Matthew Ruddick, National Sales Manager at Jotun Paints, had experienced Urban Quest’s Melbourne CBD team building five years earlier — as a participant, when his previous manager organised it for his team. When he moved into a leadership role himself and needed to organise something for his own team of sales leaders, Urban Quest was the first thing that came to mind.
Leadership in Action
One of the main challenges Matthew wanted to address was leadership within his team. Since his group consisted of leaders, the goal was to see who would naturally step up in different situations.
“It just gave everybody the opportunity to step out of their comfort zone and lead people they wouldn’t usually lead as well.”
Urban Quest’s format is well-suited to this specific dynamic. When a team of leaders competes together, the usual hierarchy doesn’t apply — someone has to navigate, someone has to decode, someone has to make the call under time pressure. Those roles don’t always fall to the most senior person in the room.
A Fresh Take on Team Events
Having participated in various corporate team building activities over the years, Matthew recognised a common issue: many traditional events feel repetitive and don’t offer real benefits.
“Previous team events can be a little bit stale, a little bit gimmicky, whereas this forces everyone to work together. Everyone had an opportunity to work as part of a team but also as an individual — so you could work something out in collaboration or use your brain power to work it out for yourself, and then come together as a team and voice your opinions.”
The distinction Matthew draws — between activities that look engaging on paper and ones that actually force participation — is one that HR managers and team leaders recognise immediately. Urban Quest’s format doesn’t allow passengers. Every team member has a role and a moment.
Thinking Outside the Box
For sales leaders, the ability to approach problems from unexpected angles is a professional requirement. Matthew made the connection directly:
“You need to think outside of the square, particularly in a sales leadership position. Today’s event forced us to think beyond what is considered normal.”
That connection between the Urban Quest challenge format and the specific cognitive demands of a sales role is something Matthew noticed in real time — not a facilitator’s post-event summary, but an observation made by a senior leader about his own team’s experience.
Seamless and Short-Notice Planning
Organising a team event with limited lead time is a real constraint for most managers. Matthew’s experience with the booking process was straightforward:
“It was reasonably short notice that I organised it, but everyone was fantastic to deal with. It was seamless.”
Urban Quest regularly accommodates bookings at short notice for standard formats. The Ocean’s Eleven and Black Friday experiences run on established routes with confirmed venues — which means the logistics don’t depend on long lead times.
First as a Participant, Now as the Organiser
Matthew’s perspective is unusual among Urban Quest clients — he has experienced the event from both sides of the booking:
“I’d done it before in my previous role as a team member. My boss set it up for me about five years ago and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s very different but it’s much more engaging.”
The fact that he came back — this time as the one making the call — is the clearest possible signal that the experience delivers on what it promises. Five years between the first event and the second, a different role, a different team, a different city. Same verdict.
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Read what actually changes after a team building event →
Matthew Ruddick is the National Sales Manager at Jotun Paints. Urban Quest has delivered team building events for Jotun Paints across multiple cohorts.
