In an episode of the TV show 30 Rock, Liz Lemon attends a conference with her boss, Jack, with the theme “Retreat To Move Forward.” It was a funny episode, but the theme “retreat to move forward” also rings true. Sometimes, if you want to move forward, it’s essential to first take a step back.
Company retreats can have some incredible benefits. They provide an ideal venue for making big announcements, honoring successes, thanking rock stars, summarizing the year’s stories, generating fresh ideas and planning the year ahead. Retreats are chances to reward, encourage, educate, excite and unite the entire team.
Planning a company retreat can be a big undertaking, especially if you’re new to the process, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. The keys are choosing a central theme that ties everything together, maintaining a positive tone throughout and leaving room for fun.
Make sure you actually retreat.
The point of a retreat is to let everyone take a step back from the daily fray, breathe a little and refocus on the business as a whole. That’s why you don’t want to host it at the actual office. If you just go to the conference room, people will feel too plugged in to absorb the meaning of the getaway. Whether you go to a local park or a five-star hotel, getting out of the office is the essential. A different setting shakes up the energy of a group that is used to seeing each other in the same place every day, making a unique location one of the easiest foundations of a successful retreat.
Choose a theme.
Whether your retreat is a backyard barbecue or a weekend of skiing, everyone needs a central theme to focus the activities and tie everything together. The theme can be grounding, motivating, team-building, educational, reorganizational or celebratory. Whatever the purpose of your retreat, make it clear to everyone through the theme. This will not only unify the retreat, but also give you clearer focus as you plan activities.