First Quad Cities Corporate Games to Kick Off Next June and July
The inaugural Quad Cities Corporate Games (QCCG), a project of the Iowa Sports Foundation in partnership with Visit Quad Cities and the Davenport Parks and Recreation Department, will be held June 1 – July 31, 2021.
Company pride, corporate wellness, employee engagement and team-building are all benefits for companies on both sides of the Mississippi
The Iowa Sports Foundation co-sponsors the Corporate Games.
River participating in the bi-state Corporate Games.
“We are thrilled to launch the Quad Cities Corporate Games with our partners at the Iowa Sports Foundation,” said Dave Herrell, President and CEO, Visit Quad Cities.
“We have had a long-standing relationship with ISF and look forward to activating and engaging our regional business community with this incredible platform that supports health, wellness, teamwork and a positive spirit of competition,” he said. “The Corporate Games has been successful in other Iowa markets and we are confident that this event will deliver for the Quad-Cities regional destination as well as continue to build civic and corporate pride.”
Founded in 2016, the Des Moines Corporate Games has grown to include over 70 companies and nearly 15,000 participants in central Iowa.
The Corridor Corporate Games, established in 2019, has also seen early success with over 30 companies and over 4,000 participants in the second year in the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area. Even through the Covid-19 pandemic, participation has remained steady with virtual events taking place this summer when gathering in person wasn’t possible.
The Quad Cities Corporate Games will follow a similar model.
Employees next year have the opportunity to take part in more than 20 different events during the months of June and July. All in-person events are held in the evenings and on weekends.
Events range from competitive team sports to non-competitive participation activities. Virtual challenges are also available that can be completed at the employees’ worksites or homes.
Dave Herrell is president/CEO of Visit Quad Cities.
“The Corporate Games model has had great success in the Iowa City/Cedar Rapids area with the Corridor Corporate Games. We believe the same format will also be an excellent fit for the Quad-Cities area,” said Chuck Long, CEO of the Iowa Sports Foundation. “The Quad Cities Corporate Games will be a great way for local businesses and organizations to support health and wellness through a friendly competition.”
Entry fees, paid by the participating company, are based on the number of people employed in the Q-C area. The costs vary based on company size, starting with $1,000 for organizations of 100 employees or less. Employees do not pay to participate in QCCG sports and events.
Participating companies are split into divisions based on general company size. Points are awarded throughout the competition based on sport/event placing, participation and volunteerism. The top companies in each division will receive recognition, with the winning company in each division receiving the coveted Corporate Games Cup.
This year, the Iowa teams had a limited number of in-person events, with all of them including mitigation efforts to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, said Matt Beatty, chief operating officer for Iowa Sports Foundation.
“Our choices of events were based on the ability to social distance and participate safely, as well as facility restrictions (indoor vs. outdoor, space available, etc.),” he said this week by e-mail, noting both the Des Moines and Corridor Corporate Games had events in-person such as a bags tournament, bowling, disc golf, kickball, and sand volleyball.
Some previously scheduled virtual events (Burst Your Thirst Challenge, Learn and Earn Webinars) also took place as planned. Other events that are normally held in-person, such as a fitness walk, yoga in the park, road race, and trivia night, were turned into virtual events where participants had a window of time (generally about a week) to complete the event for company points, Beatty said.
A winner of this year’s Corridor Corporate Games in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids.
“We also added some additional new virtual events such as fitness classes, name that tune trivia, and a scavenger hunt to give more variety and opportunities for employees to participate when we couldn’t gather in groups,” he said.
In all, they held 11 in-person events and 26 virtual events in Des Moines with over 14,000 participants from 72 companies. In the Corridor Corporate Games, they held 8 in-person events and 20 virtual events. The Corridor Corporate Games had 31 companies and just under 4,000 participants.
The “normal” plan for the Corporate Games in all locations is to offer around 25 in-person sports and events, Beatty said. “We plan to include a virtual component in 2021 as well due to the popularity of those events this past summer, as well as positive feedback received from the participants and companies,” he said.
Q-C companies can register beginning Tuesday, Dec. 1, through March 1. Registration is limited to the first 50 companies.
The company investment is all-inclusive and covers costs for eligible employees to participate in all sports and events that the QCCG has to offer. This includes green fees, lane fees, registration, awards, etc. The only exception is that cart fees for golf are not included in the company fee. Employees who elect to use a cart will pay that fee separately.
The Q-C Games are open to any company, municipality or government agency or department in the area. Participation is for regular employees (full or part-time), interns and retirees. Participants must be 18 years of age or older.
A sand volleyball game in this summer’s Des Moines Corporate Games.
The company-based competition enables and supports teamwork, company pride and corporate wellness through healthy competition.
There are more than 20 activities that include both competitive and non-competitive events. Additional metro partners include Bettendorf, Moline, and Rock Island Parks and Recreation Departments.
The games are partnering to support the Children’s Therapy Center (CTC) in 2021. The Children’s Therapy Center of the Quad Cities has been providing life-altering, outpatient physical, occupational, speech, and feeding therapy to kids with developmental disabilities and delays throughout eastern Iowa and western Illinois since 1949.
The Rock Island-based CTC often sees kids and families at their worst — when they have just learned that their child has a life-altering or life-threatening condition. Instead of focusing on the expected limitations, the CTC focuses on what the child can do and encourages parents to see that with appropriate therapy and consistent effort, there is hope for a brighter future.
Throughout its history, the center has never turned a child away due to the family’s inability to pay for needed services. Currently, over 70% of the services provided each year are not reimbursed, so community support is vital to the continuation of their mission. A portion of QCCG company entry fees will be donated to the Children’s Therapy Center.
For more information or to register a company, visit https://qccorporategames.org/.
