Located just a walking distance from the office—SPIN, a Toronto-based rec-room-themed 12,000-sq.-ft. hangout with Ping-Pong tables, promised our team an exciting evening.
We were greeted by warm hosts and a funky atmosphere.
Neon lights and modern art fixtures set the mood as we approached the reserved tables for our ping-pong tutorial. That’s when friendly banter began, and snacks filled the wooden picnic tables behind us.
SPIN’s ping-pong tutorial was thorough but fair.
We all had a chance to ask our questions and practice before the tournament was officially underway.
“Go easy on me!” could be heard across multiple tables as team members rallied for the first serve.
The games were close.
Despite the random pairings, the majority of games felt evenly matched.
“It’s not like tennis at all,” a team member remarked after faulting a serve.
Not surprisingly, colleagues could be heard giving encouraging remarks for another try, “That one didn’t count. Go again!”.
Most matches had a similar vibe, with the PowerHub team being flexible scorekeepers as players new to ping-pong found their stride.
Eliminated teams cheered competitors on and enjoyed refreshments.
Before we knew it, the semi-finals were fought and won.
It was also the perfect atmosphere and place to take a moment to surprise one of our colleagues about to start maternity leave.
She will be missed, her hard work valued and appreciated, but the sentiment couldn’t have been a warmer outpouring of well-wishes.
The entire team joined in for a lively round of applause.
After a chance to try the freshly baked cupcakes and rice crispy squares, it was time for the championship match!
This one was speedy.
Both teams gave it their all, but ultimately one team emerged with a win.
PowerHub had such a great time at SPIN.
Team building events are even more impactful now that we utilize a hybrid work model.
Feedback from some of our newer colleagues was that events like our outing to SPIN helped them get to know the team better in a casual setting.
We couldn’t be happier that our team enjoys getting together and trying new activities.
