Unconventional Tips for a Successful Offsite
Unconventional Tips for a Successful Offsite
BoomPop Team · 2/11/2025
Tips for a High-Impact Offsite
Company offsites can be transformative. They offer a chance to break free from the daily grind, foster team bonding, and drive innovation. But the right approach is key. So how can you make sure your offsites are driving the right impact? Let’s unpack some unconventional tips to ensure your next offsite is built to foster collaboration, boost morale, and leave your team feeling recharged and inspired.
Manage Expectations & Workload
Establish Realistic Workload Expectations: Before the offsite, have an honest conversation with your team about workload expectations. Encourage them to prioritize urgent tasks and delegate whenever possible. Let them know that it's okay to disconnect during the offsite and that catching up on work will be addressed upon return.
Build in Flexibility: Make sure your itinerary and programming offer some flexibility so that team members can customize their experience as needed based on their schedules, roles, and preferences. For example, make it clear what sessions you consider mandatory and what is flexible. This clarity c
Dedicated Work Time: If team members have urgent deadlines, or for teams with regular standing duties, make sure your schedule enables guests to schedule dedicated work time during the offsite. This allows core teams to catch up on pressing matters like prospect, client, or partner calls while still participating core programming.
Optimize Your Itinerary
Strategic Time Blocks: From a practical standpoint, take a look at your itinerary and make sure it supports the your approach to the above ethos and expectations you create with your team. For example, many teams schedule co-working or “no meeting” time blocks as a part of their official offsite itinerary so that the flexibility to manage individual workloads is built into the program itself. This allows people to have dedicated time for focused work, individual reflection, or simply enjoying the offsite location.
Schedule in Breaks & Time to Connect: Schedule frequent and intentional breaks throughout your itinerary each day. Encourage team members to enjoy a refreshment, take a walk with a colleague, or simply relax and recharge. This helps promote focus during core programming sessions and creates space for those natural “water cooler” moments that colleagues from different teams or locations need to build strong relationships.
Consider Mindful Meetings: Implement mindfulness practices into meeting agendas. Start meetings with a brief meditation or a check-in to help everyone stay present and focused.
Prioritize Wellbeing
Introvert/Extrovert Considerations: Recognize that everyone has different energy needs. Offer a variety of activities, including both social gatherings and opportunities for quiet reflection and downtime. That program flexibility from above can be key in supporting this too, so make sure you let your team members know it’s ok to take a break from optional activities when needed.
“Unplug” Time: Encourage team members to unplug from work emails and notifications during designated periods such as core programming sessions and workshops. This will help create focus and set your offsite apart from just another team meeting.
Wellness Activities: Consider incorporating wellness activities into the offsite agenda, such as yoga, meditation, or group fitness classes. This helps combat stress and boost overall well-being.
Pre-Offsite Preparation
Encourage Prioritization & Preparation: Encourage team members to prioritize urgent tasks and delegate whenever possible before the offsite. This will help them feel less anxious about their workload.
Set Clear Objectives: Define clear objectives for the offsite - and share them with your teams. What specific outcomes do you hope to achieve? What core problems are you trying to solve? Having clear goals will help everyone stay focused and productive.
Provide Pre-Read Materials (But Keep it Light!): When necessary, provide team members with any relevant pre-reading materials in advance, but keep these materials succinct and to the point. This will allow teams to come prepared and engage more deeply in discussions while balancing time to complete pre-offsite tasks ahead of time.
Post-Offsite Organization
Action Planning: Dedicate time after your offsite for key team members to create actionable plans based on the discussions and decisions made. To prepare ahead for this, you might ask each core session presenter to gather feedback, ideas, and action items at the end of each session, or capture audience feedback and ideas with surveys and polls.
Follow-Up Meetings: Schedule follow-up meetings with key leaders and presenters to review and align on action items, priorities, and timelines so that the most critical ideas from each offsite are implemented.
Feedback Sessions & Surveys: Gather feedback from team members on the offsite experience after the event. Post-event feedback sessions and surveys can provide valuable insights. Use this feedback to improve future offsites and ensure they are productive and enjoyable for everyone.
A high-impact company offsite is about more than just getting away from the office; it's about creating a space for collaboration, innovation, and genuine connection that will have a lasting positive impact on your team's productivity and well-being. Setting expectations, carefully crafting your itinerary and program, and creating a plan for follow up after your offsite can help you accomplish all that - and more!
Ready to plan your next offsite? Book a free, personalized consultation with a BoomPop Event Planner.
