Here at Yeti, retreats are a huge part of who we are. When our team transitioned to remote work during the pandemic we quickly recognized the need to regroup and come together in person a few times a year to focus on relationship building and work on our company's goals. While the road to perfecting our retreat planning skills had its share of bumps and turns, we've now honed our process to perfection.

Whether your team is in person or remote, a well organized retreat can work wonders. It's a catalyst for fortifying essential team connections, boosting morale, and nurturing the seeds of creativity. Below, we share our treasure trove of expert advice to ensure your team retreat is not only successful but leaves an indelible mark in everyone's memory.

Choose the Perfect Location:

The perfect company retreat destination is as unique as your team itself, a an extraordinary location can create memorable experiences that team members will cherish and recall long after the retreat ends. These lasting memories can help solidify the bonds between team members and reinforce the positive impact of the retreat.

The following are some considerations for choosing a location that fits your needs.

Accessibility

Opting for an easily accessible destination tops the list of priorities, as it plays a major role in your retreat’s success. Keep in mind that prolonged and complicated journeys can be overwhelming,  frustrating and exhausting, and will have a definite effect on the overall mood of the retreat.

Choosing a destination near a major airport hub will streamline logistics on your end. The goal is to ensure a smooth, stress-free travel experience for all attendees, no matter where they are arriving from.

Here are some great examples near major hubs and with tons of activities to choose from:

• Austin, Texas
• San Diego, California
• Palm Springs, California
• Portland, Oregon
• Seattle, Washington
• Chicago, Illinois
• Charleston, South Carolina
• New Orleans, Louisiana
• Salt Lake City, Utah
• Denver, Colorado

Available Activities:

Think about whether your team would thrive in the serene solitude of a countryside cabin, or if they’d prefer the vibrant pulse of a bustling city, and consider which location aligns best with your retreat goals.

Delve into the types of activities your team typically relishes. Do they lean towards outdoor adventures, or do they prefer indoor pursuits? The location itself will likely dictate the range of activities on offer: while a mountain retreat could provide active, outdoor activities, a city retreat opens doors to cultural events and urban adventures.

Be sure to consider the nature of your planned team-building and internal company activities to determine whether there is a specific type of location that suits them ideally.

Remember, your venue should be in an environment that is conducive to both team bonding and relaxation, and which provides the opportunity to nurture informal connections that strengthen the team.

Lodging

These days there are a plethora of choices when picking out the ideal lodging situation for your team. Two of the most common being hotels and Airbnb/ private homes and cabins, each of which has it’s benefits and downsides.

• Airbnb  offers a more homey, communal atmosphere, which can encourage team bonding, and can be a cost effective solution for larger groups. The Airbnb’s common areas can easily serve as a meeting space, and having a communal space will allow your team can cook meals together and spend down time in the homes common spaces. Be sure to provide each member of the team with the level of privacy they need to feel comfortable. A private room for each member of the team is ideal

• Hotels provide a more structured experience with access to on-site amenities and services, such as meeting spaces, restaurants and more. They also provide each member of the team with their own private space, which is important to many.

The biggest downside to hotels are their lack of casual (but private) common areas, which can make it difficult for team members to spend down time together, and the lack of usable kitchen, which can cut costs for those on a budget, and allow for team building. For these reasons, hotels can be a convenient choice for shorter retreats or when you need a dedicated meeting space.

Practical Considerations:

While it may not be as fun and glamorous as scouting out a beautiful location, it’s important to take a few practical things into consideration, as they play  a vital role in ensuring your retreat runs smoothly and effectively.

• ‍Meeting Facilities:
  If you’ll need a dedicated meeting space with all the amenities of your home office, be sure to check with the lodging venue you choose to ensure that their facilities include an area with adequate seating,  lighting, and proper audio-visual equipment for presentations, workshops, and team discussions.  At Yeti, we typically use AirBnB’s, and the homes living room is generally a great common meeting area.
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• Connectivity
  In today's digital age, a reliable internet connection is a necessity for conducting video conferences, accessing work-related information, and staying connected with the office. If connectivity is crucial to your retreat, be sure to check the locations internet quality and speed before booking.
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• Amenities
  ‍It’s important that you take the time to evaluate the amenities that are necessary for the success of your retreat. Some teams require 4 star restaurants and lively bars, while others just require a beautiful setting. Take stock of what you’ll need, and determine whether the location you’ve chosen can provide you with them. Do you need restaurants, cafes, gyms and recreational facilities? Or is a solid internet connection your only concern?
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• Local Transportation
  If your team needs to move around during the retreat, consider the availability of transportation options. Whether it's shuttle services, car rentals, or public transportation, ensure that getting from one place to another is hassle-free.

Plan Engaging Activities

A successful retreat balances work and play, so be sure to plan activities that allow for both.   Depending on the length of your retreat, we’d recommend a combination of company-led workshops and fun and interactive bonding activities to break up the day.

When choosing activities it’s crucial that they are inclusive to the entire group. This means, ensuring that each team member is comfortable, able (and hopefully excited!) to participate in each of the activities you plan. Have someone terrified of heights? Don’t plan a rock climbing trip. Does anyone on your team have mobility issues? Perhaps it’s best to skip the hike.

Remember, it’s ok to nudge people to try something new and exciting, but it is important that you ensure that everyone feels accommodated and comfortable. Here are just a few ideas for some fun group activities:

• Guided hike
• Yoga/meditation session
• Lazy river tubing
• Mini golf
• Off-roading
• City walking tour
• Ropes course
• Laser Tag / Arcade games
• Archery
• Cooking class
• Improv
• Workshops (ceramics, welding, woodworking etc)

Plan Team Building Activities

One of the main purposes of your retreat is to allow team members to get to know one another better, and build stronger bonds. You may also be focusing on internal processes, issues, growth etc.  For this reason, you should plan several team building exercises and workshops for your retreat.

‍Anything that strengthens your teams bonds can be considered team building, so even the fun activities you’ve planned will serve this purpose if done correctly. You might want to consider breaking the team into smaller groups that include individuals that don’t generally work together. This will give them the opportunity to get to know one another a bit better.

As for dedicated team building activities, the Yeti team has tried them all (well, maybe not all… but a lot). We’ve found a lot of success with compliment circles, Team Family Feud and team member trivia. Here’s a list of awesome activities for you to try on your next retreat - and if some of your team members are remote, here are our favorite remote team building activities!

• Internal WorkshopsAt Yeti we use our retreats a chance to workshop internal goals, problem solve, work on new policies and more. Here is a list of ways you can use your retreat to strengthen your company and team.
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• Set quarterly or yearly goals. Allow the entire team to brainstorm goals, and then choose the most relevant. Spend time fleshing out the goals, and create teams that will work on implementing them for the next year.
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• Discuss issues + brainstorm how to solve them. Allowing the entire team to chime in will allow you to ensure all your bases are covered.
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• Workshop the steps you can take to make your company a better place to work. This might include discussing benefits like 401k’s, or perks like providing the team with fresh coffee every morning.

Plan Delicious Meals

Everyone needs to eat, so be sure to carefully plan each of your meals. Here are a few pointers for keeping your team happy and fed!

• Take Dietary Considerations seriously. Before beginning to plan your meals, ask each member of your team if they have any dietary considerations. This includes vegans, those with gluten intolerance, folks who keep kosher or halal etc. Be sure that each out your meals provides ample choices for everyone on the team.
• Consider home cooking. If your lodging includes a kitchen, consider creating teams that are responsible for each meal - this is both cost effective and a great bonding exercise.
• Make Restaurant reservations ahead of time. Seating a large group can be difficult, especially in tourism focused cities, so be sure to reserve your table as far in advance as possible to avoid any issues.
• Provide PLENTY of snacks throughout the day. Keep your team from getting hangry by having a variety of snacks and drinks available throughout the day. Some great ideas for easy snacks include fruit, clif bars, hummus and crackers, chips and salsa, chocolate, nuts, muffins, cookies etc.
• Make it quick. For quick meals like breakfast, have someone on your team pick up breakfast burritos from a nearby spot - or have them delivered. You can also provide quick options like instant oatmeal, cereal, orange juice etc.
• Don’t forget the coffee. Forgetting this one can lead to disaster. Keep a fresh pot of coffee throughout the day. If you don’t have a coffee maker, or are using a hotel meeting space, order some 100 ounce coffee travelers from Starbucks.

Lookout for the following GOTCHAS

• Don’t book on Expedia or other travel aggregators, instead book directly with the airlines as they have better cancellation and rebooking policies.
• Make sure all flights can accommodate carry-on bags (pay extra if they don’t so your employee doesn’t have to)
• Keep a living document with all travelers’ flight details, arrival times, and contact information. This comes in handy when you’re wrangling groups upon arrival, especially if planes are delayed but the travelers have no way to contact you.
• Look out for hidden resort fees. Typically booking a large block of rooms should get you a pretty good discount. Resorts might try to tack on additional fees such as a “resort” fee upon check-in, keep that contract on hand so you can refute any additional charges.
• People need down time. Keep that in mind when planning out each day, try to give a few hours for downtime between company workshops and fun activities.
• Accommodate all dietary restrictions - send out a survey ahead of the retreat to gather this information.
• Make reservations in advance - large groups are much harder to book out, and sometimes require a deposit.
• Re-confirm everything in email a few weeks leading up to the retreat. This includes meals, activities, reservations, travel etc.
• Break up each day with a balance of down time, workshops, and fun social activities. People don’t want to spend an entire day sitting inside, so we suggest mornings for workshops and afternoons for fun!
• Print out any materials you might need in advance! For example, itineraries, place settings, workshop materials and exercises etc.
• Have some essentials on hand for your team depending on what the activity is. For example, if you’re doing a group hike, bring extra sunscreen and water for everyone.
• Don’t forget to pack your company swag! It is a nice touch to have a welcome gift waiting upon arrival.
• Have a shared means of communication during the retreat. This is helpful for announcing any important information to the group. A retreat Slack channel works well for this.
• Make sure all travelers know who the point person is and has their contact information
• Be sure to save all receipts

Gather Feedback:

After the retreat, solicit feedback from team members to learn what worked well and what could be improved. Ideally this is done through an anonymous survey. Use this information to refine your future retreats and make them even more enjoyable.

Planning the perfect company retreat can be time consuming (and maybe a bit overwhelming), but when done right it’s absolutely worth the effort. Sharing time with your team in a beautiful location, exploring and trying new things is a great way to strengthen bonds… and just have fun!

We hope you find this guide helpful for planning your next team retreat!