BoomPop Goes to Park City, Utah
BoomPop Goes to Park City, Utah
BoomPop Team · 8/21/2024
Recently, the team at BoomPop had the chance to fly into Park City, Utah, for their quarterly team offsite in the mountains. Not only does BoomPop plan retreats for clients all across the globe, we also use our in-house staff to plan amazing getaways for team bonding and big-picture alignment for ourselves.
Knowing how essential team offsites have been, not only for our team but also for our clients, we decided to sit down with Tara Morgan, our Director of People, and Katie Rogers, a Product Manager at BoomPop, two of the key planners for this offsite, to hear all about their advice and feedback on how to plan an offsite and what the experience in Utah was like for the whole team.
The Importance of Breakout Groups
With our growing numbers at BoomPop and many new faces connecting in person for the first time, we had to rethink the way we were gathering. Where it was once easy to bring the whole team together for meetings in one space throughout the day, that was no longer viable.
Tara shares, “In Q2 (the last offsite that BoomPop hosted), we did several group sessions in the ballroom, and there wasn't much time for team-specific sessions.” Katie adds, “With everyone in the ballroom all day, it was tiring.”
They knew things had to be different for the Park City offsite. Teams were craving strategy sessions for their departments to get on the same page and optimize their ongoing projects. “We're all working towards the same goals, but we each have different bite-sized pieces of how to achieve those goals,” Tara explains.
With a focus on full company kick-offs each morning and then dispersing for team-specific breakouts, this cadence of connection worked out flawlessly.
We heard success stories from departments like Sales, who were able to dive deeper into sales education and event-specific strategy. They also infused fun by doing an enneagram workshop, only to realize, “They're all more or less three types of personalities out of nine!” Tara muses.
Infusing Culture into Your Offsite
Like any memorable retreat, those moments that feel special and unreplicable are essential to the connective tissue of your offsite. It begins with immersing your team in the culture of what it means to work where you work—those lighthearted moments.
This was perfectly exemplified when the BoomPop team decided to surprise our cofounder. Knowing the cofounder had been growing a mustache in anticipation of reaching a sales goal, the team decided to wear fake mustaches at the first night's welcome dinner. “He was caught off guard, and then the next day, we hit the goal. His mustache was off,” Tara and Katie share.
The amusement and detail didn’t stop there. When I asked Meg Bonagura, Senior Business Development at BoomPop, about the retreat’s highlight, she immediately responded, “Definitely the Unicorn Ball!”
At BoomPop, we take unicorns seriously. Each week, we pass the title of Unicorn to a colleague who exemplifies our core values, celebrating these moments in our culture. The Unicorn Ball at the offsite was a special event, themed around the book The Art of Gathering, which emphasizes creating memorable experiences for guests.
BoomPop did just that—organizing interactive exercises aligned with the book’s teachings, complete with decorations and strobe lights. Meg shared, “We made our own masks, personal to ourselves, and then the hosts highlighted the uniqueness of each individual before having us remove our masks, symbolizing coming together as a team.”
The unicorn theme continued through the retreat, ending with a thoughtful touch at the goodbye dinner. Each colleague received a blank postcard to fill out with their address and then passed it to the person next to them, who wrote a note about why they’re seen as a unicorn. These postcards were later mailed as a memento of each colleagues contributions.
This is a key reminder that your offsite isn’t an isolated moment in time but a continuation of the workplace and the culture you are building. Bridging your company's culture to the offsite you plan is the perfect way to engage your colleagues and create an experience they will never forget.
Your Offsite Cadence
When inquiring about the cadence of four offsites per year, Katie shares, “I think quarterly feels like a lot, but then, by the end of the quarter between offsites, you’re ready for another and to see people again.” She continues, “I do find that coming off of the offsite, you always feel very excited, motivated, and a little bit rejuvenated in your work.”
Tara chimes in: “I think offsites really re-energize you to work hard again. It's a great little boost every single time.”
We couldn’t agree more, connecting with your colleagues, in person, is always invigorating.
We’re Here to Help
Planning a retreat shouldn't be stressful. Our team of experts can handle everything from venue sourcing to activity coordination, allowing you to focus on fostering connections with your team. Contact us today for a free consultation.
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