Since launching Marco Retreats, we've learned a lot about planning and executing team and company retreats. We wanted to pass along these important insights to our Marco Community, so we're launching a series where we'll share everything we know about Retreats—from best practices and insider tips to exclusive venue access and more.
If you’re in the market for a team or company-wide retreat (you are; and if you’re not, get ready to be convinced that you should be), settle in.
First of all, why retreat at all?
“Consciously or unconsciously, most of us have a tendency to curb charming or playful aspects of our personalities in formal environments. The stuff that our family and friends witness in unguarded moments--the stuff that endears us to them--retracts like a frightened turtle the second we're with colleagues.
Company retreats lure this stuff out of hiding. People are humanized, which increases the chance of productive, respectful bonds in the future.” - Inc
Real connection leads to trust; trust leads to shared goals; and shared goals lead to a more productive and cohesive workforce. While sometimes hard to quantify, the results of a company-wide or even just a functional team retreat are tangible. More on that to come.
Why partner with a retreats expert (like... say Marco)?
“We would have gotten a lot wrong if we hadn’t worked with Marco. Knowing that they were taking care of everything, helping us hit deadlines, and creating the perfect itinerary for our group augmented everything. It was a top tier retreat. Really incredible.”
— Dave Kirby, Managing Director at Peak Tech Partners. Primary planner for Peak’s first full company retreat in Napa Valley.
Planning a retreat is harder than you might think. An analogy we like to use is planning a wedding with a wedding planner vs. without one. While it’s possible, it’s exceedingly complex. It’s a job on top of your actual job.
If you’ve never planned a large scale event, it’s difficult toeven imagine half of the things that go into it—let alone over multiple days! Venue selection. Vendor coordination. Transportation and logistic. Daily run of show. Linens and decorations. Company branding moments. To name just a handful.
So why Marco?
Marco handles it—end to end—so you can focus on your core competencies. You share your vision and approve aspects along the way, and we’ll do the rest. On average, we save companies >80 internal hours in the planning of 1 retreat.
Why now?
It’s never too early to get started. Our partner venues are booking up 6+ months in advance given the state of the hospitality industry (read: booming). If you want a wide variety of great options, we recommend starting the process 4-6 months before your tentative retreat dates (these can be fluid!).
We’re not the only ones who think company retreats are a good idea. As teams become increasingly distributed, companies are looking for new, engaging ways to bring their employees together to connect in-person.
“It’s never too early” is the first golden rule for planning a company retreat. Kick off this journey by diving into the other four!
Stay Tuned.
Stay tuned for the next part of our Retreats Series, dropping early next week. We'll dive into the four steps to do before you start planning your company retreat. If you follow these steps, we promise, the rest of the process will be seamless.
Ready to go?
If we’ve successfully convinced you to actively get started, book time with one of our Retreats specialists today. You’ll be prompted to fill out a very brief survey before booking time so we can come to the call with a great understanding of your needs and ensure that our conversation is highly relevant to you.
