The business retreat venue experts Venue Retreat take a look at why company retreats for remote working team members are so important to improve productive, innovation and team morale.

So, your company or remote team needs a retreat? A workcation to increase team morale and physical space to get your remote workers in the same room. Now more than ever with companies working remotely, annual team retreats are becoming more and more popular.

They provide invaluable experience for creating brand culture and ethos within the working community. A mixture of work and play to create not just an office vibe but a week the group will never forget.

Studies have been conducted showing that startups and companies improve their productivity, innovation and team cohesiveness for months after team events and retreats.

What makes the best company retreat locations?

In our professional experience, the best locations for team retreats are places that offer a blend of great accommodation with catering options keeping everyone well fed so they can focus on the projects and social fun when the laptops are closed.

Spaces for meetings and team bonding

Spaces to have both meetings for business and areas to enjoy the pool, views and ambience at night with some laughter, music and wine.

Secluded and Private

A location that offers privacy in nature but not too far from the cities and culture that the destination provides. This means you can go out to experience the local cuisine, nightlife, tourist attractions and other activities.

Hot Climates & Beaches!

Two popular countries to visit for team retreats are Spain and Portugal. They both have fantastic climates year-round so you can enjoy the sun and pool at private villas or lounge on the grounds of some gorgeous boutique hotels.

It is easier to have outdoor activities for team building exercisers when you know you can be outside, soaking up the fresh air, blue skies and vibrant colours that are on offer in these warmer countries.

Embrace Nature and local culture

Surrounded by nature and away from the hustle and bustle but also a short drive to big cities or the beach you and your team can relish the culture, bars, nightlife and tourist attractions while you are also working hard on your latest projects or team-building exercises.

29 bedroom luxury boutique hotel in Malaga, Spain

All-Inclusive Stays & Tailored Service

When booking a private villa or boutique hotel, you and your team can have incredible service, wonderful catering so you can focus on just having fun, enjoying the team retreat and not be disturbed when it is time to work on projects or conducting team meetings.

These types of venues are ideal for tailoring their service to your needs and are much more adaptable to your team retreat. Often making the venue private for your group all the attention to detail will be on the logistics of your stay, everything from airport picks up, information and booking for local activities and transport to nearby destinations for group events.

Things to remember

Travel logistics
Quality of WIFI at the retreat venue
How easy is it for you and your team to get there?
Cost of transport to nearby activities or cities?
Set up a clear guideline and schedule for your retreat

Booking your teams flights!

Make sure you book your teams flights in advance after getting the retreat venue sorted. The earlier you do this the better rates you can get and save some money for your company retreat budget.

Sometimes you will have remote team members located all around the world in different time zones so consider this when you are flying in from different airports. This can affect your transport to the retreat venue depending if your transport will be for the whole group or they will be organised individually.

What is your objective for the company retreat?

Company retreats can be used to bring team members together who work remotely or in different offices. It can sometimes be the only time the team members get to see each other face to face. Or are you looking to create a better bond within the team who are normally on zoom calls or are you looking to work on a project together during the time of the retreat?

If your retreat is made up of teams who work daily in the office your team retreat should be more targeted at blowing off steam, having fun and creating a fun friendly atmosphere where people can let their hair down and be themselves.

The Business Retreat Schedule

So now you have an idea of the type of retreat and objectives you wish to accomplish with this company offsite event, you can now start to plan a schedule for the week.

When doing this, include times for work, meetings, meals, activities, fun and excursions to the beach, mountains or city.

The best retreats have a clear schedule but it is also flexible to allow people to not feel overwhelmed and pushed around from one place to another like cattle. Create a relaxed environment making sure nobody is bored even in their free time that there are places to relax, sunbathe, jump in the pool or chill with some of the team.

Hackathons and brainstorming

Another fantastic idea for your retreat activities is to create a company project or a hackathon for the group or sub-teams can get together and compete in a friendly but fun way to get a lot of work done in a short period of time, with a hackathon vibe to make it more exciting.

How else can team retreats help my company?

There are countless ways a well-run team retreat can help your company in the short and long term in and out of the office.

Here is a list of benefits companies have found after hosting their company offsite event.

Company Retreat Benefits

Helps with stress and anxiety
Bring team members together
Improves team morale
Increases short and long term productivity
Team cohesion
Stronger brand and culture ethos
Fosters innovation
Improves communication
Mental health improvements

Remember to adapt to problems

You will face moments when the schedule has to be changed due to some unforeseen problem. Don't worry and try to relax. You are there to enjoy and have fun as well as do some work, so go with the flow and adapt to any situation by keeping the mood light and easy.

Hosting future retreats

Make sure you talk to your team after the retreat and ask to see how you can improve the next one. Mix up your annual retreats with different locations and schedules to make it interesting and new, don't just do the same thing year in year out. Listen to the feedback and use this information to improve on the next one.

Need help finding your business retreat venue?

Contact Venue Retreat today and we will help you find your perfect company retreat venue for FREE. We are retreat venue experts with private villas, boutique hotels and everything in between. Whether you are looking for a rustic affordable Spanish villa or a five-star luxury hotel in the Italian Alps, we will scout your venue and help you with all of the logistics.

Get in touch with our team today!

Happy retreating!

The Venue Retreat Team