In part two, we covered the 3 must-know steps to take before you start planning your company's retreat: 1) understanding what actually goes into planning a retreat, 2) deciding whether you can do this in-house of if you need to bring in outside partnership, and 3) finding the right partner. Here in part three, we'll discuss Marco's approach to planning a Retreat.
Below, we'll dive into Marco's unique Retreats Framework.
THE FRAMEWORK
The Three Elements of a Marco Retreat
A Marco Retreat is made up of three distinct parts.
1. STAY & GATHER
The primary reason to retreat is typically to bring your people together. As such, the where is critical. And this doesn't just mean where in the world or the country (which Marco also helps you identify), it means where on the property will your people do certain activities. At Marco, we break the where into two buckets:
- Accommodations: Where will everyone stay?
- Meeting Spaces: Where will everyone gather?
Having ample space to come together—to brainstorm, meet, have a keynote speaker, a CEO moment, a group exercise—is of the utmost importance on a company retreat. We prioritize partnering with properties that offer functional and beautiful indoor and outdoor gathering space as well as high-end accommodations to ensure both the stay and the gather part of the retreat is unparalleled.
reat—specifically when it comes to the details. Which leads us to step 2...
2. EAT & DRINK
Breaking bread has been—and continues to be—the most widely recognized and accepted way to build human connection. Make team breakfasts and dinners memorable by putting special touches on each and every one. Whether it's where you're eating (under the stars on picnic blankets or poolside) or what (farm to table tasting menu or a seasonal buffet), there are so many ways to make each meal an experience.
We'll help you put together a fantastic meal schedule that fits within your budget, dietary restrictions, and activity desires.
A Day in the Life at a Marco Retreat
3. EXPERIENCE
Our commitment to a truly experiential approach will provide you with more than just a place to gather. We aim to surprise and delight at every turn, and we have a comprehensive menu of experiences for each retreat for teams to select from. Indoor and outdoor, active and sedentary, wellness-focused and fun-focused—there are options for every type of team.
Marco helps you find a healthy balance
Meals and experiences are the two key elements of the scheduled blocks we help companies put together. However, at Marco, we believe that there's a balance to achieve, and over-scheduling is actually a disservice to the retreat.
Take it from Dave Kirby of Peak Tech Partners, on the full-company retreat Marco recently helped him plan:
“Everyone is pretty stretched on the team, so we wanted to give people some downtime. Marco was really great about gently guiding us not to over schedule, to build in some free time—and that was honestly some of the best time. It was organic and relaxing. People weren’t required to come hang by the pool, but everyone showed up. It was very positive.”
While you want an invigorating schedule of interesting and productive experiences, the organic time between activities and meals is sometimes where the magic happens. Let Marco guide you towards that equilibrium.
Stay Tuned.
Stay tuned for the last part of our Retreats Series, dropping next week. We'll dive into our Pre-Packaged Retreats Offering—our off-the-shelf option for teams that want to plan something in a short time.
Ready to go?
If we’ve convinced you to get started, and that partnering with Marco is right for you, 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 knowing your needs and ensure that our conversation efficient and effective.
