3 Important Steps in Planning a Corporate Retreat
Corporate retreats are a perfect way to create a balance between work and fun. They are a great way of increasing workplace happiness and creating a more cohesive team functioning. Whether you want to boost company culture and morale through an offsite team-building experience or provide training in a remote environment, a corporate retreat is the best way to go. Planning for a retreat requires you to consider various factors for it to be a success.
1. Determine the Retreat Goals
Before you embark on any plans for the retreat, you should first ask yourself what the company aims to accomplish with the retreat. It may be that you want to create connections between remote teams that work in isolated parts of various countries. In this case, you might need to plan for a longer retreat of up to three days for the bonding to take effect.
However, if you just want the team to have some fun away from the office through casual team building, then a day or two should be sufficient. Corporate retreats can be used to reflect on the past performance, lay strategies for the future, and drive home the company vision. By determining the goals of the retreat, you will be able to envision how long it will take, how much it will cost, and the best location for it.
2. Book the Retreat Venue
The venue of your retreat can be anywhere that will suit your intended purpose. It can range from a large conference hall at a resort to a day at the local national park. Choosing a venue has a lot to do with what your team is interested in doing, your budget, and the facilities that work well with the purpose of your retreat. The preference of your team will determine whether they want to go to a beach resort or enjoy some outdoor adventure in the mountains.
The venue of your retreat will also be greatly determined by your budget. For example, if you are budgeting $2000 per person then overseas locations might not be favorable. You also need to make the booking early enough to ensure availability. Don’t forget to find out about their food and beverages list of options and make reservations for your team. If you are going to stay awhile, then find out if the place has accommodation facilities.
3. Book Accommodation in Advance
Some retreats might be local and thus there will not be any need for lodging. However, if you are planning to sleep over then it is best to find out if the venue can accommodate you, or you will have to book separately. Having determined the length of your stay and the availability of accommodation, it is advisable that you make the booking well in advance.
The venue of your retreat might not have accommodation, or it may not be the same place, thus you need to plan ahead and find a nearby motel. This way, your staff can easily access their rooms and the venue of the retreat. At Sonesta, you can call the hotel directly when booking the rooms to see if they will give you a discount for multiple bookings.
