10 Tips On Planning Your Company Retreat
Your company retreat is important to the development process of your business. Whether you are one of the executives of a large business or you own a small business, you need company retreats to enhance work relationships and encourage teamwork. SMEs in Africa can take advantage of company retreats to enhance morale, strategise, and create a more productive working environment.
Aside from the fun and games that help foster the relationship between your team, finding a way to strike a balance is crucial to the efficiency of your retreat. Companies like SME360 have remained committed to helping small and medium businesses by providing the information they need to grow.
This is why we have decided to put together ten tips on planning your company retreat.
1. Identify Your Goals
The first step to planning a company retreat is to identify and write down the goals of the retreat. Whether you own a large, medium, or small business or you just work as one of the planning committees, you must start by highlighting the intent of the retreat. What do you intend to achieve through the retreat? African businesses, especially SMEs in Africa, must learn to draw their retreat goals in line with their long-term objectives. The goal of your retreat will be like the compass that will help guide you through your planning process.
2. Lockdown Your Date
After you have identified the goal for your company retreat, the next step is to set your preferred date. The farther the date is, the better as this will give you the time you need to adequately prepare ahead. When locking down the date for your company retreat, you should factor in the number of people in your team. Typically, you’ll need more time to prepare if you have a lot of people in your team. If you have about ten employees, you should consider setting your retreat date to at least 2 months out.
3. Develop An Agenda
Every business (including highly productive ones like SME360) needs to take a couple of days off each year for a company retreat. One of the crucial steps in planning for an effective company retreat is developing an agenda and communicating them to your employees. This helps them prepare physically and mentally for the tasks that lie ahead. Businesses, especially SMEs in Africa, should stick with a loose event agenda rather than scheduling specific timings for every task. As a small business owner, your aim should be a free-flowing retreat instead of an overly structured one.
4. Give Your Attendees Some Homework
You can help get your attendees in the right mood ahead of the retreat by giving them some homework. You can ask them to come up with ideas, suggestions, or questions ahead of the retreat. This will get them thinking, hence, getting them mentally prepared for the things you are likely to share during the retreat. It will force them to look closer into your company and its operations with the mindset of coming up with solutions that will enhance productivity.
5. Book A Venue For Your Retreat
You can choose to go to any venue you want as long as it suits the goals of your retreat. Whether you need a large hall as a large-scale business owner or a recreational spot as a small business owner, all that matters is achieving your retreat goals. You should factor in your budget and a conducive atmosphere when booking a venue for your retreat.
6. Spice Up Your Retreat
We understand the urge to get right into your retreat agenda in a bid to tackle issues that might have been affecting the productivity of your business. However, if you want to get the best out of your team, you have to give them something to look forward to. One of the challenges some SMEs in Africa experience is that they do not give breathing space to their employees; this keeps them mentally worn out. Including some hangouts, games, refreshments, etc. will help keep things lively.
7. Book Accommodation If Necessary
Depending on the nature of your business, you may not need to book accommodation all through your retreat. However, if your business like that of SME360 requires your employees to travel to the venue of your retreat, you will need to book accommodation for them. Make sure that the accommodation you intend to book is close to your retreat venue. This way, your employees can move back and forth with ease.
8. Plan For Transportation In And Around Your Retreat Venue
When planning for your company retreat, you should be concerned about how your employees will move to, in, and around the retreat venue. You may not have to spend so much on transportation. However, you must plan for it. You can charter a bus or a cab, depending on the size of your team. If your employees have to travel to the venue of your retreat, you will have to plan for their transportation as well.
9. Forget About Titles For A Moment
Your employees may find travelling with you intimidating. The sight of you will affect their freedom to express themselves. As a result, you should let them know that the retreat has nothing to do with titles or office positions. Crack a few jokes here and there to help them open up to you. This way, they will be free around you- free enough to share their honest opinion about your business.
10. Take Advantage Of The Bright Minds In Your Team
As a business owner (whether large or small business), there’s a huge chance that you have a lot of issues to address in your retreat. While this is good, remember to carry your team along. You will not always have the best idea in the room, and sometimes, a better idea may contradict yours. You must learn to keep the interest of your business ahead of your ego. Encourage your team to share their ideas and look into them together before coming to a conclusion
Conclusion
Planning a company retreat doesn’t have to be overwhelming. All you need are the right tips to get you started. You may need to consider your finances as well. So, if you are searching for the best ways to plan an effective company retreat, you should try the tips above.
