- Select your retreat location wisely.
Consider your priorities when determining how to allocate your retreat budget. Picking the right location is probably the most important decision you make. There are many locations in Europe that are budget-friendly while still offering an amazing offsite experience. Have you considered hosting your next retreat in Ericeira, Prague, or Gran Canaria? You should!
- The type of accommodation matters.
Are you taking your whole team on the retreat? Consider different accommodation options. Do you need a 5-star hotel, or could you better allocate your budget to a wonderful team dinner or bonding activities? If your budget is very limited, select a 4-star hotel (or apartment option) with rooms of 2 beds. Sharing rooms is the simplest way to cut down costs.
- Do you need a private workspace or event space?
What is the goal of your company retreat? You might need to book a private workspace, or event space (conference room) for presentations. You can host a strategic offsite or a retreat focused on innovation (inventing new product features, hackathon, or design sprint) and rent a private office for a few days, plan a retreat focused on team bonding with no office space needed, or combine both: work & play in a retreat that has both in and out of office experiences.
- Plan the meals according to your team’s preferences.
Do you need a full catering service, or do you usually get breakfast and start your work day in the office space? There’s nothing more pleasant than conversation over a delicious dinner in a unique restaurant. Plan your team’s meals ahead of time and decide whether you want to book restaurants with sea food, Czech food, traditional Spanish food, vegan options or any other cuisine your team would love!
- Make your retreat more fun with team activities.
Work hard, play harder. Retreats are much more fun when colleagues spend time making memories together. You can see Lisbon from a whole new perspective on a sailing boat, explore beer flavors of Prague with a micro-brewery tour, take surf lessons in Europe’s best surf location in Gran Canaria, or even go hiking in the Catskills Mountains. Team activities are the quickest way to improve team spirit during your offsite experience.
- Consider airport transfers for better comfort.
Your team members appreciate smooth transfers from the airport to the retreat venue. For just a little extra money from your budget, you can ensure everyone comes in time so the retreat will start exactly as planned.
→ Need help? Let Surf Office organize your next company retreat.
