Three things to consider when planning your company retreat

After the success of two previous annual retreats, we’re back again for a third instalment, and this year we headed to Paris.

From hosting our bi-annual strategy session in a Parisian apartment rumoured to be in the next season of Emily in Paris, to tasting wine under the Louvre and dining on a river cruise along the Seine, we really did sink our teeth into the opportunity to be together as a team in a different country.

But it’s easy to think of this annual retreat as a team holiday, full of tourist activities and fun experiences. While, yes, we did lean into the activities that Paris has to offer, this trip is still a work trip. The aim of our annual retreat is to bring the team together as a whole, to create connections and friendships away from the distractions of the office and without the pressure of meetings or client duties. Don’t worry, our clients were well looked after while we had two days out of the office, and we had plans to be available if an issue arose.

So, from the person who organised for our team of 20 to spend 36 hours in Paris for our annual retreat, here are three things I’d consider if you’re planning a company holiday, away day or company retreat. ‍

Timings

When scoping the location, the best metric is travel time. Sure, Spain might only be a two-hour flight away, but adding on airport transfers and airport wait time, it can easily be five hours before you’ve reached your final destination. Travel fatigue is something we really considered this year for Paris, which is why being able to travel directly to and from London on the Eurostar was ideal.

Aside from getting to and from your destination, you also need to evaluate how much time will be spent each day travelling to different events. In previous years, we’ve been stationed in one place, removing the need to move around. This time we planned activities according to travel time which meant that selecting a location that has a quick and easy transport system was a high priority.‍

Budget

Sticking to your budget is an obvious requirement but it can quickly slip away once you’ve paid for travel and accommodation, so it’s good to do a little cost recce before getting sign-off on your company retreat budget. It’s also worth having a contingency budget allocated in case things get hairy: in our case, we got a few taxis home when it was raining! ‍

Group work and team-brain time

Taking time away from your normal routine presents a fantastic opportunity to utilise your team’s creativity and expertise. Take advantage of your team having capacity and time to engage in bigger-picture thinking and book in advance some group strategy workshops. We spent a morning feasting on Boulangerie-bought croissants in a beautiful Parisian apartment, the perfect way to fuel creative campaign ideation for one of our clients.

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