Corporate retreats are a great way to build up staff morale, focus on strategic work and help your team bond. The best company retreats are the ones that feel like a gift to the employees, while also pushing for fresh motivation among colleagues. That’s why they require dedicated planning, in everything from objective to catering logistics.
This article will touch on how to budget for the event, select a good venue, plan your agenda and more, ensuring your team comes back with renewed sense of job satisfaction and eagerness to succeed.
Figure out what you’re trying to achieve and budget for it
Make sure that you know what the point of the retreat is. Are you taking your team on holiday for a great performance? Or is the trip a chance for C-suite executives to get together and plan the next move of a major deal. Define the purpose, then budget for it accordingly. Set a clear budget per-head for accommodation, transport, catering and activities, including a 10% contingency fund.
Select your corporate retreat venue
Corporate retreat venues are a massive defining factor in how people will remember the trip. If it’s more of a holiday, it can be worth flying people out to a tropical location. For a more work-focused excursion, options like Lake District conference hotels or Airbnbs in the UK can be more suitable.
Wherever you go, prioritise high, equal room standards, reliable WiFi and en-suite bathrooms.
Create a daily agenda
It’s important to spend some time in advance planning out the days of your trip. Make sure that you don’t spend too much time doing work or focused on structured activities. Business retreats have to emphasise the “retreat” element, otherwise they can start to feel like a simple extension of regular working life. Aim for a 60/40 split between structured activities and free time for your team.
Spend some time coordinating catering and logistics
Food is a core driver of travel, so make sure to keep it in mind when planning your corporate retreat. You need to be conscious of your team’s dietary requirements and mobility needs before you start booking restaurants or ordering in local catering. Do some research on the local delicacies and popular eateries of the area, then make sure to lock in suitable transport for your entire team.
Communicate with your team and execute the plan
A week or two before the event, give your attendees all the information they’ll need to enjoy the trip to the max. Each team member coming on the trip should get a daily schedule, a packing list, details for all your corporate venues and any emergency contacts they might need on the trip.
Getting your team’s expectations set in advance is important for ensuring the trip is as productive as possible, whatever that means at the moment.
Additional considerations to keep in mind
Throughout all these steps, it’s important to keep a few core considerations in mind.
- Keep accommodation standards consistent across the entire team. This prevents unnecessary social friction between different staff levels.
- Prioritise renting out full properties or isolated wings in properties, especially if you’re planning on getting work done on the trip.
- Make sure to collect feedback from your staff throughout the planning process, as well as on and after the trip.
These are all important aspects for any organiser to remember, as they will make all of your other planning steps more successful.
So, if you’re getting a corporate retreat, ensure you know why you’re doing it, where you’re doing it and what you’re doing when you get there, then communicate properly with your team. The best trips will reaffirm your team’s faith in you and vice versa.
