So your team has decided to get out there in the world and enjoy some time Out of The Office together. Well, there's a bit of research, planning and logistics between you and this epic retreat. The first step is getting some inspiration and ideas of how to pull off an All-Time Company Retreat that gets everyone excited and having fun. Below, we've highlighted 100 ideas for inspiration for your next company retreat!
Whether your team is looking to get away for a couple hours, a couple nights or an entire week; these themes are fantastic to start thinking about the Goals, Vision and Budget of a retreat.
Let's start by covering some fun theme ideas!
1. Theme Idea: Floatilla
This is a fan favorite among teams from California to New York. The one thing we absolutely need is a body of water. Most commonly, this is lake or a slow-moving river. This is a great theme for a large group on the younger side that really wants to chill back and enjoy a day on the water. Have a small inflatable boat act as the ice chest!
Where we have pulled this off: Russian River, American River, Lake Tahoe, Park City, UT and in The Catskills, NY.
2. Theme Idea: Wilderness Survival
We love this theme because everyone goes home with an awesome new skill they can brag about to their family and friends. "Oh hey, you wan't some soup? If I needed to, I could build a small fire right here with just some sticks. No Big Deal!" The Wilderness Survival Workshop is a 3-5 hour event where your team learn how to make fire, build shelter in the wilderness, source for water and food and tell direction when lost anywhere on planet Earth.
Our recommendation: When looking at Wilderness Survival Theme, remember that you can pull this off in most any rural destination. We have experts in-house for this experience on both coasts.
3. Theme Idea: Race and Rally
Race and Rally is a high-paced theme to get everyone fired up on the event. Think about things like GoKart Racing, Amusement Parks and Sailing Lessons or Tours in the summertime. We typically work a customized team relay race and team olympics into the day.
How the Team Relay Race and Olympics works: Start by dividing your team up into equal teams. We like to keep it to maximum of 12 people per team for the largest groups. Each team is going to spend 10 minutes naming their team and designing their team flag. Remember, this flag cannot touch the group throughout the entire event!
[Bonus: The winning team gets to fly their flag in the HQ until next years Team Olympics]
Arrange a fast paced relay race. We recommend 1 stop per person on each team so that everyone is involved in the game.
4. Theme Idea: Camp Style
Camp Style is one of our personal favorite themes for a clients retreat. Getting in touch with nature is such a great way to hit the reset button at work and bond with team members. This is all about finding a unique venue that fits into your goals and vision for the retreat. Then, just add camping the vibe. Maybe it's traditional tents or perhaps you're going a step up to Glamping.
Our recommendation is find a venue with restroom facilities and a commercial kitchen. We have found that Airbnb and VRBO's that allow for additional tents is a great place to start.
Check out this video of WeWork on a Camp Style Retreat.
5. Theme Idea: Adrenaline Junky
The options here are endless when thinking about a theme for your retreat. This can go-back to what we mentioned before with an amusement park. We think about adrenaline when we start talking about high-ropes courses, hot balloon rides and other fun and freaky experiences. Getting people out of their comfort zones is one sure-fire way to get people to connect in new and meaningful ways.
6. Theme Idea: Bottoms Up
This is 21+ theme for a team that doesn't shy away from putting down some drinks throughout the day or night. We open a lot of our retreats with offering mimosa's on the bus ride to the destination. Another really way to do this is to have a casual bar set-up for check-in with a drink unique to your company's internal culture. Another way to do this is by adding the option for people to take-part in games like flip cup and beer pong. Some throw-back games to the college days but they always get people involved in the fun!
For the more sophisticated palette, we recommend wine and whiskey tastings. These go really well, for the right group, with cigar tasting.
7. Theme Idea: Wine Down
Wine tours, grape stomping - anything on a winery. Our clients from NYC and SF Bay Area love taking advantage of the world-renown wine country just outside their hub cities. A private event at a winery, of any size, is a fantastic way to spend the day offsite with a team. We also like to bring in other workshop and activities for those that are not interested in the alcohol related activities. These have ranged from Mentalist and Magician to Flower Crown Making.
8. Theme Idea: Teamwork Makes The Dreamwork
The Ultimate Team Building Day is certainly a popular theme and plays right into a goal that many clients come to us with. This consists of a day full of activities around getting people more connected in a highly structured events itineraries. This typically includes events for people to break into smaller teams and for people to all engage a handful of events individually.
9. Theme Idea: Summer Camp
Check the local summer camps within driving distance of your office. These can offer an amazing and, most often, very cost effective retreat option for your team. Take advantage of the plethora of activities and experiences that the summer camp has and offers onsite.
10. Theme Idea: Wild Western
This can get really fun! Design your team building and the entire retreat around a western theme. This can be turned wild and funny or it can be an interesting cultural experience. For our clients that have taken the Wild Western vibe more seriosly, we have rented out ranches in the mid-west in the summer and offered authentic western experiences like cattle round-ups, rodeo's, horseback riding and so much more.
For a younger, shorter and more local experience - take advantage of buying out one of The Offsite Co. partner ranches and have us host a Wild Western Day. We incorporate everything in a theme like this, from the food to the team building events.
11: Theme Idea: Class It Up
When is the last time you wore a cocktail dress or a tuxedo to an event with your colleagues. Here's the shot! Look into a couple classy event spaces central to your office and work with them design an elevated experience for your team. We did this with WeWork on Valentines Day to help produce an event where everyone came together (sig-o's) included.
To follow along all of our retreats and offsites and to find even more inspiration from our team, follow us on Instagram!