Revisit your reasons for planning an offsite are you onboarding new team members or breaking through challenges with an existing team, for example and curate an experience that will build momentum and culminate in a memorable event. Think about whose economies youre going to support and make sure your team feels safe and comfortable traveling to those regions. Here are some questions to think about once you head home. We thought this would be enough time to work, bond and respect work-life balance. We structure time for each team to meet, as well as cross-team meetings. Here is an example of a Help Scout company retreat agenda, from our Spring 2019 trip to Lisbon, Portugal. If youre interested in an offsite retreat but dont want to deal with the planning process, let Offsiter do it for you! While the main reason we retreat is for everyone to build deeper relationships, we also talk shop. Well save you weeks of planning and months of stress by coordinating everything down to the last detail. To determine a budget, consider your company size and where you want to go. Looking to plan a luxury retreat for executives or do you want to plan an all-hands retreat for your entire work team? The questions seem endless. Its often possible to negotiate room blocks, which would allow your team to get a discount for booking multiple rooms at once., Venue Report is valuable again here, too; you can look up room blocks that align with your specific budget, and then pairs you up with venues in the range, too.. Our design team always creates memorable (and adorable!) Whether a day retreat or weekend retreat, there are important factors that you must consider. A themed casino party is a perfect opportunity to bring some fun and excitement to your retreat. New York, NY, Expanding Talent w/ Roadshows Figuring out each others personalities face to face offers helpful information to take back when we resume our largely text-based communication. What will you be doing there? Engaging the Senses Spending several high-energy days with your colleagues has the potential to feel draining, so providing your team with choices in how they spend their time will add to employee delight. Just hoping to get out of the office with a group? And its helpful to have these on file going forward (in case you someday want to send cupcakes to Megan in Italy, youll know they have to be vegan!). A special treat for your company retreats creates an inclusive and positive work environment. While theyre costlier, top-notch accommodations set the tone for your retreat. If you want to increase employee engagement, get everyone refocused and reenergized while increasing team collaboration, a corporate retreat may be a great choice. Celebrating a milestone or anniversary? Adding a designated travel day and three full days at our offsite was the perfect amount of time to get work done and have enough time to get to know each other. Leadership retreats differ from health and wellness retreats or weekend retreats at the local spa with a group of friends. Company retreats show your work team that you care about them and appreciate their hard work and dedication. Inspiration Whats already been done? At Offsiter, we like to think about execution in the following categories. Corporate retreats give you the chance to clarify your companys goals and missions, employee roles, and your company culture while offering a team bonding experience outside of the office. A cool venue and scenic location doesn't matter if your retreat is boring and irrelevant. Look below to find out which retreat is best for your company. We run a short survey after every retreat, and thats one of the first things we look at as we start planning the next one. Can you recap and highlight company culture with a blog post, newsletter, or video? Youll also want to avoid asking people to travel when theyre most likely to be responsible for childcare (theres no school in the summer, for example), or during a major holiday like Christmas when most of your staff wouldnt be willing to come.. And youll never know until its too late that someone on your team might get motion sickness, so the less time on a bus, the better. Whats the clear conclusion or culminating event? 
Now that we have an understanding of the importance of retreats and the different kinds you could plan, lets talk about how to organize them and what you might need. Ironically, as virtual as we have all become thanks to the wonders of LTE and autocorrect, the need for (and advantages of) face-to-face human connection seems bigger than ever. Figuring out group meals can be one of the most daunting yet exciting parts of retreat planning. Managing focus & attention Who is running the session (i.e. It's also great to be able to host brainstorming sessions with everyone in the same room. Remember activities are about building a team, not making someone feel excluded (extreme paintball, anyone?). Trying to book a venue, lodging, or a caterer for 20 employees will be a lot easier than trying to do the same for 500 employees., Lets take a look at the 6 different steps you need to take when planning and a few tools that can help., The retreat venue can be almost anything that you want; you can rent out a huge conference space in a large resort, or opt for a day at a local national park., When considering venues, think about what your team would be interested in, what works with your budget, and what you think works well with the purpose of the retreat. The company retreat, often imagined as a weeklong playground of corporate hedonism and zero work, is slowly getting a much-needed makeover. Best of Best Event Production Like other remote companies, we rely on many tools to stay connected and organized as we work. Once they have the go-ahead, they can purchase the ticket on their own company credit card. 
Did you know that businesses with high morale outperform their counterparts by 20%? At Offsiter, our own retreat planning process is based on human-centered design, where meeting business needs relies on meeting the human needs behind them. Connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn. When the stakes are high, pick a top retreat location that allows for both work and plays. Implementation It all comes down to execution, and bringing it all together takes a team. Your best bet is to ask the venue for local recommendations or to check out the review sites for reliable caterers. Luxury retreats, all hands retreats, leadership retreats, and team-building retreats are some of the many retreat ideas that bring your company together while allowing you and your employees time out of the office for both work and play. Then comes the planning. ), weve broken down the process of how to organize a corporate retreat and tips and tools that can help you along the way., Company retreats should strike that perfect balance of work and fun, and shouldnt feel like a typical office meeting that just happens to be in a new location., This means that a little more thought needs to go into planning the retreat, and that youll need to take 3 key factors into consideration when you start planning. Looking for some other retreat activities? While your event is focused on your business and its goals (such as new training or meeting to discuss budgets) you can still create a retreat that is an absolute blast. The first step in planning your corporate retreat is deciding which retreat is best for your business. Capturing value How can you package and repurpose this experience into marketing and outreach materials? Lets look at each one., Before you start actually getting into the details about your retreat, ask yourself what corporate wants the retreat to accomplish and what they want your team to get out of it.. Call us directly at (213) 222-6402 or schedule a call at your convenience and well help you find which service is right for you. Below, we break down the nuts and bolts of planning a corporate retreat that fits your budget and team goals. In addition to all-hands meals in the hotel, we also break the team up into dinner groups and send them out to various restaurants around the city, so everyone gets a chance to interact with folks from different teams. Whats new and exciting? Your staff isnt going to be on lockdown the entire time theyre at the retreat, so its good to not only plan blocks of time where they can venture off on their own, but also provide some recommendations for what to do during that time. 
Its where dreams find the freedom to grow into big, audacious ideas. 5 Ideas for Your Product Launch Some team members may be planning their sabbatical or parental leave. Oftentimes, hotels will provide a food and beverage minimum for large groups. But heres the thing: deciding to take the plunge and invest in a getaway is the easy part. Some retreats offer only breakfast and lunch, or only lunch and dinner, while others offer all three. Is the goal to forge connections between a predominantly remote team spread across multiple countries? How can each person feel uniquely engaged in the effort? We recommend creating a small retreat team or committee to help manage the agenda and keep people headed in the same direction. For our fall retreat this year, to a resort in Cancn, Mexico, we aimed at keeping our budget under $2,300 per person. By choosing the right venue to combine work and play, give your employees the inspiration to plan for a successful year ahead. Whether youre spending an afternoon out of the office with your team or traveling for a longer retreat with the whole company, weve curated the best content on goal setting, venue selection, theme development, seamless execution, and everything in between to help you make the dream of a one-of-a-kind offsite experience a reality. Planning a company retreat that leaves your team invigorated has its challenges, and with several under our belt, weve learned a great deal. Who should come? From a work perspective, teams often use corporate retreats to reflect on past performance, plan for the future, and hammer home the company's vision. If youre a remote company and still concerned about the price tag, keep in mind that its less expensive to fly everyone someplace twice a year than to pay rent on an office space year-round. Organize a fun and exciting Escape Room to encourage leadership and to work together. When looking at lodging, get in touch with the hotel or resort directly. And if youd like to stay in touch, subscribe to our timely email newsletter Field Guides for more tips, events, experiences, and updates from around the country. The bigger the minimum, the cheaper the rates. Something went wrong while submitting the form. Food walls, strolling tables, and food action stations are always a crowd favorite. Its how we dial down the noise of the outside world and connect with what is most important. Youll have a better understanding of what worked, what didnt, and how you can build off of breakthrough events going forward. (One thing to note: Organizing and executing a company retreat is equal parts exhausting and exhilarating. We send Google Calendar invites to everyone, and we post all pertinent retreat info in our internal wiki (we use Slab). Floks got you covered. An offsite retreat can help your company take time to reset and focus in on its strategic goals. Or maybe you want to travel to a top city where employees can site-see on their time off. If youre worried that planning a retreat might take you away from deadlines and your day to day responsibilities, dont be. She loves building a talented, diverse team that puts customers first. While the retreats destination location may have plenty of local activities and things to do, a successful retreat also includes a little fun and some much needed R&R. And the entertainment? What are the different skills and comfort levels of your team members? Finishing strong What feeling do you want people to leave with? For catering ideas and menus, click here. The corporate world is competitive, fast-paced, and takes a lot out of your team. Have your facilitator plan a live band for during the luncheon or breakout of the monotony of the meeting with an employee scavenger hunt that is designed to boost your event! Travel & Destination Events We recommend sitting down with your team as far in advance as possible (45 days for every 1 night away, if you can) and creating a one-page outline of your retreat objectives and how you plan to accomplish them. Communicating your goals Is everyone aware of your goals and prepared to meet them? While its ideal to scope out accommodations ahead of time, that wont always be doable, so relying on travel-review sites such as TripAdvisor and Yelp are essential. What needs to be in the room for a productive work session to happen? One other factor we try to be aware of is that politically, we need to ensure all of our team members can travel safely and be admitted without hassle to the countries where were traveling. Make your plans come alive by setting your team up for success. This takes time, so try to give people information a minimum of three months in advance. Keep in mind that if your team is flying in, youll need to book their flights and transportation from the airport to the venue and back again. Lets say youre planning a team-building retreat for your entire company. Between 10 and 50, boutique hotels tend to work well. Whether youre looking to boost morale and company culture with an offsite team building experience, provide training in an unstructured environment, or simply get your entire team together after one too many months apart, a corporate retreat is the way to go. Here are some more tips for executing a memorable offsite retreat: David Cummings Off-site Retreats for Startups, Help Scout How to Plan Fun and Productive Company Retreats, X-TEAM How to Organize a Productive Remote Team Retreat, Inc. 4 Ways to Run an Offsite That Won't Become a Snoozefest, Gusto Planning a Team Offsite? Do you want a venue that is close to your offices or do you want to travel to your companys headquarters? Time of year is crucial for retreats, and will take a little extra research if youre going outside your immediate area. We hope this guide gives you what you need to help you learn about, plan, and execute a successful offsite company retreat. Plan ahead with fun activities like bowling, employee karaoke, movie night, or a sightseeing tour if youre traveling to a new and exciting city. Weve combined our years of experience with the best resources from around the web on how to plan team offsites, execute company retreats, and organize meaningful team-building experiences. When planned with intention and consideration, a company retreat provides an authentic opportunity to boost employee happiness and build a strong, connected culture and it shouldnt require a six-figure spa bill to pull it off. Corporate retreats are a growing trend in the corporate world, and it is no coincidence why. Can you use Google Earth to take a virtual walk from the closest metro stop to the main lobby entrance, so you can give your team members all the travel instructions they might need? And we'll show you the 7 steps to create a benefits and perks program that supports your remote team. Sometimes planning a corporate retreat is too big of a task for a single office manager to tackle on their own. As your company gets larger, getting your team where they need to be can feel like herding cats. So when youre selecting a venue, prioritize spaces that have a more homey, fun feel rather than the more traditional conference halls. Thank you so much for making me look good Denise and Nikki, Event Solutions is lucky to have such a dynamic duo. Los Angeles, CA Make sure that its fully accessible, and if youre unsure, you can always send out a survey asking team members to anonymously request special accommodations they may need., Tools like Venue Report can help here, giving you information on plenty of great venues that suit your specific needs in the general region of your choice., In some cases, lodging wont be needed, especially if the retreat is local.
Now that we have an understanding of the importance of retreats and the different kinds you could plan, lets talk about how to organize them and what you might need. Ironically, as virtual as we have all become thanks to the wonders of LTE and autocorrect, the need for (and advantages of) face-to-face human connection seems bigger than ever. Figuring out group meals can be one of the most daunting yet exciting parts of retreat planning. Managing focus & attention Who is running the session (i.e. It's also great to be able to host brainstorming sessions with everyone in the same room. Remember activities are about building a team, not making someone feel excluded (extreme paintball, anyone?). Trying to book a venue, lodging, or a caterer for 20 employees will be a lot easier than trying to do the same for 500 employees., Lets take a look at the 6 different steps you need to take when planning and a few tools that can help., The retreat venue can be almost anything that you want; you can rent out a huge conference space in a large resort, or opt for a day at a local national park., When considering venues, think about what your team would be interested in, what works with your budget, and what you think works well with the purpose of the retreat. The company retreat, often imagined as a weeklong playground of corporate hedonism and zero work, is slowly getting a much-needed makeover. Best of Best Event Production Like other remote companies, we rely on many tools to stay connected and organized as we work. Once they have the go-ahead, they can purchase the ticket on their own company credit card. Did you know that businesses with high morale outperform their counterparts by 20%? At Offsiter, our own retreat planning process is based on human-centered design, where meeting business needs relies on meeting the human needs behind them. Connect with her on Twitter and LinkedIn. When the stakes are high, pick a top retreat location that allows for both work and plays. Implementation It all comes down to execution, and bringing it all together takes a team. Your best bet is to ask the venue for local recommendations or to check out the review sites for reliable caterers. Luxury retreats, all hands retreats, leadership retreats, and team-building retreats are some of the many retreat ideas that bring your company together while allowing you and your employees time out of the office for both work and play. Then comes the planning. ), weve broken down the process of how to organize a corporate retreat and tips and tools that can help you along the way., Company retreats should strike that perfect balance of work and fun, and shouldnt feel like a typical office meeting that just happens to be in a new location., This means that a little more thought needs to go into planning the retreat, and that youll need to take 3 key factors into consideration when you start planning. Looking for some other retreat activities? While your event is focused on your business and its goals (such as new training or meeting to discuss budgets) you can still create a retreat that is an absolute blast. The first step in planning your corporate retreat is deciding which retreat is best for your business. Capturing value How can you package and repurpose this experience into marketing and outreach materials? Lets look at each one., Before you start actually getting into the details about your retreat, ask yourself what corporate wants the retreat to accomplish and what they want your team to get out of it.. Call us directly at (213) 222-6402 or schedule a call at your convenience and well help you find which service is right for you. Below, we break down the nuts and bolts of planning a corporate retreat that fits your budget and team goals. In addition to all-hands meals in the hotel, we also break the team up into dinner groups and send them out to various restaurants around the city, so everyone gets a chance to interact with folks from different teams. Whats new and exciting? Your staff isnt going to be on lockdown the entire time theyre at the retreat, so its good to not only plan blocks of time where they can venture off on their own, but also provide some recommendations for what to do during that time. Its where dreams find the freedom to grow into big, audacious ideas. 5 Ideas for Your Product Launch Some team members may be planning their sabbatical or parental leave. Oftentimes, hotels will provide a food and beverage minimum for large groups. But heres the thing: deciding to take the plunge and invest in a getaway is the easy part. Some retreats offer only breakfast and lunch, or only lunch and dinner, while others offer all three. Is the goal to forge connections between a predominantly remote team spread across multiple countries? How can each person feel uniquely engaged in the effort? We recommend creating a small retreat team or committee to help manage the agenda and keep people headed in the same direction. For our fall retreat this year, to a resort in Cancn, Mexico, we aimed at keeping our budget under $2,300 per person. By choosing the right venue to combine work and play, give your employees the inspiration to plan for a successful year ahead. Whether youre spending an afternoon out of the office with your team or traveling for a longer retreat with the whole company, weve curated the best content on goal setting, venue selection, theme development, seamless execution, and everything in between to help you make the dream of a one-of-a-kind offsite experience a reality. Planning a company retreat that leaves your team invigorated has its challenges, and with several under our belt, weve learned a great deal. Who should come? From a work perspective, teams often use corporate retreats to reflect on past performance, plan for the future, and hammer home the company's vision. If youre a remote company and still concerned about the price tag, keep in mind that its less expensive to fly everyone someplace twice a year than to pay rent on an office space year-round. Organize a fun and exciting Escape Room to encourage leadership and to work together. When looking at lodging, get in touch with the hotel or resort directly. And if youd like to stay in touch, subscribe to our timely email newsletter Field Guides for more tips, events, experiences, and updates from around the country. The bigger the minimum, the cheaper the rates. Something went wrong while submitting the form. Food walls, strolling tables, and food action stations are always a crowd favorite. Its how we dial down the noise of the outside world and connect with what is most important. Youll have a better understanding of what worked, what didnt, and how you can build off of breakthrough events going forward. (One thing to note: Organizing and executing a company retreat is equal parts exhausting and exhilarating. We send Google Calendar invites to everyone, and we post all pertinent retreat info in our internal wiki (we use Slab). Floks got you covered. An offsite retreat can help your company take time to reset and focus in on its strategic goals. Or maybe you want to travel to a top city where employees can site-see on their time off. If youre worried that planning a retreat might take you away from deadlines and your day to day responsibilities, dont be. She loves building a talented, diverse team that puts customers first. While the retreats destination location may have plenty of local activities and things to do, a successful retreat also includes a little fun and some much needed R&R. And the entertainment? What are the different skills and comfort levels of your team members? Finishing strong What feeling do you want people to leave with? For catering ideas and menus, click here. The corporate world is competitive, fast-paced, and takes a lot out of your team. Have your facilitator plan a live band for during the luncheon or breakout of the monotony of the meeting with an employee scavenger hunt that is designed to boost your event! Travel & Destination Events We recommend sitting down with your team as far in advance as possible (45 days for every 1 night away, if you can) and creating a one-page outline of your retreat objectives and how you plan to accomplish them. Communicating your goals Is everyone aware of your goals and prepared to meet them? While its ideal to scope out accommodations ahead of time, that wont always be doable, so relying on travel-review sites such as TripAdvisor and Yelp are essential. What needs to be in the room for a productive work session to happen? One other factor we try to be aware of is that politically, we need to ensure all of our team members can travel safely and be admitted without hassle to the countries where were traveling. Make your plans come alive by setting your team up for success. This takes time, so try to give people information a minimum of three months in advance. Keep in mind that if your team is flying in, youll need to book their flights and transportation from the airport to the venue and back again. Lets say youre planning a team-building retreat for your entire company. Between 10 and 50, boutique hotels tend to work well. Whether youre looking to boost morale and company culture with an offsite team building experience, provide training in an unstructured environment, or simply get your entire team together after one too many months apart, a corporate retreat is the way to go. Here are some more tips for executing a memorable offsite retreat: David Cummings Off-site Retreats for Startups, Help Scout How to Plan Fun and Productive Company Retreats, X-TEAM How to Organize a Productive Remote Team Retreat, Inc. 4 Ways to Run an Offsite That Won't Become a Snoozefest, Gusto Planning a Team Offsite? Do you want a venue that is close to your offices or do you want to travel to your companys headquarters? Time of year is crucial for retreats, and will take a little extra research if youre going outside your immediate area. We hope this guide gives you what you need to help you learn about, plan, and execute a successful offsite company retreat. Plan ahead with fun activities like bowling, employee karaoke, movie night, or a sightseeing tour if youre traveling to a new and exciting city. Weve combined our years of experience with the best resources from around the web on how to plan team offsites, execute company retreats, and organize meaningful team-building experiences. When planned with intention and consideration, a company retreat provides an authentic opportunity to boost employee happiness and build a strong, connected culture and it shouldnt require a six-figure spa bill to pull it off. Corporate retreats are a growing trend in the corporate world, and it is no coincidence why. Can you use Google Earth to take a virtual walk from the closest metro stop to the main lobby entrance, so you can give your team members all the travel instructions they might need? And we'll show you the 7 steps to create a benefits and perks program that supports your remote team. Sometimes planning a corporate retreat is too big of a task for a single office manager to tackle on their own. As your company gets larger, getting your team where they need to be can feel like herding cats. So when youre selecting a venue, prioritize spaces that have a more homey, fun feel rather than the more traditional conference halls. Thank you so much for making me look good Denise and Nikki, Event Solutions is lucky to have such a dynamic duo. Los Angeles, CA Make sure that its fully accessible, and if youre unsure, you can always send out a survey asking team members to anonymously request special accommodations they may need., Tools like Venue Report can help here, giving you information on plenty of great venues that suit your specific needs in the general region of your choice., In some cases, lodging wont be needed, especially if the retreat is local.