BoomPop & AllFly Webinar Recap: Insider Secrets to Planning the Perfect Company Offsite
BoomPop & AllFly Webinar Recap: Secrets to Planning the Perfect Company Offsite
BoomPop Team · 11/14/2024
Offsite Planning Tips from the Experts
Organizing company offsites is more critical than ever, helping teams foster connection, alignment, and productivity. At BoomPop, we recently brought together one of our senior event planning experts together with the group travel experts at AllFly to talk through their secrets for addressing some of the most common pain points in company retreat and offsite planning.
Here’s a look at some key takeaways they shared for creating memorable company offsites without the stress.
1. Company Offsite Planning Starts with a Clear Purpose
Too often, companies plan offsites as an annual tradition rather than with a clear purpose. "Always, always, always start with identifying the purpose of your event," said Daron Linton, a Senior Event Manager at BoomPop. By aligning everyone on a specific objective, like fostering team candor or establishing trusted circles, you can tailor every element of your offsite or retreat around that purpose. This unlocks clarity that can help drive the rest of your offsite planning process.
For example, an offsite focused on building team trust might select a location that lends itself to team building and memorable experiences and a schedule built around creating open, honest discussions. Creating and focusing on your offsite’s core goals and purpose can be your guide for key decisions all along the rest of the planning process!
2. Be Flexible with Event Dates to Save on Some Big Line Items
When booking hotels and venues, flexibility on dates can lead to big savings. Daron noted, "Sunday group check-ins are typically less expensive because hotels don’t have high occupancy on Sunday nights." Adjusting your specific travel days a bit can make a huge difference in savings.
Similarly, choosing dates outside of big peak seasons for specific locations can make a significant impact on your offsite budget. For example, traveling to Florida during Spring Break is likely to drastically increase your costs, but shifting by a month can dramatically lower costs.
This complex decision making often comes down to a mix of both when - and where. If your team’s heart is set on going to Chicago, it might be better to do that for your Q1 offsite rather than in Q3, when hotels there might go up by $200 per night! Which leads us to our next point….
3. Choose Your Offsite Destinations Strategically
Airfare is one of the largest offsite expenses, and both your location selection and your ability to properly estimate airfare costs during the planning stages are absolutely key to a successful event. Aftr all, selecting the right destination is a critical factor in creating a great attendee experience! So keep a few things in mind as you consider locations.
One thing that you should factor into location selection is your group’s size. Conner Ann Waterman, Director of Partnerships at AllFly advised, "If a program exceeds 200 travelers, you need to pick a destination with more airlift." For larger offsites, choosing airports with multiple direct flight options can reduce costs and travel complications. Conner also highlighted the importance of considering travel time zones and the impact of travel times on your agenda to ensure everyone arrives well-rested and on schedule.
4. Use Tools to Manage Airfare Costs
Airfare can be a major cost in company offsites, especially for large teams. AllFly Co-Founder & COO, Kenny Totten, suggested using tools like AllFly’s free "Forecast" feature to compare costs for different dates and locations. "A little flexibility on travel dates can mean big savings," Kenny explained, and this tool can help you get key insights into this stage of planning. Avoiding peak travel times, such as school vacations, can cut airfare costs substantially.
5. Cultivate Vendor Relationships
One of the best ways to streamline planning and ensure quality service is to build relationships with trusted vendors. "Previously used vendors are more responsive and flexible and can sometimes offer discounts for repeat business," said Daron. This is a huge advantage when working with an event planning company that works with a large bench of hotels, venues, and vendors throughout key locations because they build and cultivate these relationships so they can help their clients.
6. Negotiate Key Aspects of Your Hotel Contract
Most hotels expect some negotiation, and understanding your options can save you thousands Daron recommended, "Always try to negotiate at least one aspect, whether it’s the meeting room rental, resort fees, or sleeping room upgrades." For example, asking for a waived meeting room fee in exchange for a higher food and beverage minimum often yields better guest experiences without added cost. Navigating the ins and outs of negotiations and understanding all the areas you might consider can be a daunting process. Managing this process is another way expert event planning services add incredible value to creating an amazing offsite.
7. Proactively Communicate with Internal Stakeholders
Internal communication is essential to event success. Identifying key decision-makers and discussing their needs early on in the planning process is critical for managing expectations, staying on budget, and creating the content and programming that supports your offsite’s goals. "Engage stakeholders about content needs and logistics upfront to ensure a smooth planning process," Daron shared.
8. Streamline RSVPs, Guest Communication & Offsite Information
In addition to planning all the aspects of the event itself, offsite organizers also spend a lot of coordinating and communicating with attendees. To reduce administrative burdens, streamline your RSVP process and centralize attendee information. "Capture guest details—like dietary preferences and accommodation requests—right from the start," advised Daron. This helps you ensure every aspect of your event is a great experience for all attendees.
Using a tool that helps you quickly and easily set up an offsite event landing page for attendees can reduce repetitive questions and allow people to access event details on their own. With a solution like BoomPop, you not only get event planning experts to manage event planning, negotiations and logistics, you also get beautiful, easy to use technology to manage these time consuming details. From beautiful event landing pages to integrated guest RSVP management, attendee text messaging, surveys, and more. With technology doing a lot of the heavy lifting, you can easily coordinate around guess needs and communicate about your event.
9. Offsite Planning for Contingencies
In the world of travel and events, flexibility is key. While you can’t predict exactly what may happen at your specific event, you can plan around known factors like weather, coastal travel routes, and managing flight delays or cancellations. This might impact considerations like your event timeline or agenda. For example, ensuring your final day’s agenda concludes early rather than is full of programming can help create more buffer time if air travel is delayed by weather or other factors. One pro tip Kenny shared for every offsite event: have each guest "download the airline app for real-time updates on flight statuses and delays," he said. This simple tip can save a tremendous amount of time if the unexpected happens and air travel plans need to change.
Elevate the Impact of Your Company Offsites
Organizing successful company offsites requires thoughtful planning, flexibility, and a focus on maximizing attendee experience. From defining a clear purpose for your offsite to using smart booking strategies and negotiating hotel contracts, careful and thoughtful planning for your offsite will help you create a more impactful event. Company offsites and retreats are a powerful way to bring your team together, build engagement, and create the focus they need to reach their goals. Elevate the impact of your offsites with these event planning secrets in hand so you can ensure every offsite achieves its intended goal—connecting, aligning, and inspiring your team.
Planning an Offsite for Your Team?
Working with an event partner and group travel platform can help you save time, stay on budget, manage logistics – and have more time to focus on the programming and internal aspects of your offsite. Schedule a free consultation here.
