How to Create a Team Offsite Agenda
How to Create a Team Offsite Agenda
BoomPop Team · 8/8/2024
Ensuring your team offsite is impactful, fun, and fresh begins with a well-formatted agenda, with the right balance of collaboration and downtime. Your agenda is meant to enhance your team experience so that all those involved find value in taking the time away from their day-to-day.
BoomPop has planned hundreds of offsites and can easily recognize an agenda that will invigorate a team or an agenda that is tiring and uninspiring. So while finding the right city and hotel for your team to meet is significant, the more granular details of your agenda will be the bow on the present of your offsite.
There is immense pressure to curate an agenda that is custom fit for your team needs, we understand. But, rest assured there are a series of thought exercises you can work through to feel confident in crafting an agenda for your team.
Let’s discuss.
Define Your Goals
The most important question to ask yourself is, why are we getting the team together? Many companies see team-building activities as an investment, but what do you hope to achieve? Are you looking to drive innovation, enhance decision-making, provide a fun and relaxing atmosphere, or something else?
Questions you can begin to ask yourself:
1. What are the main challenges our company is facing?
If competition is your biggest challenge, focus on strategic planning sessions. If morale and engagement are low, consider organizing fun team-building activities and social gatherings.
For fully remote teams that have never met in person, blend coworking sessions with team-building exercises to build relationships that can't be easily formed over virtual meetings.
2. What feedback have we received from our team?
Regular employee pulse surveys can reveal what your team is struggling with, where they find success, and what motivates them. Use this feedback to tailor your offsite agenda. Post-event surveys can also highlight what worked well and what needs improvement for future events.
3. What are our budget and timeline constraints?
Your budget and planning timeline will influence your offsite. Determine how much you can spend on team-building activities and dining, and how much time you can allocate to different sessions. Early planning is crucial to secure the best venues and activities. While you may have an extravagant idea for a dinner cruise with your team, you will have to sense if this is where the budget should go, or if instead you should get a keynote speaker.
Create a Balanced Agenda
With your goals in place, start building a balanced agenda. Include a mix of coworking time, team activities, social events, and workshops based on your event's vision. A diverse agenda keeps participants engaged and energized. Balance business activities with fun to maintain a dynamic environment.
Avoid overloading the schedule with continuous activities. Offsites can be tiring, so allow for breaks and offer optional participation. The aim is for your team to feel refreshed and invigorated by the end of the event, not drained.
Need a retreat agenda template to spark inspiration for how to create flow within your getaway? Check out our prebuilt agendas here. You will find inspiration for cities, for nature retreats and everything in between. This will help you get
Tailor the Experience to Your Team
To ensure the offsite meets your team’s needs, ask for their input. Your team will love that they got a say in what is to come. It encourages investment back into the offsite when your team feels like they had a hand in some of its details.
Helpful questions:
What are the biggest obstacles in your department and the organization?
What are your preferred locations for the offsite?
What activities interest you the most?
Are you interested in leading any sessions? If so, what topics?
Rank the following in order of importance: coworking, offsite activities, onsite team building, etc.
These questions will help you design an offsite that is engaging, comfortable, and productive for your team. Surveys will also help identify potential challenges and preferences, allowing you to address them proactively and craft an agenda that is custom fit for your team.
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!
Featured resources
8 Steps for Planning Your Company Retreat
A resource for new organizers on creating fun, productive, and successful corporate events.
