7 Steps to Planning a Corporate Team Building Retreat

Employees are an essential part of every company. Therefore, organizations must ensure they stay motivated and energized. How can companies achieve this? A team-building retreat does more than give employees a day off work. They provide an avenue for strengthening relationships between the employees and the management.

However, for a corporate retreat to achieve the intended objective, it requires careful planning. To an outsider, it looks simple; find a venue, throw in some snacks, and you are good to go. However, retreats can go sideways very fast if you do not take the time to plan. Here are steps on how to plan a company retreat:

1. Assign a team to plan the retreat

All-inclusive corporate retreats require adequate planning. With a lot to organize and follow up, a team will come in handy. Besides, employees can give insight into what they would like to do during the retreat. Therefore, you can delegate tasks and focus on making significant decisions. While you can pick employees to participate in the planning, it is better to ask for volunteers.

2. Define the purpose of your event

Before figuring out how to plan a corporate retreat, define the goals of the team building event. What do you hope to achieve? Do you expect to increase communication among teams? Are you celebrating a recent achievement? Do you want to just have fun and be fully relaxed with your team? Will it be all play with no work or a blend of both?

With a clear purpose in mind, you can ensure the event is useful and fun. For instance, if the retreat is a celebration for achieving targets, you can decide to use it to brainstorm on new goals. Objectives also dictate the kind of activities you will do. You can try to set a theme for you retreat by creating keywords to define your trip. For example, beach – laptop-free – rest or team-building – games – food, etc.

3. Set a timeline

As soon as you have the planning team, the first order of business should be setting the date. A clear timeline keeps you focused on the task you need to accomplish. Remember, you require time to put the various aspects of the event together. A month or six weeks will give you time to check out the best places for corporate retreats and get the required funding.

4. Create a budget

Companies require budgets for everything happening in the organization. Therefore, you should work on a detailed budget that covers all the expenses. Before you start, you can ask for an estimate that the company wishes to spend on the retreat. With an amount to work with, do not forget to leave room for unexpected expenses.

5. Choose the location wisely

It is crucial to choose the right venue for the retreat. The wrong location can ruin the effectiveness of the event. You can ask employees for suggestions on the best corporate retreat locations. Keep in mind also that the location you choose has to be in line with a goal or a theme of the event. If the company can fund an overseas trip, and the keywords for your trip are beach, relax and team-building, for instance, an excellent place for your team building trip, therefore, can be going to the fitness retreat in Bali.

6. Plan the activities and the agenda

Depending on the set goals, you need to come up with activities to do. You can organize fun competitions, running, scavenger hunt, and team Olympics. If the event includes working sessions, ensure the environment is conducive for completing the task. Besides, you should create an agenda detailing the program for the retreat.

7. Take care of logistics

Employees should have a means of transport to and from the venue. Therefore, if the company is covering transport, ensure everyone is catered for to avoid inconvenience. You should also plan for accommodation and food for the guest. Another important logistic is how you will take care of employees with special needs.

Putting together a corporate event can be a daunting task. However, the above steps break down the process into manageable steps.