How to Plan a Corporate Retreat Your Team will Love
Corporate retreats are a great way to align and unite teams. While corporate retreats vary according to team size and budget, there are many ways to create an impactful gathering for your staff. As an event strategist with over 15 years of experience, here are some guidelines for creating a memorable corporate retreat.
Plan Ahead
It takes a lot of time to plan a thoughtful corporate retreat. Giving yourself ample time to plan will ensure you have the opportunity to choose from a range of top venues and locations for your retreat. The shorter the timeline, the fewer the options when it come to booking a venue. One of the biggest challenges in planning a retreat is finding a suitable venue for your group size. Is it a large-scale company-wide event or a smaller group gathering? These details will determine the types of venues available to you. In some cases, you may want to plan as far as a year in advance if there is a specific venue you want on a particular date.
Finding the right venue is key to setting the tone for your event. You may want something that is unique, inspiring, accessible and memorable.
Set a reminder in your calendar to book a venue anywhere from a year to 8 months ahead of time to have the best odds of getting the venue you want.
Build the Itinerary
As you begin planning, take the time to map out the itinerary so you know how long the corporate retreat needs to be. It can be one day, two days or a full week event. Establish what content needs to be covered as well as the goals and objectives of the corporate retreat. It’s important to consider how you will inspire and foster connection during the event. Building in time for relationship building is critical. The bonds formed at these types of events can be great for the organization as they can foster greater team work, creativity and ultimately drive retention.
For longer retreats, consider taking it international. Retreats can work as incentives for employees and can be a great way to drive employee retention. Whether it’s a trip to Maui, Cancun, Miami, Palm Springs or beyond, destination retreats can help revitalize the team while getting them excited about the future of the organization.
Set and Track Your Budget
The costs of a corporate retreat can quickly stack up. Before you book your venue and event partners, set a budget that you are comfortable working within. Focus on the venue, food, drinks and Audio/Visual (A/V) first and then explore adding elements. Like planning a wedding, those small items can add up, so tracking your budget will help you ensure you stay on track and on budget.
Choose the Theme/Tone of the Event
Once you have the venue confirmed, it’s fun to start thinking about the event's theme or aesthetic. Are you launching a new product or refreshing your brand? Consider how you will bring the brand into the retreat to strengthen brand affinity and inspire the team.
The theme can play out in any decor elements brought in, from the menu you select, and to types of drinks you serve. If you are hosting a team dinner or happy hour you may want to do a signature company cocktail.
Build a Timeline for the Event
Having a timeline will ensure you send out save-the-dates in a timely manner and secure the essential event partners (i.e. entertainment, decor, A/V, caterers). If your corporate retreat is out of town, ensure you are booking flights and hotels early to keep costs down. Last minute travel bookings can negatively impact the budget. Once you have a firm date and venue, it’s best to get your core event partners in place. This ensures you have all the event elements secured before they get booked by other events. Sometimes, the venue or hotel you book will have catering, A/V, and decor managed in-house, which can mean you are checking off more boxes when you secure your venue. It’s helpful to ask your venue if they have any preferred event partners or to confirm which elements they can support you with.
Tip: If you do want to use an outside caterer or vendor, ensure that is an option before signing the agreement. If they don’t allow it, be sure to get a quote for all costs associated with hosting the event at that venue in order to stay within your program budget. Once the agreement is signed, you will be restricted to work within their parameters.
I once worked with a venue who had a limited wine menu for their banquets. It was disappointing to the guests as they were wine lovers and the options provided were not to the calibre they were accustomed to. Small details like this can impact the evening so it’s best to confirm in advance.
Arrange an Event Planning Committee
Planning a corporate retreat can take a lot of time. Whether arranged by the leadership team, the HR department or tasked to a specific department, it can take a lot of time and effort to plan a successful retreat. Since it’s often something staff are fitting in around their day-to-day tasks, it’s helpful to set up a regular meeting time to check in on progress. If things are left too late, you may waste hours calling to find an event partner who can provide services for the event.
Defining roles and keeping each other accountable will ensure the corporate event planning stays on track. Another option is to consider bringing on a strategic event manager to help plan the event and take off some of the workload. To learn more about ways to work with an event manager, check out this post.
Create an Corporate Retreat Specific Safety Plan
While corporate retreats are a ton of fun, it’s important to remember that as an employer you are responsible for ensuring your team gets home safely. If you serve alcohol, offering taxi chits or selecting a venue near a public transit hub is a good idea. Remind staff that they are to plan a safe ride home. It is important to make this announcement at the event as a reminder to staff to make safe choices. It can also be helpful to offer a set number of drink tickets to reduce the opportunities of over-indulging.
Secure Insurance for Your Event
You’ll also want to ensure you have insurance in place for your corporate event. It can be as easy as emailing your existing insurance provider with the key details of your corporate retreat to ensure you have the appropriate insurance. Your venue may also require you to add them as additionally insured. The process is straightforward but a critical step you don’t want to miss.
Develop an Engagement Strategy
Take some time to think about the extra touches you can incorporate that will make the retreat memorable. How can you create unforgettable experiences for your employees? It could mean having a unique experience they have never done before, or a thoughtful personalized touch that brings meaning to the gathering. Adding these extra touches to your corporate event will give them memorable stories to share with friends and family.
Tip:
Create once in a lifetime culinary experiences or intimate learning sessions with world-class chefs or bartenders.
Determine the Event Brand Touch Points
It is a corporate event, so remember to use it as an opportunity to make your team feel proud of where they work. Note where you place brand touch-points. Take the opportunity at the entrance to provide a warm welcome. Perhaps there are screens or projections that could feature the brand or showcase the team’s work. Look for subtle places where the corporate logo can be featured. For example, they could be toppers on a cupcake or dessert. It can be nice to bring the brand to life at these events, and there are always inventive ways to make an impact.
Wherever you are in your corporate retreat planning journey, remember that these events are meant to be inspiring and fun. They are an opportunity to build connection amongst the team and inspire corporate growth and innovation. Happy planning.
About KindCo
KindCo is a Vancouver-based brand engagement consultancy that specializes in employee engagement and corporate events. We bring people together through the art of gathering.
Founder, Nikki Hedstrom, has over 15 years experience as a brand engagement and event specialist.
