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Entertainment Ideas for Your Corporate Retreat
Corporate retreats are a necessary part of life in a company. Corporate retreats allow your employees the opportunity to learn and grow and business people can connect with their coworkers, which builds trust and confidence. All of this can be done in a setting that is comfortable, relaxing and encouraging to creativity. As they do in many other aspects of business, Fortune 100 companies set the tone for corporate retreat trends that other companies pick up on and imitate in their own corporate retreats.
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Corporate retreats traditionally have a few basic elements. There are seminars for the continued education of your management and your executives, team building exercises, and creativity-sparking activities. There is also a fair amount of free time, especially if your retreat is at a luxurious country club or ski resort, as many Fortune 100 corporate retreats often are. More often then not, evenings are a time for leisure, to mingle with other guests, and for notable speakers or entertainers.
Corporate retreat location is one of the factors that set the Fortune 100 company retreats apart from the corporate retreats put on by other companies. One very popular trend right now is to incorporate out door “extreme” sports into the corporate retreat. There are a couple of reasons for this. The first one is that these activities appeal to the younger rising executives that companies hope to attract and to keep. Furthermore, more and more of the senior executives are taking up these activities as an alternative to the usual golfing and skiing. Many of these sports or activities lend themselves well to creativity stimulation activities as well as team-building activities that are more difficult to incorporate in activities like skiing or golf. Lastly, in an era of cost-cutting and heightened public scrutiny over how corporate dollars are being spent, a luxury corporate retreat at a more remote location, locations that lend themselves to these activities, are often much cheaper. For example, a luxury corporate retreat in Cody, Wyoming, near Yellowstone National Park, can be just as luxurious as a retreat in Aspen, but at a significantly reduced price. That being said, many of the Fortune 100 companies still splurge on luxury corporate retreats in places like Sun Valley, Idaho and Hawaii.
Corporate entertainment is an area closely related to location. While the favored locations of a corporate retreat may have evolved over the years, the standards for entertainment have stayed much the same. Sporting activities are popular in the daytime. While a corporate golf retreat or a corporate ski retreat might still be the standard, other sports are gaining in popularity. As previously indicated, more extreme and alternative sports are finding favor. These days it is not uncommon for a major corporation to plan an all-inclusive luxury hunting trip for its executives on retreat. Fly-fishing, rock climbing, mountain biking and other sports are also being thrown into the mix as the focal point of even the most pampering corporate retreats. The less traditional locations have answered the call of major companies and now provide 5 star services along with all the technology infrastructure you will need in a naturally beautiful environment. While these out-of-the-way locations sometimes are cost effective, a guided hunting trip with dogs, ammunition and transportation provided, for example, can be very lavish and expensive - up to $2,000 per day, per person.
Another important factor that the Fortune 100 companies consider when planning their corporate retreats are the speakers at the seminars. Obviously, getting the top speakers for seminars is extremely important for the top companies. Aside from top business leaders and technology experts, many of the major companies also choose sitting and former politicians to speak at their corporate retreats. For the companies that can afford it, ex-presidents are a perennial favorite, with Bill Clinton, George Bush Senior, and Jimmy Carter still on the speaking circuit. Similarly, ex senators, representatives, and governors can be booked. It is quite difficult to get a sitting politician to appear at a corporate retreat, as they are extraordinarily busy with their own work. Politicians don’t come cheap, however. In 2002, Colin Powell was charging $60,000 per speaking engagement. Bill Clinton reportedly commands a $100,000 fee for speaking at events like corporate retreats.
Corporate entertainment for the evening can be somewhat trickier. If you have had notable speakers during the day, you may try to get them to stay for an evening of mingling with your executives. You may pay a hefty price for the extra time, but it may be worth it for the prestige it will add to your event. Another old standard that is still very popular is hiring professional comedians to entertain your executives at night. Some of the biggest names in comedy routinely work the corporate retreat circuit. Many of these people are celebrities in their own right and may add a touch of Hollywood glamour to your corporate retreat. As with the speakers, they can often be persuaded to stay and mingle with the guests after their routine is over. Similarly, many recording artists can be booked for the right price for your corporate retreat. Major recording artists can often be booked for private corporate events. It is traditional that the evening end with music and many musicians don’t like to mingle with a crowd before a show, even if it is high-level Fortune 100 executives, so it is unlikely you will persuade a recording artist to mingle with your executives. You may, however, be able to arrange photo-ops. Just to give you an idea about how much some of these types of activities will set you back, Nicole Kidman was offered $435,000 to speak at a Forbes conference in Australia. Donald Trump earns $1 million dollars for each hour-long class he presents at the Learning Annex in New York. Jimmy Buffett was famously paid $250,000 to perform at an exclusive party. Indeed, while celebrity appearances at your corporate event may be expensive, most Fortune 100 companies think it is well worth it to pamper their executives.
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