Vantly

Company offsites, planned by a local planner

Offsite venues, meeting rooms, meals and transport for your company or team offsite, for a day or overnight, booked by a planner who knows the area.

A company offsite takes the team out of the office to work on something together: a strategy day, a planning session, a team offsite to reset priorities. Most are local and last a day; some add a night. The hard part is finding an offsite venue with a room the whole group can work in, smaller rooms or corners for breakouts, food that arrives on time, and a way to get everyone there and back. Below: how a local planner books each piece, three offsite venues, example packages, a budget calculator, a sample agenda and a checklist to download. Planning a stay of a night or more? See corporate retreats. For goals and formats, read our company offsite planning guide.

Free, personalized initial proposal within 48 hours. No commitment.

Five colleagues talk around a wooden trestle table with a notebook and a laptop beside tall sunlit windows during a company offsite.
Colleagues working around a table in a large meeting space
How a local planner books it

What a local planner handles

For a company offsite, a local planner books the venue and everything around the working day, and stays your contact on site.

  • Offsite venue. The planner shortlists places with a main room that fits your group in the layout you'll actually use (boardroom, classroom, rounds or open space), plus breakout space and daylight, and holds the best options while you get sign-off. See sleep, meet and dine capacity.
  • Working setup. Screen, sound, Wi-Fi that holds up with everyone online, whiteboards or flip charts, and a quiet room for calls. See how to check venue Wi-Fi.
  • Food through the day. Breakfast, lunch and breaks timed to the agenda, with dietary needs sent to the kitchen in advance.
  • Getting there. A group shuttle from the office or station, or parking and directions if people drive, with departures timed to the end of the day. If people fly in, rooms and airport transfers too. See group transport.
  • On the day. Every booking goes into one run of show. The planner is your single contact for the venue and suppliers, so the team can stay in the room.
Format

Day, overnight, local or fly-in: choose the format

Four decisions shape every company offsite. Make them before you look at venues, because they decide which venues fit. If your offsite centers on a stay of a night or more, see corporate retreats.

One day, close to the office

The simplest offsite: a venue within an hour or so of where most people work, a full working day, everyone home that night.

Book: A day room, meals, maybe a shuttle. No rooming list.

One day plus a dinner

The same working day, then a group dinner. It gives the team the informal time a single day usually misses.

Book: A dinner reservation and rides home.

Overnight

Two half days with a night in between. You get a second morning with fresh heads and an evening together. At this point it's close to a retreat.

Book: A room block and rooming list; check room-release dates.

Fly-in

For distributed teams, the offsite is the reason to meet in person. Travel eats into the first and last day, so plan at least one night.

Book: Flights (separately), airport transfers, rooms.

Working sessions

Design the working sessions

An offsite works when the sessions are built around a decision or a piece of work, not around the venue.

  • Start from the output. Write down what the group should leave with: a decision, a plan, a draft. Then build the day backward from it. See setting the purpose and spend ceiling.
  • Alternate whole-group and small-group work. A full-group session to frame the problem, then groups of four to six to work on it, then back together to decide. The venue needs both kinds of space at the same time.
  • Protect the afternoon. Energy drops after lunch. Put the hardest discussion in the morning, and use the afternoon for small-group work, a walk, or an outdoor session if the venue has the space.
  • Include remote colleagues on purpose. If some people join by video, test the room's camera and mics, and give remote groups their own facilitator. See hybrid offsite inclusion.
  • Leave a quiet room. Some people need a break from the group, or a room for a call that can't wait. See quiet rooms and sensory breaks.
Local planners

Local planners for company offsites

These planners work in the cities and regions they cover, and their profiles list company and team offsites among the events they run. Open a profile to see what each one does, or send one brief and we'll match you.

Browse all local planners
Venues

Offsite venues near major US cities

Three venues within reach of a big metro, each set up for working groups for a day or overnight. They host other groups at the same time, so a local planner arranges which rooms, meals and times are yours. Confirm meeting rooms, layouts and catering for your date before you hold anything.

Q Center, St. Charles, IL (Chicago area)

A conference center just west of Chicago with 150,000 sq ft of IACC-certified meeting space on 95 wooded acres, 1,043 guest rooms and four dining options. Outdoor space includes the Fox River Trail, a softball field and sand volleyball courts.

Best for
A Chicago-area team that wants a day offsite with many breakout rooms, or an overnight without leaving the region.
Check first
Which rooms you'll have for the full group and breakouts, what's in the day meeting package, and shuttle timing from the city or the office.

Venue facts: official site

The Hotel Hershey, Hershey, PA

A resort hotel with 326 guest rooms and 25,000 sq ft of flexible meeting space across 20 meeting rooms for 10 to 450 people. The largest room is 5,490 sq ft, many rooms have natural light, AV is on site, and there are outdoor event spaces.

Best for
A Mid-Atlantic offsite within driving range of Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, as a day or with one night.
Check first
Room layout for your working style, daylight in the rooms you'll use, and whether an overnight fits your budget or a day is enough.

Venue facts: official site

Terranea Resort, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA (Los Angeles area)

An oceanfront resort on a 102-acre estate with more than 135,000 sq ft of meeting space, including 11 outdoor spaces covering 75,000 sq ft. It is about 30 minutes from LAX and Long Beach airports and 30 miles southwest of downtown Los Angeles.

Best for
A Los Angeles team that wants a day offsite by the ocean with outdoor sessions, or a fly-in group with a short airport transfer.
Check first
Which indoor room is yours if the weather turns, how the outdoor spaces work for sessions rather than receptions, and drive times across LA at the hours you'll travel.

Venue facts: official site

Venues are examples, not recommendations for every group. A local planner can also shortlist day venues, private estates, inns and meeting rooms inside the city.

Example packages

Example packages, priced per person

These packages show how a local planner puts an offsite together into one quote: the venue, meals, the working setup and, for most of them, the ride there and back. Each has a "from" price per person. Treat it as a starting point: the planner adjusts it for your date, headcount, setup and add-ons, and your proposal confirms exactly what's included.

  • The Highlands Farmhouse Day

    The Highlands Farmhouse Day

    A private Hudson Highlands farmhouse for the day, with chef breakfast and lunch and the Sprinter from Manhattan. Home the same evening.

    Hudson Valley

    From $750 per person

  • The Stone Barn Day Reset

    The Stone Barn Day Reset

    A Connecticut stone barn on wooded acres for the day, with chef-cooked breakfast and lunch and trails between sessions.

    Connecticut

    From $550 per person

  • The Lake Estate Day

    The Lake Estate Day

    A Hudson Valley lake estate for the day: mansion rooms for sessions, gardens for breaks, catered meals and the Sprinter.

    Hudson Valley

    From $1,200 per person

  • The Princeton Escape

    The Princeton Escape

    For an overnight offsite: two nights at a wooded New Jersey estate inn, with rooms, meals and meeting space included.

    New Jersey · 2 nights

    From $1,175 per person

See all example packages
Budget

Price your offsite line by line

Start with one day and no nights, then add a night if you're considering it. Replace each sample rate with a quote. The lines match what a local planner will price in your proposal, so you can check that two quotes cover the same things.

Example budget / USD

$330per person

These are editable examples, not market prices.

20 guests · 0 nights · 0 rooms

Change the guest count, nights, and room arrangement. Replace the sample allowances with supplier quotes. Enter zero for anything included in another line. Add quoted taxes and service charges below; budget separately for flights if needed.

Edit sample rates
Your example budget
Budget lineAllowance
Rooms 0 rooms × 0 nights × $250$0
Meals & refreshments 20 guests × 1 days × $75$1,500
Meeting space & equipment 1 days × $500$500
One group activity$1,500
Ground transport$1,000
Local planner fee$1,500
Quoted taxes, service charges & other fees$0
Contingency 10% of the subtotal$600
Working total$6,600

Example total: $6,600 for 20 guests.

Day venue

Some venues quote a per-person day meeting package that bundles the room, AV and meals. If so, enter it under meals and set the room line to zero.

Transport

A shuttle is usually priced per vehicle. Divide it by headcount.

Rooms

Only if you add a night.

Download the budget sheet Build a budget sheet for Finance
Sample agenda

A sample one-day offsite agenda, with an overnight option

A sample your local planner would build around: one working day at a venue with a main room, breakout space and catering, plus the extra pieces if you add a night. Each item notes what has to be booked or confirmed.

Day 01

The working day

  1. Shuttle departs

    Pickup point and vehicle size confirmed; a second pickup or a booked car for late arrivals.

  2. Coffee and arrival

    Coffee set up in the main room, Wi-Fi details on the tables.

  3. Opening session

    Room set the night before; screen, sound and video for remote colleagues tested in that room.

  4. Small-group work

    Breakout rooms or corners booked nearby, with flip charts and a timer. Snacks and water refreshed.

  5. Lunch

    Close to the main room; the kitchen has the dietary list and labels allergens.

  6. Walk or outdoor session

    The planner checks the route or outdoor space and a rain backup.

  7. Second working block

    Back in the main room; groups report out and the group decides.

  8. Wrap-up

    Owners and next steps captured before anyone leaves.

  9. Shuttle back (or dinner)

    Departure timed to traffic; if dinner is added, a reserved table and rides home.

Day 02

If you add a night

  1. Breakfast window

    Open, not one sitting.

  2. Morning session

    Main room held all morning; late checkout or luggage storage agreed.

  3. Lunch and departures

    Vehicles leave in waves.

Download the agenda templateMore versions in our offsite agenda template
Checklist

Company offsite checklist

From first brief to the follow-up email. Give each item an owner. The downloadable version adds due dates and a deposit tracker.

Before you request a proposal
Venue
Before the day
After the offsite
Download the checklistDay-before runbook

Templates to download

Three spreadsheets that match this page. Download a copy, fill it in, and share it with your local planner or Finance.

  • Company offsite agenda template (XLSX)

    A one-day agenda with room, setup, meal and transport columns, plus an overnight tab.

    Download

  • Company offsite checklist (XLSX)

    Every task from brief to follow-up, with owners, due dates and a deposit tracker.

    Download

  • Company offsite budget sheet (XLSX)

    The calculator lines with columns for quotes, actuals and variance.

    Download
Planning with Vantly

Why plan your offsite through Vantly

Vantly connects US companies with local event planners in the cities and regions where they want to hold an offsite. You send one brief. We match it to a planner who books that area, and you get a turnkey proposal with prices within 48 hours, free.

  • Planners who know the area. The planners we feature live and work where they book. They know which venues have a real breakout room, which ones lose Wi-Fi at full headcount, and how long the drive takes at 8 a.m.
  • Proposals you can compare. Proposals follow the same lines as the budget calculator, so you can see what's included and how two options differ.
  • Packages as a starting point. Our example packages show real combinations of venue, meals and transport with a "from" price. A planner reshapes them around your date and group, or starts from scratch.
  • A planning library behind every offsite. Guides on agendas, budgets, transport, inclusion and the follow-up, useful whether you book with us or not.

Already working with a venue finder, an agency or a hotel's group sales team? That works too. A local planner can take on the ground logistics alongside them.

Frequently asked questions

Company offsite questions

What is a company offsite?

A company offsite is a working session held away from the office, for a team or the whole company. Most last a day and stay close to where people work; some add a night or bring a distributed team together in one place. The point is focused time on a plan, a decision or a project, plus time together.

What's the difference between an offsite and a retreat?

An offsite is built around the working session, and is often local and a single day. A retreat is built around time away, with at least one overnight stay. The line is blurry: a two-day offsite with a night in a hotel is close to a retreat. For overnight stays, see corporate retreats.

Is a team offsite different from a company offsite?

Only in size. A team offsite is one team or department; a company offsite brings several teams or everyone. Bigger groups need a larger main room and more breakout space at the same time.

What makes a good offsite venue?

A main room that fits the group in your working layout, breakout space nearby, daylight, Wi-Fi that holds up with everyone online, food that comes to you, and a journey short enough that you don't lose the morning. See sleep, meet and dine capacity.

How far ahead should we plan a corporate offsite?

As soon as you have a date and a rough headcount. The scarce item is a venue whose main room and breakout space are free on your date. A local planner can check several at once and hold the best options.

What drives the cost of an offsite?

Mostly headcount, whether you stay overnight, the venue or day meeting package, meals, transport and the planner's fee, plus taxes and service charges. The calculator on this page has a line for each.

Do we need a planner for offsite planning?

Not always. A small team at a venue you know, with lunch delivered, is easy in-house. A planner pays off when there's transport, several suppliers, an overnight, a fly-in group or a venue nobody knows. See in-house vs outsourced.

Do you have offsite ideas beyond a meeting room?

The format matters more than the gimmick: a working day at a farmhouse or estate, a session that moves outdoors after lunch, a day that ends with a group dinner. Our example packages show real versions. Planning a leadership offsite? See our leadership retreat guide.

What happens after we request a proposal?

You send a short brief: date, rough headcount, day or overnight, where people come from, and a budget ceiling if you have one. We match it with a local planner, who sends a turnkey proposal with prices within 48 hours, at no cost. Nothing is booked until you approve it.

Company offsite planning guides

These go deep on agendas, budgets, transport and inclusion.

Company offsites by city

City pages with venues, timing and local planners. More cities are on the way.

Plan other company events

The same local planners also run these.