How to Organize an Offsite Corporate Retreat

Corporate events benefit company leadership by strengthening the team and boosting work performance. Dynamic multi-hour team-building activities are becoming popular, while short and dull office parties are dwindling.

Step 1: Choose Your Event Date

Be mindful of resort availability in December or during any holiday season. Sometimes you’ll need to book a month in advance — this is how the market works. 

Consider all options and contact venue hosts at least two weeks before your planned event date.

Conduct a survey at work to find out the ideal date for the celebration. Consider the majority's opinion, others can adjust. 

Step 2: Decide How Long the Retreat Will Last

Plan in advance: 

• Will everyone stay overnight at the resort?
• How many people need accommodations for a night or more?
• Will employees prefer to room in pairs, triples, or quads? 

This decision depends on the number of attendees at the event. 

Step 3: Determine the Number of Guests

The number of attendees will affect not only the budget but also the style of the party, choice of resort, transportation, and menu. 

Automate data collection by conducting a survey using messaging apps or corporate tools. Confirm if attendees are welcome to bring partners or family. Also, consider what to do if some people don’t show up. 

Tip: Arrange agreements with the venue to manage no-shows. Decide in advance how many days before the event a refund can be made or how to allocate the budget otherwise — such as organizing additional snacks.

Step 4: Define the Concept

Choose an appropriate format. Remember, a corporate event is more than a meeting but not just a casual party either.

For casual employee interaction, a classic party format with dancing, billiards, catering, and a pool is ideal.

For team-building and motivation, an active retreat is perfect. Consider booking a resort near a local ski slope or paintball venue. 

If exploring an unusual theme for the holiday excites you, opt for a costume party or a masquerade ball. 

Step 5: Plan the Budget

Sometimes the employer covers only a portion of the event expenses. The company might pay for major costs such as venue rental, entertainment, and alcohol, while employees chip in for the banquet and transport, or vice versa. 

If the team is responsible for its own retreat, organizing it prudently is crucial. Engage the most financially savvy colleague to ensure savings wherever possible. 

Step 6: Choose the Resorts

We’ve mentioned booking a resort at least two weeks before the planned event date. However, for peace of mind and to secure the best deals, some companies start booking in August or September. 

When selecting a resort, consider:

• Availability of team entertainment equipment — many resorts offer pools, saunas, billiards, table tennis, skating rinks, beautiful walking trails, etc., providing ample opportunities to save on entertainment program costs;
• The number of rooms — there should be enough sleeping and fun space for everyone;
• Additional services — some owners offer assistance with catering and entertainment arrangements.

Step 7: Organize Logistics

Even if your employees have access to corporate transportation, the best option for a comfortable shuttle to and from the resort is a taxi service. 

Book several minivans for your team, ensuring no one has to cram into compact cars or call upon friends or family for a ride at night. 

Step 8: Develop the Entertainment Program

Consider saving on planning entertainment by compiling a program yourself. Use your creativity, understand pricing, and consult with experienced colleagues. Start with selecting a theme and end with booking hosts, performers, or entertainers. Creativity, ingenuity, and hard work are essential for this task, which is why many companies seek help from specialized agencies. 

If you plan the event with professional organizers, you can still contribute by offering your ideas and sharing colleagues’ preferences. Event agencies provide full services: thoughtful and custom concepts for events, hosts, contests, decor, and music. It’s costly and often generic, but you can manage the organization step by step, giving professionals advice based on your taste. 

Step 9: Select the Menu

First, decide on the banquet format. Will there be a buffet, grill, full sit-down banquet, or a combination of these? 

When planning the menu, consider everyone's preferences. Include allergy-friendly, vegan options, fish, seafood, meats, appetizers, and salads. 

If celebrating the holiday season, focus on traditional festive dishes. If your retreat doesn’t coincide with a special date, choose a classic menu or get creative.

Unique corporate menu ideas:

• Dishes from famous films/cartoons — many chefs are embracing the trend of recreating pop culture-inspired recipes;
• Gourmet cuisine — enjoy luxurious culinary experiences from Japan, Italy, France, or Scandinavia;
• An indulgent spread — celebrate by ditching formalities and utensils. Fill the table with burgers, fries, chicken fingers, and sodas. Enjoy being a little messy! 

Catering

Modern catering companies boast diverse specialists who manage not only food delivery and preparation but also the decoration of the party space, selection of stylish dishes, furniture, and music pairing for different dish-presentation cycles.

Step 10: Prepare the Gifts

A corporate event — even outside the holiday season — is the perfect opportunity to arrange a gift exchange between employees and management. 

Gift Company Merchandise to Employees

If you work at a large company, you likely have branded merchandise. Corporate apparel, souvenirs, and useful items featuring your company logo are perfect gifts to share with employees during celebrations. 

These gifts are excellent, especially when crafted with quality materials. Don’t skimp on signature items, motivating employees to work creatively. 

Organize Secret Santa

Secret Santa is a fun holiday game, popular worldwide. Its main rule is complete anonymity among participants who exchange gifts randomly. 

Once you’ve planned and executed the entire corporate event, organizing a Secret Santa — the celebration within a celebration — might feel overwhelming. 

Don’t worry about preparing slips with names or managing the game’s flow. An online service like MySanta provides automated drawing and easy participation.

Try Organizing a Secret Santa Game

Play at the office or home, with family and friends. It’s suitable for offline settings when everyone lives nearby, and for online draws if loved ones are far away.

Try Now

Other advantages of the service include: 

• Extended options for game organizers — with PRO-tier plans, hosts can invite a large number of participants, see who is whose Secret Santa, download a complete participant list, set exceptions, and more; 
• Wishlists — a convenient system designed for MySanta lets users add their links to products from other services and includes a built-in gift search from Google Shopping;
• A game for any group size — even or odd numbers don’t pose issues;
• Anonymity — you can chat anonymously with your giftee, your Santa, and the entire group;
• Remote participation — allowing gift exchanges with colleagues from other branches, cities, or countries.

Organizing a corporate retreat at a resort is a complex process, succinctly encapsulated in 10 steps in our article. To plan an office event without undue stress, approach the task calmly and confidently.