How to design your off-site company event?

May 3, 2023

Every business owner, however big or small knows the great value of organising an off-site event or a retreat for their company. off-site meetings are the best time to discuss goals and make future plans for the company, encouraging employees to bring out their best, share creative ideas and encourage brainstorming.
A retreat may be an especially good idea if people work mostly remotely as it allows all team members to meet in person and get to know each other better and bond. Your team members will come back refreshed and ready to tackle daily challenges with renewed enthusiasm.

Design plays a role in the planning process for an off-site event. It all depends on the type of the event and the time of the year! We rounded up the best options and design tips.

Winter off-site event

Whether you’re planning an event around Christmas or just a winter conference – winter themes can be so much fun, setting the tone to the whole event design. Snow can be a great theme – snow day gives a lot of opportunities to play with, combining that excitement with winter comfort foods and team activities that bring to mind favourite childhood memories.

Design ideas can include snowflakes suspended from the ceiling, mittens, skis and ice skates on display, vintage film footage. Activities to the team can include DIY snow globes that they can also keep as a memory!

If the event is close to New Year’s Eve – you can use NYE decorations, in gold, silver and black colours or even go for brighter colours for a ‘Happy New Year’ vibe and involve the team in activities that will encourage them to write a company special goal for the New Year.

Another idea in the winter can be an outdoor picnic theme, if the weather permits. Nature is great to help your team relax and enjoy time spent together. Think plaid tablecloths, rustic lanterns, cushions and flannel blankets. Even when it’s chilly outside – these settings teamed with warm comforting food can create a cosy vibe.

Sirtaki food tip:

At your picnic theme event serve bowls of steaming hot stew and crusty baguettes, grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. We love setting up a hot chocolate bar with all the trimmings. It is both eye-catching and delicious and adds to the cosy vibe!

Summer resort off-site event

Long beautiful beaches and white sand is usually enough to attract any crowd. Surely your team will appreciate spending time on a breathtaking Greek island. But why not bring it up a notch with some unique and innovative design while kicking off your summer company event or retreat in style?

Summer is the perfect time to start enjoying outdoor activities again and summer off-site events are all about coming together and having some fun in the sunshine. One way to inject some extra fun is to consider a theme for your event, trying to think outside the box to create a unique experience for your team – themes such as sports day or a costume party- the possibilities are endless!

from outdoor BBQ to boat cruises and sport activities such as volleyball or interactive activities, and team competition and games on site.

We love choosing a theme such as beach party style for example and then have elements of the theme running throughout the event from the venue the invites, menus, food and drinks, decorations, music and branding.

Use your summer outing as an opportunity to tell your brand story with branded beach towels, T-shirts, and water bottles, given to them before the planned activities.

Sirtaki food tip:

have a rustic outdoor style BBQ event - A BBQ is a great choice for informal summer parties -serving tacos, corn on the cobb, mac and cheese and grilled veggies, iced tea and chilled lemonade served and cotton candy and popsicles for dessert!

For a twist on summer events, we love designing the food stalls to suit the theme of a summer party, or even create a mini street food market for the event.

Urban off-site event

An urban off-site event is an opportunity to create a fun, ,team building event that can be also competitive and rewarding but above all an uplifting and enjoyable experience for your team.

You can do some touristy things in the city such as bus or walking tours, museums or art galleries, but this is also a chance to plan something more unique than usual for your team which will work wonders for morale.

We love creating bespoke content for an event taken from your company values portfolio – a great idea is to create games such as bingo, escape rooms or a treasure hunt in the city with photos of the team, special icons with an interactive map.
Choosing a location is key in an urban retreat or off-site, with your company branding being the key in the design idea.

Sirtaki food tip:

Create a vibrant market style theme event for your team. This can include different variations of modern and traditional market food stands, traditional finger foods, an abundance of fruits and vegetables, pergolas with vines and bougainvillaeas and stunning seating areas.

Would you like to start planning your event? We would love to talk to you. Contact us