A company retreat isn’t just an excuse for time off or for making small talk across teams. It’s a strategic, long-term investment designed to improve team bonding, communication, creativity, and more. Planning a successful corporate retreat takes time and a clear strategy. Without either, the event can lack structure and direction, and quickly become expensive.
This guide covers eight essential steps for planning a company retreat, from setting goals to measuring post-event results. That way, you can plan and host the best company retreat for your organization.
What Is a Company Retreat?
A company retreat is a well-planned, organized gathering where employees leave behind their work routine to focus on team building, connecting, and recharging. Such retreats can run from one day to several days or more. They can also take place in person, virtually, or in a hybrid format —making them ideal for all team demographics.
Unlike a regular offsite, which centers on formal work-related activities and business initiatives, a company retreat is informal, with clear, employee-centered goals such as improving well-being and boosting morale.
4 Types of Company Retreats
Choose from among the four primary types of company retreats, including:
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Day Retreat
Often held at a local venue, a day retreat takes place over a single day, without the need to book overnight accommodations.
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Overnight/Weekend Retreat
A one-to-three-night corporate retreat is a popular choice for organizations that want to take their time focusing on team building and other employee-centered activities. Team members can enjoy having plenty of time to connect in a relaxed, overnight setting.
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Multi-day Destination Retreat
A multi-day destination retreat offers team members countless opportunities to interact and connect in a fun locale. They take place over a minimum of 2 days, up to a week, or longer. Multi-day destination retreats require careful planning–from travel logistics and accommodations to an agenda full of fun team building activities.
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Virtual or Hybrid Retreat
Ideal for remote or hybrid team members, planning a virtual or hybrid retreat offers flexibility without sacrificing opportunities for fun and engagement. During a virtual or hybrid retreat, participants can enjoy virtual team building activities, helping them learn to communicate and collaborate more effectively while having fun at the same time.
How to Plan a Company Retreat in 8 Steps
Regardless of which type of company retreat you choose, careful planning is essential. Being intentional from the beginning of the planning process will keep you on track, so that you can plan the best retreat for your organization, leaving no stone unturned.
Use these eight steps as you plan your next company retreat.
1. Define the Purpose and Goals of Your Retreat
Begin with a clear purpose and set of goals in mind. Before turning to the day-by-day retreat logistics, set at least one primary purpose along with a few secondary priorities you’d like to aim for during the retreat. Doing this will inform the venue you choose, what makes it on the agenda, and ultimately, the budget necessary to make the retreat a reality.
2. Choose the Right Retreat Format: In-Person, Virtual, or Hybrid
Consider team demographics and employees’ unique needs before choosing a retreat format. Choose from in-person, hybrid, or virtual corporate retreats to accommodate the team’s needs and, ultimately, your organization’s goals.
Case in point: To foster deeper team-wide connections through hands-on activities, opt for an in-person retreat. Likewise, for distributed teams or employees who can’t readily travel, a hybrid or virtual company retreat may be ideal.
3. Set a Realistic Budget
Corporate retreats are an investment, so it’s important to set a realistic budget from the beginning. Keep in mind that you’ll need to budget for:
- Venue
- Lodging (if it’s an overnight retreat)
- Food
- Team building activities
- Speakers and/or any training and workshop materials
- Company swag to give employees, like pens or t-shirts
4. Pick the Right Dates and Plan Your Timeline
Once you’ve laid out your retreat goals, selected the type of retreat, and set a budget, it’s time to pinpoint a date and plan a timeline. No date will work for everyone. However, with advanced planning comes a better chance that the team will participate.
To maximize attendance, consider the following factors:
- Pre-retreat employee wellness survey results
- Team workload peak times
- Off-peak travel costs to remain in budget
- Leadership availability
5. Choose the Right Venue
As the saying goes, “location, location, location.” Choosing the best venue involves more than just aesthetics. The venue should align with the retreat’s purpose and participants’ needs.
Take the following factors into account before selecting a venue:
- Ease of access and proximity to team members
- Accommodations, such as elevators and ramps
- Availability of on-site lodging or off-site alternatives close by
- Meeting space and amenities
- Wi-Fi stability
- Budget considerations
6. Build a Balanced Agenda
Teams are diverse, showcasing a broad range of interests and talents. Creating a retreat agenda that reflects that will require time and careful planning. The best retreat agendas include a broad range of sessions, tailored to meet participants’ and the organization’s needs while also protecting participants’ downtime.
An agenda for a company retreat includes four main categories:
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Business sessions
Consider your original purpose(s) for the retreat and design this category accordingly. From skillshare workshops to brainstorming sessions, motivational leadership speakers, and more, populate this section with the types of activities and events that will help you meet your organization’s goals.
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Team building
Making space on the agenda for team building exercises and events is a highly impactful way to improve communication and engagement among participants. Consider activities that align with employees’ abilities and comfort zones. For instance, for those comfortable with high levels of physical activity, divide everyone into teams to compete in the Team Olympics team building event. For employees who thrive in creative environments, Momentum is ideal.
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Professional Development
Devoting time to meaningful professional development sessions is an effective way to show team members that the organization is invested in their continual improvement.
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Free time
Downtime is just as important as actively working toward a business or employee-centered initiative. Rather than risking retreat fatigue or worse – burnout – build in designated free time between business sessions and professional development.
7. Finalize the Logistics
With a solid plan in place, it’s vital to cross every T and dot every I before the retreat begins. Use the following pre-retreat checklist as a starting point:
- Confirm travel logistics, such as transportation and accommodation details.
- Finalize communal meals and dietary/allergy considerations.
- Arrange for accessibility accommodations.
- Ensure a contingency plan is in place in the event of unexpected cancellations, delays, or emergencies.
- Create a designated email chain or Slack/Discord channel for ongoing questions or concerns.
Consider working with a professional team building event company so that you can cross the team building and professional development portions of the retreat off your to-do list. Professional team building companies will take care of all the logistics of these activities for you, including having backup plans for weather or other unforeseen circumstances.
8. Follow Up and Measure Retreat Success
Once the company retreat ends, it’s vital to determine what was successful and what might need improvement in the future. The days immediately after the retreat can carry positive momentum forward and, as a result, improve the workplace in lasting ways.
Measure the retreat’s impact by:
- Creating and distributing a post-retreat survey
- Measuring gains in efficiency, morale, and engagement
- Examining engagement signals
- Soliciting qualitative feedback from team leaders
Be sure to assign team members to follow through with deadlines and commitments made at the retreat. Then, schedule a few follow-up meetings or check-in sessions to discuss progress.
Use Employee Wellness Survey Questions to Shape Your Retreat
The most impactful and memorable retreats are tailored towards what employees actually need. Conducting an employee wellness survey before creating a retreat itinerary will surface those needs. Armed with this critical information, retreat planners can customize all aspects of their events.
Consider the following questions to include in your employee wellness survey. Ensure to allow for anonymized responses for more sensitive wellness questions.
- On a scale of 1 to 10, what is your current level of burnout?Determining each participant’s current level of burnout will aid in choosing the best team building activities, especially the level of physical and mental energy they’ll require.
- How connected do you feel with your team members?
Understanding each employee’s comfort level with their colleagues will allow retreat planners to create an agenda with team building events that accommodate each team member. Also, determining whether each survey taker is more of an introvert or an extrovert will help zero in not only on what needs improvement but also on the best format to address it. - What, if any, are your greatest workplace stressors?
Knowing each employee’s workplace stressors will guide the retreat planning process from the beginning, shaping the retreat’s purpose and, later, the activities needed to address those stressors. - Do you feel you’ve achieved a suitable work-life balance?Team members who haven’t quite achieved an ideal work-life balance would benefit from a company retreat focusing on relaxing and restorative activities.
- During your downtime, what type of activities feel the most restorative?At the end of the day, a company retreat should be rewarding and restorative. Inquiring about the specific activities team members typically find fulfilling provides invaluable insight, allowing retreat planners to organize a tailored, meaningful retreat.
Plan Your Next Company Retreat with Best Corporate Events
Planning an impactful company retreat starts with setting clear goals. Follow through with a customized action plan to plan a retreat that meets team members where they are and inspires them to grow.
Tailored professional development sessions and facilitated team building activities heighten the quality of any corporate retreat, lightening the workload for any planner.
Contact the team at Best Corporate Events for a quote for your next company retreat and discover the best approach for your team.
