Offsite Planning Template & Survey

Whether your team is hybrid or totally virtual, they likely know their way around the office. However, things can get tricky when you leave your normal office environment and step out into the wild. Offsite events and meetings can be exciting, but proper planning can help you ensure they're also productive. 

If your goal is to leave your team meeting with a sense of accomplishment and camaraderie, here's an offsite agenda template that can help you accomplish it.

Purpose of this guide

This guide serves as a framework to help HR professionals and event organizers plan effective and engaging offsite events. Use this template to customize your own guide with organization-specific details.

Key contacts

For questions regarding this guide, please contact:

• [Name & Email of Primary Contact]
• [Additional Contacts]

Offsite event overview 📍

Why host an offsite event?

Remembering your "why" is crucial to success when taking your team offsite. This is what helps you keep everything on track and everyone working toward the same goal. Your meeting may serve any number of purposes.

Team building

Having meetings offsite can strengthen relationships and bonds between team members. With the addition of a few team-building games, they'll have a chance to get to know each other on a deeper, more personal level. In turn, this can foster more open and honest communication and better collaboration.

Strategic alignment

Sometimes, a break from the day-to-day office environment can help your entire team appreciate each other and the organization. This is an excellent time to realign teams on the goals, vision, and values.

Training and development

Take advantage of the renewed sense of motivation and engagement employees may feel when they get away from their routine. Their minds are often open to new ideas, making this an ideal opportunity for upskilling and development workshops.

Recognition and celebration

Your offsite meeting agenda should also be used for enjoyment and respite from the pressures of the office. While your employees are feeling a bit more casual and relaxed, take time to acknowledge all they have accomplished and celebrate work anniversaries or other important milestones.

Innovation and creativity

During your offsite meeting, you may also want to introduce fresh perspectives or innovative ideas for improvement. Being in a fresh environment often means employees are feeling creative, energized, and open to new things.

Pro Tip: Involve employees early by sending a short survey to understand their needs and expectations for the event.

Key planning considerations

To ensure more strategic planning when hosting a meeting or event off site, it's vital to answer the following questions:

• What Are the Goals of This Event? Decide what you want the team to feel or understand when they leave your offsite meeting
• Who Will Be Attending? Decide which specific teams, roles, or seniority levels would benefit most from the information and activities
• What Is the Preferred Location? Decide whether you'll have a destination event that requires extensive travel or want to stick closer to home base
• What Is the Estimated Budget? Decide in advance how much you have to spend and make decisions in alignment with that budget
• What Activities Will Be Included? Decide which activities will help you accomplish your stated event goals

Filling in your meeting agenda template with the answers to these questions can ensure your planning is more strategic and purposeful.

Venue & logistics 🚗

Site capacity & locations

Provide a list of potential locations for offsite events, including:

• Address
• Contact information
• Capacity details
• Available facilities

The venue should complement the offsite’s objectives while being accessible to attendees. Key considerations:

• Capacity & Layout: Ensure the venue supports meeting sizes, breakout sessions, and activities.
• Proximity to Work Locations: Minimize travel stress and costs by selecting convenient locations.
• Amenities & Facilities: Verify that necessary tech (WiFi, projectors, seating) and recreational areas are available.
• Accommodations & Dining: If overnight stays are required, assess hotel quality, cleanliness, and meal options.
• Local Activities: Consider nearby options for teambuilding and leisure.

Example: If your team values outdoor activities, a retreat center with hiking trails and team challenges may be ideal. For more structured business discussions, a conference-style venue with breakout rooms might work best.

Accommodation Options

Provide a table with different accommodation options to help managers quickly choose a suitable stay:

When considering accommodation options, make sure to consider each venue's busy season. Hotels may not have room to accommodate your team if they are heavily booked at the time of your event.

Additionally, consider booking rooms in advance in order to negotiate group rates. This can save you a significant amount of money that you can use for other aspects of the event. Finally, make sure to consider employee comfort levels with room accommodations. Survey your team to assess whether double or private rooms are appropriate.

Who to contact for challenges

If managers run into issues with payment, planning, or contracts, they should reach out to:

• Finance Team: [Contact Name & Email] – for budget approvals and reimbursements
• Event Planning Team: [Contact Name & Email] – for logistical support
• Legal/Contracts Team: [Contact Name & Email] – for contract-related inquiries

Make sure each team is aware of their role in the offsite event. They should be prepared to quickly answer questions from managers to facilitate a smooth planning process.

Expense & reimbursement policy

Define the policies for:

• Travel expenses (e.g., flights, mileage, rental cars)
• Hotel accommodations (approved vendors, reimbursement limits)
• Food & beverage (per diem, allowable expenses)
• Other reimbursable expenses (e.g., venue rentals, team-building activities)

If you are involving managers who are not familiar with these processes, it's important to consider holding a training session to get them up to speed. This is especially important for those who will be handling company finances, as everything must be accounted for to facilitate accurate financial reporting. This ensures managers don't inadvertently violate company policy and can reduce frustration for the finance team in the long run.

Budget-friendly planning tips

To keep costs under control, set a clear budget early. Consider:

• Booking Early: Flights, hotels, and vendors offer discounts for early reservations.
• Flexible Scheduling: Off-peak times can reduce hotel and venue costs.
• Encouraging Shared Transportation: Carpooling fosters camaraderie and minimizes costs.
• Use Preferred Vendors: Secure discounts through company-preferred providers.

With the right strategy, you can save the funds to allocate elsewhere in the company budget or use them for a fun surprise for your team.

Travel & transportation

Efficient transportation ensures a smooth experience. Plan for:

• Flight & Ground Travel Bookings: Choose a reliable booking system or travel agency.
• Shuttles & Car Rentals: Arrange group transportation to reduce costs.
• Local Transit: Provide public transport details for attendees.

Considering transportation options in advance can help you avoid wasting time and derailing your meeting agenda.

Event planning timeline 🗓️

3+ months before

• Define event objectives
• Secure venue
• Set budget
• Outline agenda

2 months before

• Finalize team-building activities
• Confirm guest speakers (if any)
• Arrange logistics (transportation, lodging)

1 month before

• Send out invitations
• Gather RSVPs
• Finalize catering & entertainment

1 week before

• Conduct final run-through
• Confirm all reservations
• Communicate last-minute details with attendees

Structuring the agenda

A well-balanced agenda maintains engagement and ensures productivity. Consider:

Sample one-day offsite agenda:

Team-building activities 🧩

Offsite meetings and events are about more than just getting information out to the team. Teambuilding is a core component of any offsite agenda for a number of reasons. First, it fosters better communication and collaboration among your team. These are skills that can benefit the organization once everyone is back in the office.

Additionally, it increases engagement and morale among your employees. Team-building activities are fun and give your team a chance to unleash their unique personality and sense of creativity. This is crucial for building camaraderie and fostering a positive team culture.

When considering how you will fill the time during your offsite meeting, make sure to choose games and activities that align with your culture and objectives. Doing so will help you achieve your desired outcomes. This ultimately makes your offsite meeting much more effective for both employee development and the organization as a whole.

Assessment-based activities

Interactive Group Activities

Local activities & entertainment

When booking local activities, don't forget to call ahead to inquire about capacity and ensure the venue can accommodate your team. This is especially important if you have a larger team. You may be required to reserve a section of the venue and, in some cases, the whole venue. This may come with additional fees and contracts, which can affect your budget.

For smaller teams, it's important to inquire about the venue's busiest time. It’s frustrating to take time to coordinate travel to an activity only to find out your team can't participate due to space constraints. Try to develop your agenda and schedule around non-peak times for local venues to avoid this kind of scenario.

Post-event follow-up 🗳️

Evaluating success

If you're not sure where to begin in objectively evaluating your offsite event, conducting surveys before and after the offsite helps gauge its impact on team dynamics, engagement, and alignment with business goals. Here are a few critical questions you can focus on before and after the event to get a sense of whether your team was satisfied with the experience and what they gained from it.

Pre-offsite survey

The pre-event survey identifies expectations, concerns, and focus areas. Key questions include:

1. What are your main goals for this offsite?
2. How connected do you currently feel to your team (1-5 scale)?
3. What topics or discussions would you find most valuable?
4. What challenges do you face in collaboration or alignment with your team?
5. Are there any personal development areas you'd like to focus on?

Post-offsite survey

The post-event survey measures whether the offsite met expectations and improved team cohesion. Key questions include:

Accommodations:

1. Rate the cleanliness, amenities, and check-in/out experience of the hotel. (Scale: 1-5)
2. Rate the hotel’s location in relation to activity sites. (Scale: 1-5)
   ‍

Travel & transportation:

1. Rate your experience with the [Travel Booking Platform] for booking flights. (Scale: 1-5)
2. Rate the transportation logistics to and from activity sites. (Scale: 1-5)‍

Dining:

1. Rate your satisfaction with the dining options provided. (Scale: 1-5)
2. Rate how well dietary restrictions and preferences were accommodated. (Scale: 1-5)
   ‍

Team building and work sessions:

1. How beneficial were the business updates? (Scale: 1-5)
2. How well did the event promote cohesion and collaboration? (Scale: 1-5)
3. How engaged did you feel during the event? (Scale: 1-5)
4. How would you rate team camaraderie? (Scale: 1-5)Rank the past offsite location (1-5)
   ‍

Offsite location & quarter preferences:

1. Rank preferred quarters for future offsites (1-4)
   ‍

Offsite wins & opportunities:

1. What were the biggest successes during this year’s offsite?
2. What could improve the offsite experience next year?
3. What topics should be covered during the next offsite?

Survey analysis & next steps

Compare pre- and post-offsite responses to assess impact. Look for improvements in team alignment, collaboration, and morale. Highlight key insights from survey results and use feedback to refine future events, ensuring they continue to drive meaningful outcomes.

Documentation & reporting

Creating a post-event report is yet another crucial step in making sure future events are a success. After your event, make sure to:

• Send a thank-you email to attendees
• Summarize key takeaways
• Share post-event insights with leadership
• Archive for future reference
• Follow up on action items and commitments made during the event

These action items are more than just a formality. Demonstrating the success of your event can help you get buy-in from leadership in the future. It also aids in ensuring the positive gains in learning and development you made during the event follow your team back to the office. Though offsite events are fun, you want to ensure they positively influence your culture in the long run.

Planning is the key to success with offsite events

A well-planned offsite can be a transformative experience for teams. By setting clear objectives, budgeting effectively, choosing the right venue, and engaging employees with meaningful activities, your organization can maximize the impact of every offsite event. Use this guide as a repeatable framework to make each offsite better than the last!