How to plan team building away days your team will want to go to

Define the purpose

The first step when planning an away day is to determine what you want to achieve. Are you hoping to boost communication amongst team members, improve problem-solving skills or simply boost morale by getting everyone together outside the confines of work?

Thinking about what you want to achieve will help you narrow down which activities might be best and even the kinds of venues to consider. 

Although it’s possible to have more than one objective for the day, it’s best to have one main objective to help structure the day and ensure you make the most of it.

Consider costs

It’s easy to get carried away, especially when you’re trying to make the day a success, so having a budget for your away day and sticking to it is essential.

Remember it’s not just the cost of activities you need to consider, you also need to budget for food and refreshments, accommodation and transport if necessary, and any additional extras, like guest speakers, branded goodies and stationery.

Choose a relevant activity

Once you’ve narrowed down the purpose of the away day and set a budget, you can start thinking about the best activities to book. For example, if you’re hoping to improve communication across the team, problem-solving activities are ideal, while art workshops may be better if you’re hoping to boost creativity.

Other things to consider when choosing activities for team building away days include:

• Accessibility – make sure the activity you choose is suitable for all members of your team. 
• General preferences – it’s unlikely you’ll please absolutely everyone, but it’s important to consider your team’s general preferences. One of the best ways to do this is by asking your employees. It’s best to keep it broad rather than asking about specific activities, for example, asking about how people feel about outdoor vs. indoor activities.
• Keeping it engaging – nobody is going to want to sit through a full day of talks, even if this is the best way to meet your objective, so consider ways to make things more engaging. 
  
  

Choosing the date

Another important consideration when planning team building away days is the date. Things to bear in mind include:

• Any days of the week that you know are busy for the majority of your team.
• Any holidays that members of the team have booked, and how their absence may impact the day.

Planning well in advance is the best way to ensure that as many people as possible can attend.

Plan the logistics

Alongside choosing the date, you need to plan the logistics of your team building away day. Choosing the right venue and considering transport or overnight accommodation is essential to ensure the day runs smoothly.

When it comes to choosing a venue for team building away days, you should consider whether it:

• Is suitable for the number of people attending
• Offers your chosen activity or can accommodate it
• Is within your budget
• Can offer catering or whether this needs to be organised separately

If the venue is nearby, you will need to consider how everyone will get there and home again. Putting on transport can not only be an effective way to ensure everyone arrives on time and together, but it can also ensure you’re not expecting more of your employees than their usual commute to work. However, bear in mind that putting on transport will add to your costs.

If the venue is further afield, you may want to book accommodation to ensure that everyone can attend. Choosing a hotel, like Donnington Grove, that can offer accommodation and your chosen activities can be an effective way to streamline costs and travel time.

Don’t forget food

Making sure your employees stay well hydrated and fed throughout the day is essential. 

Think about the type of food that will best suit the day you have planned. For example, buffet-style lunches encourage people to continue interacting during downtime, while a more formal celebratory sit-down dinner can be a great way to show your appreciation for your team. 

You need to think about refreshments too. Having water out throughout the day and regular breaks for tea, coffee and a snack can help ensure everyone stays hydrated and gets the most from the day.

Keep your team informed

It’s important for your team to feel valued before the day itself and one of the best ways to do this is to keep them informed throughout the process. 

Here are our top tips to make sure everyone in your team stays in the loop:

• Invite feedback on potential ideas for objectives of the day and activities, but keep it general, as you don’t want to overpromise on something and then find it’s not within budget.
• Send a save-the-date email or block time out in everyone’s calendar once a date is fixed.
• Send a full itinerary of the day at least two weeks before the event. This should include full details of anything they will need.
• Ensure everyone has relevant transport or accommodation details well ahead of the day. It can also be helpful to send a reminder the day before the event, just so they are handy.
• Make everyone aware of any potential costs they may incur on the day. For example, you may choose to provide tea, coffee, and water on the day, but other drinks may be available to buy should employees wish to.  
  
  

Don’t forget to ask for feedback

The only way to know if your team enjoyed their team away day is to ask. 

Following the event, it’s important to follow up with your team and find out about what they enjoyed, what they thought went well, what they didn’t enjoy and what they’d change next time. 

Although it’s unlikely you’ll be able to please everyone all the time, if there is consistently negative feedback about a certain aspect of the day, you know that this is an area to work on for next time. This will only help you to plan even better team building away days in the future.

Plan an away day at Donnington Grove

If you’re looking to plan the perfect team building away day, consider Donnington Grove. Not only do we offer a range of delegate packages with buffet lunch and even dinner depending on your chosen package, but we are also able to offer a range of fun activities on the estate, from clay pigeon shooting and fishing to golf. We also have numerous sumptuously appointed rooms so employees travelling from further afield can relax after a busy day of team building. 

Get in touch today to find out more about how we can help you plan the perfect corporate team-building away day.

Email: events@donnington-grove.com or call: 01635 581000