Tips for Planning In-Person Retreats in 2023
Before you plan your organization’s in-person retreat in 2023, consider the unique context of this moment in time. First, in-person events cost significantly more than they did pre-pandemic. Some of this is due to overall inflation affecting the cost of food, flights, etc. The cost of labor is also higher, which leads to higher hotel costs and fewer venues being able to accommodate large groups. Relatedly, venues are in short supply and are booking much earlier. So, in-person retreat planning timelines have moved up significantly relative to pre-pandemic norms. Perhaps most importantly, consider your team. Even among teams that actively say they want to be reunited in person, travel considerations are different than they were in 2019. For teams that have adapted to a fully remote environment, the barriers to travel are simply much higher than they were before. For your organization, all of these factors make the stakes of a successful retreat even higher. At EOD, we have worked closely with our partners to help navigate all these factors that go into planning an in-person retreat. After planning and executing a number of successful in-person retreats, we are sharing our top 5 tips to ensure a memorable and impactful gathering.
Five Top Tips:
Align to Overall Goals and Staff Engagement Strategy: Your staff retreat is not a standalone event. It should be built to advance your overall organizational goals and staff engagement strategy. It sits within a broader vision and plan; not on its own.
Center in Purpose. Communicate Purpose: What is the purpose of your in-person event? Too often, the actual purpose of the in-person event isn’t clear. When expectations don’t match the reality, staff members are often disappointed and frustrated and organizations don’t achieve the intended outcomes for the event. Name the primary objective of the in-person event and stick to it!
Here are some examples:
Professional Development - A conference to professionally develop the team looks like differentiated content by role and tenure with lots of choice for adult learners.
Retreat - The word retreat implies spacious restoration centered in relationship-building and wellness. Imagine longer meals, breaks, and time that is built just to connect or reconnect with colleagues.
Work Session - A work session is about getting work done together. This could be a compliance meeting that has to be done in person. It could be decision-making with a defined set of decisions. The objective of the work session must be clear, tight, and agreed upon for this to land.
Build a Planning Committee: Events with planning committees representing the identities and experiences of the overall team are much more likely to spot and mitigate potential challenges in the event planning. Empower the committee to give input on several decisions and make some of the decisions themselves. Be clear on which decisions and which mode upfront, as well as the time commitment and expectations for committee members.
Consider Your Calendar, Budget, and Timeline: When you look at the major bodies of work happening throughout your year, when is a good time for an in-person event? Planning and executing in-person events takes time and capacity. Don’t overlap with your busiest or most demanding season of the year!
Hire an Event Planner - If you don’t have the capacity to dedicate to event planning, consider hiring an events partner.