Offsite events: 4 ways to plan a memorable experience

Planning offsite events is similar to creating a work of art. You must carefully craft the experience to produce something that captivates and delights. In this quick guide, Basejam explores 4 effortless steps to help you run a memorable offsite event.

So without further ado, let’s jump in!

What is an offsite event?

An offsite event is an occasion where you bring your co-workers together outside of the company space to create a memorable experience. The venue can be at a hotel, outside in nature, or in a different town or city.

Such amazing company retreats provide a unique opportunity for your team to get away from the day-to-day grind and focus on strengthening relationships. The change of scenery and team-building activities can help:

• Create a stronger bond between the team members
• Increase creativity
• Promote collaboration
• Colleagues have fun together

Offsite gatherings can also be a great time to reward employees for their hard work. Need a venue that matches your offsite event requirements? Basejam can help.

Basejam makes finding and booking a venue for your team retreat a breeze. Browse our curated and searchable database to find the ideal offsite venue. Then send venue enquiries in a couple of clicks. Alternatively, if you need help with full-service retreat planning, sign up for free.

Examples of offsite event venues

If you need some inspiration about ideal retreat venues, take a look at the examples below. 👇

Beautifully designed farm conversion in historic Wiltshire, less than 2 hours from London →

Six traditional stables turned self-catering lodges form a courtyard perfect for group gatherings. Accommodation, events and fresh-from-the-farm produce in the heart of historic Wiltshire.

Boutique design hotel surrounded by nature in South Tyrol →

Vintage-style villa with lounge, pool, terrace and bar within picturesque gardens with views across the mountains and nearby vineyards. Enjoy dramatic Alpine views, and indulge in garden to table cuisine using ingredients grown in the villa’s vegetable plot 🥕

Old Millhouse with cottages in the picture-perfect Devon countryside →

Connect with nature in this holistic, multi-functional venue that transforms with the seasons. Spread out across the secluded grounds for wellness retreats, woodland immersions and workations, before sleeping in cottages to the sound of the forest.

How to plan for an offsite event in 4 steps

So you have some ideas for your team offsite event? That’s great, but how can you ensure your event is a resounding success? Below, we dive into 4 steps for planning and launching your offsite event. Let’s dive in!

Step 1: Book a venue, transportation, and… food!

An offsite event must be fun and create unforgettable memories that your colleagues can cherish for a long time. With that in mind, be sure to choose a venue that can allow you to meet your team’s goals.

First things first, how many people will attend the offsite event or company retreat? Once you have a rough idea, you can go ahead and note down the answers to these questions:

• What kind of accommodation would be suitable to book based on the number of attendees and your requirements? For example, you might need large open spaces to host team-building games.
• What technology or facilities would you need for your team? Perhaps WiFi is a must, or you may be aiming for an internet-free experience to get back to nature, for example.
• What food would you need? If you’re venturing abroad, no doubt attendees would be keen to try local cuisine. Alternatively, you might opt primarily for foods that promote health and wellbeing.
• Would you bring your own food or use the venue’s catering services? This will depend on the services of the venue but you can jot down your preference and factor it into your venue choice.
• What’s your tentative budget for your venue? Costs will vary greatly between events and venues. Work out what your overall budget is, as well as your ‘per head’ budget.

Once you answer these questions, you can start hunting for the ideal offsite venue. Thankfully, you don’t have to go through comparison sites. Head to Basejam to find your venue quickly and easily. You can provide your details and preferences for your offsite event and Basejam will identify the right place for you.

When you’re clear about your accommodation, you can think about how you’ll get there. Depending on where your venue is, you might consider carpooling, hiring a minibus, or everyone just making their own way to the destination.

Step 2: Consider your goals and objectives

Ensure you have specific offsite event objectives and that everyone is in the loop about them.

Whether you’re planning an offsite event for executives, a small team, or the entire company, consider the following potential goals of the event:

• Encouraging development focused on your company’s growth, like expanding into new markets
• Strategy and setting business objectives, for instance, increasing revenue
• Brainstorming ideas on launching new products
• Building team cohesiveness
• Celebrating achievements
• Improving team communication
• Rewarding new employees for hitting some goals
• Getting to know each other
• Training sessions on improving sales presentations or making follow-ups
• Just having fun

As you can see, you have loads of goals you can zero in on during your offsite meeting. But it’s advisable to choose just a few objectives to help you measure your performance. At least three objectives is reasonable.

Also, think about what success would look like for each goal you’ve selected for your company retreat.

Step 3: Assign roles and share the agenda

Now that you understand why you want to run an offsite event, move on to creating the agenda. Look at your team, their skills, and their interests. Decide who’s doing what and at what time. For instance, if you have a team member with a background in public speaking, you could assign them to lead a workshop on effective communication.

Reach out to each person whom you've chosen to facilitate and ask them if they’re okay with the assigned roles. Their buy-in is super important, as it ensures everyone is accountable and committed to the offsite event.

After putting the final touches on your agenda, share it with the participants at least a week before the event. This gives the facilitators enough time to prepare.

Step 4: Make time for fun

An offsite event offers your team a great time to connect and prioritise their mental and physical well-being. Because of this, your agenda must have space for non-working activities where attendees can have lots of fun.

Organise informal events that can allow colleagues to share ideas and get to know each other. For example, you could plan a fun team-building activity such as an escape room or a paintball game. These encourage your team members to interact with each other in a relaxed environment. Additionally, activities like these help build problem-solving skills and strategic thinking.

Level up your offsite events with Basejam

Right now, the need for co-workers to reconnect and have fun outside the office is the most important goal. And planning an offsite event, including selecting the perfect venue, setting goals, etc., lead to a successful company retreat.

Are you looking for a retreat venue to hold a memorable offsite event? Basejam is a handy, curated, searchable database of retreat venues for your team. Swap hours of research on Google for minutes on Basejam, leaving you time to focus on team connection. Browse venues now!