How to Organize a Company Retreat

Here at Hotailors we understand how important is to have a good work-life balance. Also people are more productive the happier they are, that’s why we absolutely believe in team building. So, what’s better to bring people together than a workation? But let’s be honest, if you are the one who is in charge of organizing the company retreat, you might be feeling a bit stressed instead of excited. We know it’s a bit complicated to organize plans like these, but we’re here to help you.

 

Why Company Retreats work?

You might be asking yourself that very same question. Well, getting outside the office with the people you share it with and have some fresh air it’s definitely a good remedy to every-day stress and tension. Company retreats also are great experiences in terms of culture-building, brainstorming, and relaxed innovation. Startups and companies alike report increased camaraderie, communication, and productivity during their retreats.

Alright, it sound like a good plan. So, how do I organize a Company Retreat for my company?

 

Lock in the dates

Just like in a wedding, the first thing to do is to lock in a date. It might be difficult some times since you have to take into account everybody’s personal lives, events, vactions… That’s why the best strategy for this stage is to set the date the furthest possible so everybody will be able to attend. Bare in mind that the more employees your company has, the date will have to be further in time, for example for a company with 10 employees it might be fine to set the date 2 months from now, but for a company with potentially hundreds of employees, it might be a better idea to look into 6 to 12 months in advance.

Also, you’ll have to establish the length of the retreat and it might even be a good idea to set different date ranges so people can vote and choose the best fit for them. As soon as you have the final voting, announce it so everybody can block the date in their calendars!

 

Choose the location

Once dates are set, the next step is to choose the location. We’ll give you some factors you’ll need to consider:

  • Weather (does the team prefers to go somewhere warm or cool?)
  • Ease/length of travel distance (does the team prefer to go somewhere nearby or they don’t mind hoping on a vehicle and travel a few hours away)
  • Whether or not travel visas will be required for some/all team mates (this is an important one!)
  • Quality of wifi in most lodgings and cafes (if you plan on hosting some work activities, this is definitely a priority)

 

Book accommodations and transportation

You’ve chosen the dates and the location, what’s next?

Time to book a group train, bus, flight… whatever your destination requires to get your team there. I can see why this part might sound a bit of a headache, but trust me, it can be done without much hassle. Hotailors is a good choice when booking business trips, and our agents can help you get your entire team to your retreat’s location.

If you’d rather handle this yourself, you should call lodging companies directly to make sure they are able to accommodate such a large group in the same place. If you need to book flights, remember that booking in advance is the best way to save money. For team members coming from different time zones, consider allowing them to arrive early so they can adjust to the time zone before the event begins.

 

Determine goals and plan activities

For teams working remotely and distributed teams, the most important is interaction and conversations. This will help them feel included and everybody will get to know each other.

For teams with multiple offices, what’s most important is increasing knowledge share and communication between the locations and improving relations.

For teams working together in the same office, the most important thing is fun and releasing stress accumulated by the tension of every-day work.

Also you should plan some activities. Think of your company retreat as part reward, part brainstorming marathon. You should engage in activities that bring people together, encourages innovation and increase communication.