Management retreats are tremendous opportunities to review, assess, align and move forward. Get the most out of your next retreat through effective planning and preparation.

1. Select Your Site With Care:
   
   • Your management retreat can be held on-site (at your place of work), or off-site (at a home, hotel or conference venue). Each has its advantages.
   • On-site events keep costs low and familiar business facilities close at hand.
   • Off-site events reduce distraction and can promote a "big picture" perspective.
   • Be careful not to mismatch your event theme and conference facility. If your theme is "nose to the grindstone", don't hold your retreat at Disneyland. If your theme is "stepping back to view the horizon", don't hold your retreat in a busy downtown conference center.
   
   
2. Design Your Sequence With Care:
   
   • The timing of activities is a key to your success. Decide up front whether you want a high-intensity working event, a laid-back and relaxing retreat, or a balanced program combining both worlds.
   • If you intend to combine work and play, consider carefully which should go first.
   • "Work first, play later" gives participants something to look forward to, and a reason to get through business issues quickly.
   • "Play first, work later" sets a tone of enjoyment for the program and puts work issues closer to your return to the office.
   • "Work, Play, Work" lets you get started on business issues, take a break, and then come back to complete your work after gaining some recreational perspective.
   
   
3. Circulate a Pre-Retreat Agenda:
   
   • Let people know what your objectives are for the retreat. Give them an opportunity to prepare for full and constructive participation.
   
   
4. Use Meal Breaks to Your Advantage:
   • Use meal breaks to continue your program. Arrange seating to foster appropriate communication. Turn some coffee breaks into "working breaks" with refreshments served inside your conference room.
   • Select food carefully. Avoid fried foods and heavy gravies - both put participants to sleep!
   • Start lunches with a salad, never soup. Salad can be served in an instant, or be ready on the table when your participants arrive. Soup takes time to come hot from the kitchen, and can set your entire agenda back by 10-20 minutes.
   • If you plan to have drinking during dinner, let the evening events be fun!
   
   
5. Present New Perspectives:
   
   • Create perspective not usually seen at the office. Use examples outside your industry to highlight key points. Engage external speakers to share cross-industry knowledge and experience.
   
   
6. Involve Customers as Your Guests:
   
   • Bring in customers for specific portions of your retreat. Golf games are traditional, but customer panels and discussion groups can also bring good results.
   
   
7. Involve Suppliers as Your Guests:
   
   • Strengthening your partnership with suppliers makes good business sense. Suppliers can bring unique value to your management retreat through industry perspective and competitive awareness.
   
   
8. Circulate Post-Retreat Actions and Agreements:
   
   • Put decisions and new action plans in writing. Send copies to retreat participants with an encouraging or congratulatory note from the top.
   
   
9. Gather Inputs and Recommendations:
   • After the event, gather ideas for further improvement. Ask what participants want more of, and less of, at your next management retreat.
   
   
10. Use an Outside Process Facilitator:
    • It may be useful to engage a professional facilitator to help with your retreat. Outside talent can bring years of experience to help design your event. A competent outsider can also serve as the "impartial party", keeping your group on focus and making sure that everyone speaks, and is heard.
    • If you use an outside facilitator, don't let him be caught uninformed! Provide detailed briefings about your business and about the management personalities involved.

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