Kickoff 2023 with a Company Retreat

Where business meets relaxation: the ultimate corporate retreat experience in Alabama

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To say that the last couple of years have been topsy-turvy is the understatement of the century. We went from hybrid/remote team meetups via Zoom to “Let’s see what it might be like to be back in the office sometimes” to “live events are BACK!!!” in the space of about two-and-a-half years.

While it looks like employees have started to warm up to in-person meetings again, the tone has definitely shifted. Corporate events nowadays focus on not only a work agenda, but on other factors including health and wellness. (No surprise there.)

Experts in the industry predict that these types of events will include:

Lots of break out sessions
An emphasis on staying healthy and well
Guided meditations
Time for connection between coworkers
Etc.

The 2023 company retreat certainly isn’t the corporate retreats of old. You can probably see now why kicking off 2023 with a company retreat makes so much sense!

Give Your Hybrid/ Remote Teams Plenty of Advanced Notice

Corporate Event Tips: Start Planning Now

If there’s one thing the pandemic taught us, it’s just how much parents rely on the school system to manage their childcare needs. This isn’t a criticism. People who had kids in school during the pandemic suddenly found them at home, needing attention and guidance.

In turn, this taught employers that their employees have a lot of strings attached to them. More specifically, employers have learned that if they want their employees to come back to the office and to attend on-site corporate retreats, then they must give their employees time to plan for such activities. Otherwise, their employees’ family and life commitments will get in the way of their attending the company retreat.

For smaller companies of 10 to 20 people, advanced planning might mean up to four months in advance. For larger teams, like 50 or more people, planning this type of event can take up to nine months or more. Time is of the essence here, so start planning now.

On a related note, finding a suitable corporate retreat location to host your event could take a long time because people who had to delay events, like weddings and retreats, due to the pandemic are also trying to revisit their canceled plans.

How Long Should It Last?

As far as events for your hybrid remote team go, the answer to this depends on a number of factors.

How far your team has to travel
What’s on the agenda
What time of year it is
Whether you’re doing any company annual planning
Etc.

In general, if your team doesn’t have to go very far – like everyone lives within a comfortable driving distance – then two or three days might suffice.

However, if you have team members all over the world, then you should give it at least a week. (This may not include travel days, which could eat up at least two days’ time.)

Be Specific in Your Goals for Your 2023 Company Retreat

You should set very specific, concrete goals for your 2023 company event instead of vague topical ones.

Here’s an example. Let’s say your goal is to increase sales for your company. This is a topical goal. The problem is it lacks specifics, which means it’s hard to measure and even harder to plan for.

A better goal is something like, “Let’s increase our sales by 20% and open two new international markets.”

Once you have a goal like this in mind, it’s easier to set an agenda. It’s also easier for your employees to reverse engineer the steps they can take to make this happen.

Additionally, the farther in advance you can let your team know what your goals for the retreat are, the more time the team has to think of solutions. These are solutions they can bring to the retreat once they’re there.

The Location of Your Corporate Events Matters

Booking Your Corporate Events in Advance

We touched on this briefly, but it’s worth talking about in more depth. This may be the single most challenging aspect of planning your corporate retreat if you tend to do things at the last minute and if you have no flexibility.

The farther you plan ahead and the more willing you are to be flexible, then the more likely you are to find a date and a place that will suit your needs. There are also other considerations, like whether or not you’re booking during a busy season, like summer vacation.

Our recommendation is to keep your plans on the down low until you at least have some of this worked out. Otherwise, you could be looking at employees who have to repeatedly change their travel plans because the location didn’t work out.

Where should you have your next corporate retreat?

Corporate Event Ideas: On-Site Versus Off-Site Activities

Given how much emphasis is now on a holistic, less corporate approach to work life, including on health and wellness and work/ life balance, it’s best to book a venue that can accommodate all your needs.

As far as on-site planning goes, you’ll want to break this down into two categories: work-related and after hours.

Here are some examples of what your ideal location may offer.

Work Related Needs On-Site:

Large meeting rooms with A/V systems
Places for computer hookups
WiFi
Kitchen and break areas for breaks
Catering for the event
Etc.

Off-Site Recreation:

The site you choose should be close enough to town to allow people to participate in local cultural activities, listen to live music, go shopping, etc.

Final Thoughts on Your 2023 Company Retreat

As 2022 draws to a close, it’s time for you to start looking ahead at your upcoming 2023 company retreat. This year, many corporate teams are coming back to work but with a slightly different agenda than in years past.

While there is still much work to be done at your company retreat, it’s also a time for recharging and personal interaction. As such, it’s wise to choose a location that can offer you a holistic experience. At Pursell Farms, that’s one of our main goals – to help you create a memorable and revitalizing corporate retreat.