Hosting a corporate retreat is part of keeping business goals front and center, employees happy and operations running smoothly. It’s a great way to connect with fellow team members and promote employee bonds.
Whenever you’re thinking of hosting a corporate retreat, stick to the following tips.
1) Define the Event’s Purpose
Before booking a venue and sending out invites, first define the event’s purpose. Perhaps you want to simply reward employees for a successful quarter or maybe you want to gather the executive team to define next year’s business goals. The purpose of the event will determine the type of retreat you plan, from its length to location to invitees and more.
2) Decide Who’s Invited
After you’ve defined your event’s purpose, goals and objectives, you can start developing an invite list. The employees you invite will depend on what type of experience you’re trying to cultivate. For example, should everyone be invited for a company-wide get-together, or is it a smaller gathering of a single division? Also, consider any external guests – are invitees allowed to bring spouses or children along?
3) Find The Perfect Location
Location is everything when it comes to hosting a corporate retreat, so don’t just go with the cheapest or closest place you can find. The trick is to find a place that’s both work-friendly yet fun. Consider the amenities offered by the retreat location; do they have a conference room or other large gathering area? Do they have high-speed internet, catering and provide an appropriate environment?
4) Get a Keynote Speaker
To fire up the retreat activities, consider hiring a keynote speaker, or a group of speakers that are knowledgeable on the event theme. It always helps to give employees different perspectives of those outside your company and provides a “big draw” to drive excitement among attendees.
5) Price Your Retreat
While you don’t want to blow last year’s profits on a retreat, you shouldn’t go cheap either. Employees will see right through a low-budget retreat, and will detract from you accomplishing event goals.
6) Don’t Forget to Document It
Not only can a photographer or videographer capture great memories, the content is also perfect for utilizing throughout marketing material, internal assets and social media. Always brief your photographer, and layout a clear schedule for them to follow so you don’t miss any of the action. Also, encourage attendees to post their own photos, videos and live streams to their online accounts and tag your company!
7) Provide Entertainment
After you’ve taken care of business, take the fun up a level by hiring some form of entertainment. Whether it’s a DJ, band, comedian, magician, hypnotist or something else, keeping your guests entertained will amplify the event experience and promote employee bonding.
8) Keep it Fun
Try to stay away from awkward, cliche corporate activities and stick to more fun activities. Involving competition can often loosen people up in a group setting. Whether it’s something active like a game of golf or volleyball or something more subdued like a trivia game, it can help foster a sense of collaboration among team members.
9) Ask for Help
If you just can’t fit some of these things into your busy schedule, don’t be afraid to reach out for help. There are plenty of companies that specialize in organizing and hosting corporate retreats. They can help you as much or as little as you want, to make sure your event goes off without a hitch.
10) Arrange Transportation
Don’t forget about how you’ll transport a large group of employees. Normally flights are the best way to get where you’re going, but a bus or train can be fun alternatives. When you get to your destination, consider public transportation, renting cars or taking ride shares and save money on car rentals.
Fly Yourself on a Corporate Aircraft
If you’ve always dreamt of flying, get in touch with Inflight Pilot Training today. We’re the premier flight school in the Twin Cities and can help you learn how to fly your own aircraft to your next corporate retreat. All you need to do is get in touch with our team of certified flight instructors to get started.
For additional information on Inflight training programs, contact us today or call (952) 698-3000.