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.
Your offsite planning toolkit
Company offsite sample agenda
A practical run of show, with the logistics built into every step.
Plan your offsite with a local expert
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.
The working day
- Shuttle departs
Pickup point and vehicle size confirmed; a second pickup or a booked car for late arrivals.
- Coffee and arrival
Coffee set up in the main room, Wi-Fi details on the tables.
- Opening session
Room set the night before; screen, sound and video for remote colleagues tested in that room.
- Small-group work
Breakout rooms or corners booked nearby, with flip charts and a timer. Snacks and water refreshed.
- Lunch
Close to the main room; the kitchen has the dietary list and labels allergens.
- Walk or outdoor session
The planner checks the route or outdoor space and a rain backup.
- Second working block
Back in the main room; groups report out and the group decides.
- Wrap-up
Owners and next steps captured before anyone leaves.
- Shuttle back (or dinner)
Departure timed to traffic; if dinner is added, a reserved table and rides home.
If you add a night
- Breakfast window
Open, not one sitting.
- Morning session
Main room held all morning; late checkout or luggage storage agreed.
- Lunch and departures
Vehicles leave in waves.
Day, overnight, local or fly-in: choose the format
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.
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.
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.
Design the working sessions
- 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.