The time has finally come. Your executive just tasked you with planning the upcoming company offsite. The date is set and the guest list has been finalized, and it’s now your job to coordinate every other detail, from hotel stays to evening canapes.
As an Executive Assistant, you’re a master at coordinating chaos, an important skill when planning an offsite. However, raw talent isn’t enough to plan a successful offsite, especially if this is your first time organizing one.
So how do you get started with planning offsite meetings?
First things first, you’ll need to decide where the offsite will take place. While selecting an offsite location may seem like an easy first task, it’s a much more nuanced decision than many people realize.
Location, location, location. Outside of selecting a date, choosing the location of your company offsite is one of the most critical decisions in the planning process. In choosing the right offsite location, you'll set the tone for an meeting that will leave employees excited to collaborate and connect with their colleagues. Pick the wrong location, and you could quickly find yourself over-budget, under-prepared, and stuck dealing with frustrated attendees and executives.
This is because location impacts nearly every aspect of an offsite. Location will influence hotel and meal costs, flight details, activities and excursions, and even whether or not employees can attend in the first place.
In your search to find the perfect offsite location, you've likely already identified a few important factors to consider. These probably include:
These considerations are a great starting place and are definitely important when selecting the right company offsite location. However, they don't begin to cover the many factors that can derail even the most perfectly planned offsite. If you want to make sure your offsite is a real success, then you’ll need to think beyond budget and convenience.
To help you organize the best offsite possible, we've spoken with meeting planning experts and come up with a list of five key considerations for the Executive Assistant who wants to pick the perfect offsite location.
Your location must align with the offsite goal. If not, it’s easy to choose a seemingly perfect location that instead sabotages the success of your offsite.
For example, say the goal of the offsite is to plan quarterly OKRs. You find a dude ranch near Denver, Colorado that seems perfect; it’s convenient, under budget, has an on-site chef, and team building activities. However, you learn afterward that the offsite is a total flop because the ranch had no internet and spotty cell signal, meaning the team couldn't do any planning sessions to prepare for the next quarter.
This is obviously an exaggeration, but you get the point! When evaluating locations, make sure you keep the offsite's goal, or objectives, in mind to ensure the final location has the amenities, activities, and services needed to achieve the goal. If you're unsure of the goal of the offsite you're planning, be sure to ask for clarity. This one piece of knowledge will go a long way in your planning success.