Your business decided to hit the road this year for a destination meeting. It’s a great way to celebrate a successful year, build company culture, gather remote employees or reset before another busy quarter. But first, you need to plan your corporate meeting.
Whether your businesses is considering a small retreat or a company-wide conference, use these steps to plan your destination meeting.
- The most important step of the process, especially if you don’t have experience planning corporate events, is to talk to a professional.
- After you find a corporate event planner you feel comfortable with, work with any necessary stakeholders to determine your meeting’s goals and budget. Outlining specific goals and the budget you have to achieve them will guide the rest of your planning decisions.
- Begin planning your event as soon as possible. The best venues are often booked a year in advance. Choosing a preferred date in advance gives you the ability to avoid holidays and major events in your destination.
- Choose a destination that’s convenient for the employees attending. The city you choose should be easy to get to, easy to navigate and easy to find lodging in. Make sure there are no major events happening simultaneously. There should also be a variety of experienced vendors to choose from.
- Invest in creating a meeting agenda that helps you meet your goals. This may be a motivating speaker, continued education or a team-building expert.
- Plan a few activities outside of your meeting hotel. Part of opting for a destination meeting is enjoying your host city. This could be a block of appointments at a nearby spa, reserved tee times at a country club or dinner with the entire team. Organizing a hike or afternoon of volunteering are also great options.
- Suggest activities for your employees’ down time as well, with the help of your destination meeting planner.
