Corporate retreats for teams and individuals in organisations

How often does your company, your top team, get away from the office for a corporate retreat? A different environment, with no interruptions. And when you do, do you bring in a skilled facilitator?

The value of corporate retreats is that they remove the team from outside distractions for a sufficient length of time to contemplate strategic and governance issues, including the team's own development.

Corporate retreats help to solidify a management team or board of directors and enhance its effectiveness by giving members time to get to know each other and to do long range or strategic planning for the organisation. A regular dedicated time spent at a corporate retreat off-site and away from distractions should be considered essential.

Using a professional facilitator

The presence of an independent facilitator, briefed by the team leader, ensures that time is well spent and all individuals are able to participate fully. This is also an opportunity to bring in external expertise or to introduce scenarios arising from technological, political or environmental issues, for example.

In many organisations having annual corporate retreats is routine, for progress reviews, strategy and budget preparation, or for 'blue sky' thinking. For teams whose members are based at different sites, the residential element is an important feature.

Professionally run, a facilitated corporate retreat pays dividends. The best investment for top teams.

If you are considering a corporate retreat or away day, why not contact us now?

Corporate retreats with Brefi Group

Brefi Group has experience of designing and facilitating corporate retreats internationally. Often these are in exotic locations, either in the host country or abroad. Whatever, they are held in comfortable surroundings away from the normal workplace.

Each retreat is individually designed in conjunction with the client and is flexible enough to respond to issues as they arise. We produce lots of flip charts and the whole team is involved in analysis, creativity and action planning.

Here is what a couple of clients said: -

"The retreat organised by Oando PLC and facilitated by Richard was extremely professional. The team enjoyed the retreat and followed through actions has changed their behavior. The facilitation style was very easy to follow and interesting. The outcome of the retreat was also used to develop the outline of the Quarterly Management retreat."
'Demola Ogunbajo, Manager, Avaizon Consulting, Nigeria

"Thanks for a stimulating two days, which has resulted in my senior management team reviewing the way they work, plan and implement. The biggest change has been in how they work together as a team! We are very pleased that a number of important business issues have been identified and already worked upon with the next steps clearly identified. In summary excellent."
Roger Randall, Managing director, Biomet UK.

Retreats tend to combine teambuilding with strategy matters. Here are some examples of the sort of things we have included in the past: -

• Personal aspirations and outcomes for the retreat
• Personal introductions and aspirations
• Communication exercise
• Strategy development
• Vision, mission and values
• Scenario planning
• Modelling the current organisation
• Designing the future organisation
• Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats analysis
• Technology, Customers, Competition, Regulatory and Environment analysis
• Political, Environmental, Economic, Sociological and Technological environments analysis
• Brainstorming
• Setting well-formed outcomes
• Balanced business scorecard
• Psychometric profiling and feedback
• Action planning, reporting systems and contracting
• Introduction of specific ideas, exercises or publications

In addition to workshop activities, meals together and a complete break, with some outdoor activity are excellent bonuses that allow the mind to consolidate the learning and be more creative, and board members to relax together.

We can find you the ideal retreat venue – quiet, remote, or luxurious. UK, Europe or overseas. We have facilitated in city hotels, country house hotels, on boats, Texas ranches, mountain lodges – and included activities such as walking in the countryside, mountain biking, horseback riding and white water rafting. And lots of thought provoking indoor activities too. And there is always golf!

If you are considering an away day, why not contact us now?

Why are corporate retreats so powerful?

Day to day you work under pressure, little chance to spend quality time with your colleagues. Whether your objective is to get to know each other better, to build a team to work together better, to be more innovative, or to get down to work on your strategy, you will achieve much, much more if you get away, change the environment and allow time for the process.

For some projects, business planning, strategy planning and budgeting, scenario planning, uninterrupted time is essential. For some, confidentiality is also needed. For some, just a change of environment is enough to make a difference.

What do you get?

Brefi Group organises and facilitates group meetings, away days, workshops and conferences internationally. We have worked in North America, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia, often in exciting locations.

Our customer-designed packages include: -

• Venue search, negotiation and booking
• Pre-briefing and agreement of outcomes
• Design and approval of the programme
• Organisation and administration
• Preparation of materials
• Management and facilitation of main event
• Provision of keynote speakers, where required
• Workshops and breakout sessions
• Review, action planning and follow-up commitments
• Photographs and visual record
• Meeting report

We ensure that each event is structured to achieve a previously agreed outcome, but is flexible and responsive enough to deal with whatever arises, whether it be a business issue or inter-personal. We produce lots of flip chart sheets!

Find out more about facilitated corporate retreats

We don't know whether you are planning a corporate retreat, or whether you would like to know what would be involved, or more about facilitation. Whichever it is, you can spend a little time finding out how you could do this.

If you would like to find out more, you can contact us now.

Or you can do nothing.

The choice is yours.

Why not contact us now.