Planning a meaningful company retreat
A company retreat is more valuable than ever in the age of remote work. Here’s how to plan a memorable, personalised retreat that meets your aims.
A company retreat provides a unique and essential opportunity for teams to connect informally – ideally resulting in strategic breakthroughs and stronger bonds between colleagues who might have had few chances to align during day-to-day tasks. Corporate retreats have always been valuable because they’ve enabled teams to get together in a setting outside of the office. Today, it’s not uncommon for the inverse to be true: with the rise of remote and hybrid work, a getaway might be a rare occasion when a team is together in each other’s physical presence. Building and cementing connections between colleagues is more important than ever, it’s these relationships that enable the success of their company.
Before starting to make the arrangements for your group getaway, take time to consider your goals for the event, and what’s likely to work best for your own team in achieving those aims. Whatever you envision for your corporate retreat, Chelsea Parkfields is able to cater to your unique needs and create a unique experience with a lasting impact.
Take a personalised approach
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to travel plans, and a company retreat is no exception to this rule. When you’re considering your options, a few factors should influence your thinking: the size of your group, whether they know each other fairly well or are going to be connecting in person for the first time, how much time your team is realistically able to spend at the retreat, and your budget for the excursion. Once you’ve considered these variables, you can begin to choose between packages such as 24h stay-over options and programmes designed for day delegates, as well as the specific facilities that your team needs. With years of experience running events for groups from corporate organisations to families, our team is uniquely skilled in providing personalised service to guests. As you plan the retreat’s itinerary of activities, they will help you with every step including selecting the accommodation, boardrooms and other facilities that best match your needs within the venue.
Put the ‘treat’ in retreat
For a genuinely enjoyable company retreat, you’ll need the best of both worlds: some hard work – whether that means intensive brainstorming or physical teambuilding activities – and a bit of well-deserved downtime. Treating your team to time together is a unique opportunity to connect, and it’s worth considering that different people are at ease in different settings: some team members will let their guard down when they’re in the middle of a team-building session that brings out their best abilities, while others are just better at the kind of interactions that happen over a relaxed meal. The options available to personalise your corporate retreat at Chelsea Parkfields – not to mention the on-site chef – mean that you can provide something for everyone, inside and outside of their comfort zones, with varied catering options and packages available. Why not make the most of the beautiful countryside setting with an outdoor barbeque?
Put it into words
Let your team know what to expect from the company retreat, in as much detail as possible: your personalised itinerary and menu options can be shared with delegates in advance, and it’s worth clearly communicating your objectives for the retreat. Some context and advance warning go a long way towards keeping your team feeling enthusiastic rather than apprehensive about the events ahead and will give them time to gather their own thoughts and contribute meaningfully to group activities and discussions. On leaving, ensure that you have a plan of action to take back to the workplace – rather than letting all those good ideas you’ve heard from the team remain just ideas.
Make it memorable
It’s called a ‘retreat’ for a reason: to ensure that you plan more than just another conference or meeting, there’s great value in getting away from it all and removing distractions. The rural setting of Herefordshire in lush, green countryside makes it a little easier to disconnect from the rush of everyday life, while the option of exclusive use means that Chelsea Parkfields is an ideal place to connect meaningfully with your team. To optimise this off-the-grid experience, you could consider a phone-free hour here and there, and whatever you do, turn on the out of office responses and turn off those Slack and email notifications.
Once you’ve got your plans in place, let the team take over to facilitate a meaningful event that’s uniquely yours. If you’re the one that’s usually in charge of seeing to all the finer details, take a step back: your setting is a calm place to reconnect with colleagues and work together towards new goals, so give yourself permission to hand over those responsibilities for a while – when you relax and engage with purpose, your team will follow suit.