5 tips for planning the perfect corporate retreat

Need a change of scenery for your upcoming conference or business retreat? We’re no stranger to conferences, weddings, or events that require a great attention to detail, and put together some tips to help your planning process go smoothly.

Know your numbers

As you explore your venue options, keep in mind how many people will be attending so you know how much meeting space you need, how many rooms (these days it is recommended to allow every employee their own room), and if the venue can accommodate you for on-site meals or provide snacks between sessions.  Elkins Resort offers cabins that have multiple bedrooms and on-site catering.

Keep a realistic budget

Now that you know how many people are coming to the conference, begin working with your venue to establish an appropriate budget and know what costs you have to accommodate and what you can cut. For example, some venues will charge for A/V equipment or additional seating for meeting rooms, so if you can eliminate these small extra charges, you should be able to project a realistic budget early on in the planning phase.

Stay organized

There is nothing wrong with being overly organized or communicating frequently to share event details. Nothing’s worse than having to move the conference back a week and forgetting to let a whole department know about it. We recommend using a master shared spreadsheet or online program to collaborate and make sure everyone is up to date. If you want to take it to the next level, you can always develop an app to share event information with your attendees on the go.

Nothing like a change of scenery

We bet the office is fantastic, but wouldn’t it be much more fun and refreshing to change up your environment for your retreat? Find a location that’s peaceful but without losing your WiFi connection and the opportunity to plan some team building activities.   Elkins Resort is located right on Priest Lake, offering an amazing setting for your company to escape the office and daily distractions.  Outside activities like hiking, boating, or even snowmobiling are great for team building.

Icebreakers and team building and activities, oh my!

Part of the retreat is to strengthen your team and improve trust among your employees, so having a few structured events and team building activities is important for your time away from the office. Just be sure to balance these activities with some downtime for your employees to check in with family back home or decompress after productive meetings.

Want to see if Elkins Resort on Priest Lake is the right venue for your company retreat? Call us today!