How to plan a successful off-site meeting

An off-site can be a great addition to your business processes. Getting people away from their regular environment is an effective way to create camaraderie, increase team loyalty, and help everyone focus on a common project or goal.

Stagnancy can often be an issue in the productivity of a team. Showing up to the same place each day, going through the same motions, and working on the same projects, can be wearing on the creativity and efficiency of people.

Off-sites provide an opportunity for a team to take a break, refresh themselves, and connect in a laid-back environment. By removing themselves from the day-to-day, they can take the time to rejuvenate in a fresh setting with their team, removing stressors and habitual annoyances.

If your team’s efficiency and productivity is beginning to slip, if you are noticing bad attitudes beginning to creep in, and if you’re becoming aware of a negative mentality springing up throughout your team, it might be a great idea to plan on off-site. These meet-ups away from the workplace tend to bring life back into a floundering team, helping to increase productivity and team loyalty.

However, it can seem daunting when you begin to plan an off-site. You want the experience that you create for your team to be worthwhile and enjoyable, yet you only have a small budget and don’t really have the ability to keep up with the business Joneses.

The good news is, your off-site doesn’t need to break the bank, and it doesn’t have to include a ton of bells and whistles. In fact, it can be simple and inexpensive, while at the same time, a relaxing and enjoyable experience.

When you’re planning an off-site, follow these tips for making it successful without causing stress to yourself and your business:

You know those movies where a business meeting is held in a long, dark room with only a huge rectangular table in the center? Lots of people actually keep that picture in mind when they’re planning an off-site. Bad idea. In fact, you pretty much want to do everything you can to avoid creating that sort of off-site.

Instead of seeking the darkest, blandest conference room that you can find, search for a light, airy, and pleasant location for your team to meet. Keep in mind that natural light actually turns on the brain and invigorates people. In the right environment, your team will be motivated, ready to brainstorm, and filled with great ideas.

Honestly, you don’t even need to use a conference room for your off-site. Choose a building or other location that offers the right environment and will fill the needs of your business and team.

Food brings people together. Food keeps people focused and attentive. Food is a common unifier. You need to include food for your team for a number of reasons.

Be intentional about the food you choose to include for your off-site. Keeping healthy snacks and water available consistently throughout the day will help to keep the morale up and the mood chill. For meals, you can head out to a local restaurant or have a favorite restaurant cater. Make mealtime healthy and enjoyable for everyone.

Nature provides peace, connection, and focus. You don’t have to spend your off-site sitting indoors at a table. Take the team out into nature. Maybe you’ll want to go on a hike together, maybe you want to give your presentations in a park, maybe you have to stay indoors for whatever reason, but you can fill the room with plants, small trees, flowers, succulents, or whatever little pop of nature you can find.

By taking your team outside or including nature in the room, you’re helping to create a calm environment and a focused team.

The days of long meetings with a million slides are gone. In fact, if you run an off-site like that, you might as well stay in the office. Long, boring presentations are sure to make you lose the attention of your team.

Don’t lose sight of the fact that part of the off-site’s purpose is to refresh and reinvigorate your team. If you end up boring them and devaluing their time, your purpose will be lost.

Write out presentations that are short, simple, and clear. Spend more time discussing ideas, answering questions, brainstorming, and encouraging conversations than you do on any presentations. Your team will feel valued, respected, and will develop loyalty and buy-in when they are included and given a voice instead of just lectured.

With a lot of discussion and shared ideas, it’s important that things get written down, otherwise they’ll likely be forgotten. Bring someone to the off-site with the job of writing things down. Essentially, they’ll be a transcriptionist or scribe, taking notes of your conversations, writing down the different ideas and talking points that your team brings up, and ensuring that there is a record of everything that is discussed.

You want the off-site to be enjoyable and relaxing. Keep that in mind as you plan. Make a playlist filled with music that you think will be perfect for your team, the environment you’re in, and the topics you’re discussing. Get your team pumped up with relevant music that creates the optimal mood for your team.

Bring props for your team to utilize as they listen to presentations and discuss topics. Giving people things to do with their hands will help them to stay focused throughout the day. They can mess with stress balls, color, bend pipe cleaners, or even shape clay.

Providing things to keep hands busy and great music playing will help to create the chill and relaxing environment that you want.

Don’t keep your team cooped up. Schedule in lots of breaks, time for conversations, ice breaker questions, and more. Don’t lose sight of the fact that you are trying to build a loyal team that works together. In order to do that, you need to let them loose to build relationships and have a good time together. By scheduling in breaks and letting the conversations flow, you’re freeing your team to truly come together as a team.

Taking your team out of the office and having an off-site is a great idea and is likely just what they need to refocus and increase their productivity. In a sense, an off-site is like a mini-work vacation that gives co-workers a chance to build their relationships, refresh themselves, and get excited about the work to come.

You don’t need to let the details overwhelm you and keep you from planning a great off-site. Just follow these tips and remember to stay focused on your goal of motivation and team-building. The rest will fall into place.