Employee Retreat Planning Tips

Employee retreats are multi-layered events

Employee retreats are multi-layered events. On one hand, these events bring team members closer together since it gives them time to get to know each other on a more personal level. On the other hand, however, it's a great opportunity to work on issues and plan for the future.

Select a Location

While you can have an employee retreat anywhere in the world (including your own conference room), it's fun to take employees out of their normal surroundings to a new place. Depending on your company's budget, this may be to some place right around the corner from the office or out of state to places like New Orleans or Vegas.

Get your employees involved in this decision.

Throw up a few choices on a projector screen, and take a vote. You don't want your employees miserable because you chose Seattle, and your entire team hates the rain. Make them feel a part of the decision-making process, and a projector and screen make good whiteboards for this purpose. A rental projector is better than a standard whiteboard for large groups since it allows everyone to see what's being written.

Set Your Goals

Like all events, a person planning an employee retreat must have a few specific objectives in mind. What do you want to accomplish during the meeting? Are there several key points you want to focus on? What is your team lacking that this event could assist with?

Once you know your goals, create a PowerPoint slide that displays these goals. You also want to display these goals throughout the retreat. One way to do that is to obtain a rental projector and screen, and set up the screen in a central location. For example, a good spot would be the eating areas or even the main conference room. Keep the goals up on the screen throughout the day to remind your entire team of the purpose of the event.

Pick the Leader

More than likely whoever plans the retreat is going to be leading the festivities. Sometimes, however, this is not the case. Be sure to have the facilitator in place weeks before the retreat, and make sure they know their role. The facilitator is the neutral party in all of the sessions. If you feel like none of your team would fit this role, you can bring in someone from an outside team, or hire an actual facilitator.

The facilitator is there to make sure that everyone has a voice. He may also be the person responsible for writing down ideas on which people will be discussing or voting. The facilitator can connect his computer to a rental projector, and type out the ideas so that they show up on a screen large enough for everyone to see.

Final Thoughts

Be sure that you use your time wisely, and keep to the stated goals. Make sure that everyone on your team has a say in the matters and that everyone is collaborating with each other. Create some synergy and have fun!

by: Andy Grant

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