Outeraction Awesome-ness

Being that 2 out of the 3 of us are University of Tampa Alumni, we are always pumped to see someone from UT doing big things. So when Matt Rutkovitz decided to start Outeraction we were thrilled that he asked us to come out to his very first “experience”. Outeraction puts on “microexperiences” for millenials in an effort to get them to meet new people, create community involvement and more or less just have an awesome time with like minded individuals. Each experience is no more than 3 hours, no more than $30 and for ages 30 and under. Besides just focusing on individuals, Outeraction offers these experiences to businesses as well as a form of teambuilding. I’m currently trying to coerce my company into hopping on the Outeraction train after our experience, so let me tell you why…

On a rainy Wednesday night Ryan, Nicholas and I headed into Ybor and sprinted the two blocks from the parking garage to Tampa Bay Brewing Company.  And let me tell you, the only thing that was going to make me feel better about the water in my shoes was a cold brew, which thankfully was handed to me upon arrival (already off to a good start). We mingled with some millenials as the rest of the crowd filed in and  about 10 minutes later we were ready to get started. Each experience starts off with ice breakers which Rutkovitz likes to call “energy openers” in an effort to get everyone feeling comfortable and create connections among the individuals at the experience. We all circled up and were confused when he pulled out a roll of toilet paper. (a brewery seems like an odd place to bring your own TP but hey, to each his own) we were told to pass it around and take as many sheets as we normally use (talk about getting personal; this may not be something you want to do with someone on a first date, just sayin’) Once everyone had awkwardly grabbed their toilet paper we were told that for every sheet, you would have to share a fact about yourself. Besides being a little awkward at first, it was a really good way to get to know the people around us and we were able to build on those facts for future conversation later in the evening.

Once the energy openers were done it was time to get to the brewery tour. Now I don’t know too much about beer besides that I like to drink it, so listening to the process and how the different beers are brewed was actually really interesting. We learned about everything from their Iron Rat Imperial Stout to their True Blonde and after the tour was done, it was on to our favorite part, the tasting. We headed back to our meeting area and were treated to some delicious snacks before getting our sampling on. We were lucky enough to try 8 different beers and in the end it was “One Night Stand Pale Ale” that came out on top for me. During the sampling it was great to converse with the other attendees and make connections for the future.

All in all it was a great first experience and since then, Outeraction has not slowed down one bit. You may have seen articles in the Tampa Bay Business Journal and 83 Degrees Media regarding the company and it’s CEO. Besides our brewery tour, experiences have included rock climbing and even a give back experience (because who doesn’t love having a great time while giving back?!) and there are way more to come. The next experience will be a Gin Cocktail Class this Wednesday (7/23) at Ciro’s Speakeasy where you will get to learn how to make drinks and of course, taste the creations. If you’re looking to get a little more physical with your experience, Laser Tag this Sunday (7/27) might be more your speed. Sponsored by the University of Tampa and featuring Brew Bus beers, it will be the perfect end to your Sunday Funday!

For even more upcoming events from Outeraction, be sure to check out their Facebook page!

-Allison