Organising a corporate retreat can be a great way to improve your colleague’s teamwork and build camaraderie. Booking in an event lasting a few days in order to boost cooperation can be a fantastic way for you to introduce new team members of software to the company. Whether it is brainstorming for an upcoming project, or teambuilding, corporate retreats give colleagues an opportunity to enjoy themselves while increasing their productivity. Corporate retreats are especially relevant as the rise of remote working during the pandemic has meant that many teams very rarely meet face to face, with many businesses hiring workers who live too far away to commute to the office regularly. As such, organising a retreat may be one of the best ways for the whole team to meet in person to discuss work and plan future projects.
Retreats are a popular way to bring teams together and boost their skillsets. Having regular breaks and team building exercises can help build a rapport between team members and improve their overall performance.
Guest List
If you work for a smaller company, it may be possible to book a retreat for everyone that works as part of the business, but in most cases it is a specific team, such as the marketing department of a company, that go on a retreat. When going through the list of people to be invited on the retreat, consider why they need to go on the retreat and what they can contribute to the other guests, as well as what they will learn from a retreat.
For example, while a newer employee may not be able to contribute a lot to what is discussed during a meeting, they will be able to learn about their colleagues and upcoming projects which they will be working on.
Venue & Accommodation
Consider what you need from your venue; do you need the accommodation and function room for events to be located in the same place, or are you looking to book accommodation separately? This can also depend on how long you will be staying away on the retreat. If you are staying for a week and engaging in different activities, as well as exploring the local area, you may not need a function room, as the group will be spending most of their time away from the venue.
If you are booking a longer trip for your retreat, it will be worth considering the catering options offered by your venue. If the retreat is only going to last for a day, booking meals at the hotel restaurant may help you stay on track, as you and the rest of the team won’t want to lose time while cooking. However, if you are staying for a week or more it makes sense to look at self-catering options to reduce the percentage of the budget spent on dining.
Value
When planning a corporate retreat, remember that the trip must bring value to the team and to the business. There are many ways to increase the value of a business trip; here are some of the key activities that you can take part in during a corporate retreat to increase the trip’s value.
- Brainstorming – Spending time while on retreat brainstorming plans for a new project can help everyone in the team participate in discussion and bring new ideas to the table. Being outside your normal work environment can help keep the creative juices flowing and help your team come up with new approaches to problems. Brainstorming outdoors in good weather can also increase how engaged everyone is – indoors it can be easy to lose focus if in one place for too long.
- Meetings – Arranging events where colleagues can get to know each other and discuss work in a meeting is more important than ever. With many businesses now allowing their employees to work remotely, it is important to bring everyone together in order to plan the next steps of a project as a cohesive team; a corporate retreat can be a great way to achieve this.
- Improve Communication – Communication skills are crucial for any form of business, and improving communication between team members can drastically improve efficiency. Participating in exercises to improve communication and boost productivity is a great way to add value to your retreat that will have visible results upon your return.
- Team building – Team building exercises are a great way to introduce new team members or to integrate two separate teams. Working together on different exercises or puzzles can help your team get used to problem solving together as a group. Most businesses will have departments that work together as a unit on a specific aspect of the service required, and improving teamwork on a work retreat can produce significantly better results for your company.
- Increase morale – After a long and especially busy project, or even just a particularly busy month it is important to take a break and to help get everyone excited and on board for the next project. Organising a fun trip can improve the mood and ensure that you start off the next quarter on a high note.
Itinerary
In order to get as much value from your corporate retreat as possible, it is important to have a good itinerary planned out in advance of the trip. When planning a trip, many will be excited by the implications of the event and can come up with many activities that they want to include in the itinerary. However, too many different projects slotted into the timetable can mean that none of them get done well. Selecting only a few crucial goals for the retreat to accomplish and ensuring that they all have enough time allotted can help you make the very most of the retreat.
Consider the meetings, activities and learning opportunities that you want to fit in to the time you have available, in order to streamline how you spend your time. Retreats are a fantastic experience, but the amount of time that is open for you to achieve the goals of the retreat is limited, especially if you will be travelling a long way before arriving. Consider holding a meeting before the retreat in order to discuss which options are most popular and to hammer out the itinerary before you go.
If you are considering planning a corporate retreat at One Warwick Park Hotel, then please contact us here. Our staff would be delighted to help you arrange your trip and help you with any questions that you may have.
