Corporate retreats are often met with either joy or in trepidation. Some view them as a chance to come together as a company to work out some of the issues you might be currently be facing. Others will not want to take part. To get everyone involved, you will have to come up with a corporate retreat which is fun for everyone. Here are some of the things you will need to think about.
Location
One of the most important things you will need to consider is the location of your corporate retreat. You need to find a space which is big enough to host all of your staff while also not being so expensive that it blows your budget. This is especially true if you are considering a retreat which lasts several days, meaning that your staff will need accommodation for the night.
You should also think about what activities are available when the business for the day is over. If you choose a big city, there will be lots to do but there is also the temptation to bunk off and go elsewhere. A country retreat means that your staff can fully focus on the activities you might have planned, but they might be left with little to do in the evening.
Purpose
You never hold a corporate retreat for no reason. It should have a structure and a goal just like any other meeting but on a much grander scale. Do you want to prepare your staff for a new direction the company will be headed in? Is there a big upcoming opportunity which you want to nail head on? It could be as simple as encouraging the team to work better together as a company.
Sit down with the heads of the departments in your company and put together a plan for what you want to achieve. The clearer the plan is, the better position you will be in for the retreat itself.
Activities
The retreat should not be focused purely on your goals. You should also sprinkle in some fun activities which the whole team can enjoy. Bringing in a company like Team Tactics can help you find the right balance between serious and fun for the retreat.
People need the chance to relax and move their mind away from the topic of the retreat. Whether you are going out on a treasure hunt around the venue or you are all just doing a quick thing in your seats, Team Tactics will be able to help you come up with the perfect activity to put in the middle of your day.
Flexibility
You cannot expect people to rigidly stick to a timetable you have devised. If there is a point which people want to explore more deeply, you might have to quickly revaluate the current agenda to make room for this development.
While there should be a structure, it should always be flexible and open to change. A corporate retreat is about a company or team working together in a way they do not usually do. You need to make sure that there is room to deal with whatever might arise because of this.
Your corporate retreat will take a lot of planning but it is simpler to pull off than you might believe. Take the time to ensure that everything is in place but don’t forget to leave a little room for spontaneity. With a little luck, you should be able to pull off the perfect corporate retreat. Think about what your team could achieve together now! This might be the first retreat of many.
