE OF THE ANT
& THE GRASSHOPPER
She was an “A Type” Formicidea
(a worker ant). Myers Briggs tested him an ESFP Acrididea
(a playboy grasshopper). Neither felt complete until
the day they met. The Ant, in an uncharacteristic moment
of lightheartedness, decided to attend a comedy show.
The Grasshopper was the comedian. By the end of the
show the Ant was feeling happier than she had in
years and the Grasshopper had a date with her to discuss
his establishing a retirement plan. Together the Ant
and the Grasshopper were able to accomplish what they
couldn’t individually. As a team they found happiness,
security and success. A heart warming story about two
entophiles getting in touch with their inner larvae.
The Ant and the Grasshopper can do
the same for your group. Our educational and entertaining
programs improve productivity by building the morale of
your hard working Ants and teaching new skills to
those playful Grasshoppers. Come play with us...
We're Mixing Business with Pleasure, and it works!
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“Leaders aren't born they
are made.” ~ Vince Lombardi
OUR
MANDATE
- To create and develop original, truly innovative team building
programs.
- To ensure 100% customer satisfaction by focusing
on the needs of the customer.
- To carry out operations in an environmentally friendly
manner.
- To give back to the community through outreach
programs.
- To do business with Integrity; it’s not about the bottom
line, it’s about achieving success through excellence.
- To have fun while doing it.
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“You never achieve success
unless you like what you are doing.” ~Dale Carnegie
OUR APPROACH - "INNOVATIVE GAMES"
What’s so innovative
about The Ant & the Grasshopper?
We knew that if we were going to encourage
creativity and innovative thinking in our participants
we needed to lead by example. Therefore, we decided
we wouldn’t offer the same team building events
as everyone else. Instead
we would develop innovative new programs
and creative approaches. These are The Ant & the Grasshopper’s
Innovative Games.
“Coaches who can outline
plays on a black board are a dime a dozen. The ones
who win get inside their player and motivate.”
~Vince Lombardi
Most team building events on the market
today fit into one of nine categories. Each category
uses one tool or exercise to impart its lesson or subject.
Innovative Games, on the other hand,
does not fit into a single team building category because
it combines the tools and exercises
of many of the other categories into one encompassing
game.
Each of our Innovative Games
is comprised of three main parts.
-
Part One - The Theme.
The theme of the game weaves all
the exercises and tools into one cohesive program.
The theme must be exciting and
enthralling as it is responsible for motivating
the participants to immerse themselves in the game.
An example is the espionage theme
of our top selling Innovative Game,
Spy School©.
-
Part Two - The Objectives.
While the playing of the Innovative Game
is fun and affords participants an opportunity to really get
to know one another and bond, each Innovative
Game also has other objective/s. Some
objectives include improving Communications,
developing Problem Solving skills, Negotiation and Conflict Resolution, to
name a few. In the case of Spy School©
the primary objectives in mind when creating it
were ice breaking and creative thinking. Innovative Games are
also very adaptable and can be customized to the specific objectives
of a group. Tell us the focus
of your meeting or conference and we can integrate your objectives
into our programs.
That’s the benefit
of having our own in-house creative staff.
-
Part Three - Exercises
& Tools
While other training and team building events usually
only use one exercise to make their point, Innovative
Games use many tools. E.g. One of the nine
common team building categories is the Team Design
and Creation. Boat Building is one such event in
that category that is sold by many team building
companies. It requires the participants to design
and build a sea-worthy boat out of cardboard or
wooden logs or even milk jugs. This event only uses the
one exercise (Design and Creation) to train the
participants. On the other hand our Innovative
Game known as Spy School© uses a wide
variety of training exercises including a Design
and Creation exercise entitled the “Resourcefulness
Test” (or MacGyver Test). So your group gets a wider
variety of experiences and skills development.
“Play is the only way the
highest intelligence of humankind can unfold.”
~Joseph Chilton Pearse
At The Ant & the Grasshopper we
firmly believe that play has the ability to empower
participants by affording them new information and experiences.
We are very proud of our Innovative Games
along with our other programs, and that pride and enthusiasm
shows in our work and our relationships with our clients.
Play with us and you will discover the benefits of Mixing
Business with Pleasure.
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OUR
FOUNDER
Kevin Prentice
Kevin is the Founder and Artistic
Director of The Ant & the Grasshopper. He has worked
as a team building events creator and facilitator since
1988, and as a writer, director, actor and comedian
since 1981. Prior to entering the field of team building
he worked as a foreign service
clerk for the Canadian federal government.
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