The Value of Offsite Corporate Meetings

A company’s corporate health is largely dependent on meetings. A striking 73% of executives state meetings have a significant impact on employee performance¹ and 80% say meetings are extremely important.² However, in order for your meeting to pay off, it requires more than simply maintaining the status quo. A remote or offsite meeting location can provide opportunities that extend beyond corporate headquarters. Here are some of the valuable objectives offsite corporate meetings can help you achieve.

Focus

One of the key challenges in holding a meeting is keeping attendees engaged. Everyone is familiar with seemingly never-ending meetings and the temptation to check-out. Hosting a meeting offsite can make a huge difference in the engagement levels of your attendees. The difference is so striking that the majority of meeting planners agree that off-site meetings are more productive than meetings that take place at the office.³ Being in a new place allows employees and other key stakeholders the chance to take a break from regular duties and focus on new information. The setting alone creates the perfect environment where creativity and new ideas can flourish. Instead of rushing off to the next task, attendees will feel more freedom to ask questions and invest in the matter at hand.

Connect

Offsite meetings are also a valuable opportunity for attendees to network and form new relationships. It can be easy for employees, managers and other stakeholders to get comfortable with the people they interact with the most on a daily basis.  This is where offsite meetings can mix things up a bit.  A destination meeting provides a change of scenery for different departments or branches of the company or even key relationships necessarily for the business to succeed can connect. Destination meetings are also a wonderful way to strengthen already-existent relationships within your company. Everyone will be able to experience a new place together and bond over not just what they learned, what relationships they were able to cultivate, but the memories they made beyond the corporate setting.

There is also value in allowing stakeholders to connect with other cultures. Don’t forget that commerce is global! Seeing the world outside your immediate context can help your team generate some big-picture ideas for bettering the company as well as how they connect to each other – and others around the world.

Strengthen

Meetings held offsite can also provide the opportunity for key management to invest in top performers and critical thinkers. These employees are tuned-in to the desires of customers and may have valuable ideas for improvement. Destination meetings can be a means of making these valuable members of your team feel connected and heard.

Motivate

A destination meeting is also a way of saying thank you to your employees, especially those who have given you reason to celebrate their hard work. Instead of workers forced into yet another time-consuming meeting, your attendees will be made to feel like honored guests. This will not only create a positive environment during the meeting, but will also produce long-term increases in productivity, morale, and engagement.

Don’t forget it is estimated that disengaged workers end up costing the US between $450 and $550 billion every year!⁴  (For more information on the importance of employee engagement, refer here.) Best-in-class companies are investing $4,000 or more in top-performers to keep them motivated.

Inspire

An offsite meeting, especially one held in a new and exciting location is a great way for successful organizations to continue growing and improving. Instead of becoming stagnant and sticking to what has worked in the past, companies can get out of their comfort zone by creating an unforgettable experience that will leave a lasting impression. Attendees will leave feeling excited about the company’s direction and eager to apply what they learned.

More importantly, when a meeting has a theme, by breaking the meeting into parts where there is part tell and part show, attendees can have a time to learn and a time to experience.  This can result in better, more impressive presentations that will “wow” your guests.

Conclusion

When it comes to planning your corporate meeting, investing in a desirable location is not a frivolous expense. The well-planned offsite meeting will result in higher productivity, ingenuity, happiness, and greater unity.

Seeking a change of venue for your next corporate meeting? Contact Gavel International to learn more about planning and travel programs for your next meeting or corporate gathering.

SOURCES

¹https://www.meetingstoday.com/articles/140129/proving-value-face-face-meetings
²http://www.meetingsmeanbusiness.com/sites/default/files/MMB%20Business%20Leaders%20Survey%20Key%20Findings.pdf
³http://www.successfulmeetings.com//News/Hotel-Updates/Nearly-Two-Thirds-of-Meeting-Planners-Say-Meetings-Outside-the-Office-Are-More-Productive/
⁴http://www.theemployeeapp.com/gallup-2017-employee-engagement-report-results-nothing-changed/