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Corporate Retreat Ideas on a Budget
A corporate retreat can generate good will and cohesiveness among the members of your management team. Furthermore, corporate retreats are a chance for your management and executives to exercise their creativity and learn management skills through seminars in a more relaxed environment. The corporate retreat can be a necessary breather for over worked and stressed out members of your management team. |
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You might think you need to be a huge corporation with lots of money to be able to afford a corporate retreat for your management teams. This is a false assumption, however. You can mimic the corporate retreat trends of bigger companies on a budget.
One of the hottest trends in corporate retreats these days is to add elements of the so-called extreme sports into the mix. While the traditional corporate golf retreat, the corporate ski retreat and other permutations of the luxury corporate retreat are still popular among Fortune 100 executives, other locations and activities are rapidly gaining in popularity. Fly fishing in Montana, rock climbing in the desert southwest; these are gaining a foothold for a number of reasons. One of the reasons is that these activities are more appealing to younger executives. Companies work very hard to keep their best and brightest young stars happy and use this type of corporate retreat to keep them happy. Indeed, these sports are also gaining in popularity among older executives. Another reason is that these sorts of sports lend themselves very well to team building exercises and creativity provoking activities. At any rate, the executives at Fortune 100 companies are by no means roughing it at these retreats. Even some of the most remote locations offer 5 star service complete with fine wines and spa services.
Although these luxury corporate retreats still cost a pretty penny, smaller companies can emulate the retreats of their bigger corporate brethren. Unlike the corporate golf retreat or the corporate ski retreat which are difficult to do on a budget, you can still get some excellent deals on this type of corporate retreat. Indeed, the owners of these places love the fact that they are getting businesses and want to attract more to their towns, so you may be able to negotiate an excellent deal. Furthermore, you don’t have to fly your executives across the country for this type of corporate retreat. Most states have this sort of activity right in their own back yard, canoeing and sailing in the great lakes areas, sea kayaking on the coasts, mountain biking and rock climbing in the Appalachian and the Rockies, the list is almost endless.
As for the budget, it will probably be less than you expect. One getaway on the East coast wilderness of Canada publishes food and lodging for up to twelve people for about $3,000 USD. Another location in the Rockies offers similar accommodations for corporate retreats for $250 per person per day. Both locations include meeting rooms and the infrastructure for hooking up your computers, etc. Of course, the accommodations are a little rustic, but they are also completely adequate and relaxing. Obviously, the more you are willing to pay, the better accommodations you will get. Furthermore, you can expect to pay extra for guides and instructors.
While these retreats can be fun, relaxing and contribute a lot to your company, you might meet up with a few difficulties when you plan for retreats. First of all, the accommodations might not be what you are used to; some of these places are lodges and large homes, so you might have 4-6 people sharing a bathroom or even dormitory style accommodations at some. While most places have meeting rooms and many have places to set up your computers, you might not have all the fancy power point projectors or some of the more hi-tech presentation gadgets. However, for your money, you get a really interesting retreat, adequate accommodations and a fantastic experience for your executives in a serene and awe-inspiring setting. You also get the opportunity to take advantage of the latest trend in corporate retreats at the Fortune 100 companies and use those trends for your advantage.
Another way to save money on your corporate retreat is to hire an outside planner. Indeed, many Fortune 100 companies hire planners for their own corporate retreats, just because there are so many advantages in doing so. While there will be a fee involved, obviously, a corporate planner can save you money in several different ways. For example, you can save money on man power. Your employees can spend their time doing their jobs instead of making plans for a corporate retreat. Planning one of these things takes a lot of time. You need to call around, negotiate, haggle, get everything set up, etc. You could lose lots of man-power hours if you try to do it in house. Secondly, these are professionals. They have contacts and they get better deals because they are preferred customers. These savings get passed on directly to you. You can find a planner for your corporate retreat that fits any size budget or company. Finding a corporate retreat planner should be relatively easy. Most have some sort of web presence. You can also get recommendations from other companies and some even set up booths to advertise their services at trade shows and conventions. There really isn’t a confidentiality agreement among planners and companies, so you should ask for references, example packages, and price estimates before you hire a planner.
In short, following the latest trend in corporate retreats doesn’t mean breaking the bank. You can provide a great experience for your executives on a relatively small budget while still getting all the support you need to make your corporate retreat a success. The newest trends in corporate retreats, such as more rustic locations, incorporation of alternative sports and the use of corporate retreat planners, are well within the financial reach of smaller companies. You can take advantage of these trends to make your corporate retreat a great learning and growing experience for your team.
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