Interested in Virtual Team Building Events?
11 mins 
1. What Is a Company Offsite?
A company offsite is an event where employees get together and participate in team-building activities away from the office. The goals of such an event can vary widely. Some might involve intensive sessions to make headway on a critical project, while others may focus on breaking the ice between team members and building relationships that will benefit their productivity.
Depending on the company’s budget, time available, and other factors, a company offsite can be a short session in one day or a multi-day event.
2. Why are Company Offsite Meetings Important?
The main reason for offsites is to help foster company culture while improving team-building skills through meaningful in-person interactions. Whether your employees work from the office or home, company offsites can help them get to know each other better. A change of scenery can inspire fresh thinking and innovative ideas. Offsites often involve hands-on activities, such as team challenges, workshops, and outdoor adventures. Companies often use offsites for
strategic planning, leadership training, and other focused workshops. They can be highly effective for intensive learning and development.
3. Top 6 Company Offsite Ideas for Small & Medium-Sized Businesses
3.1. Cooking Class
A cooking class can be a laid-back yet engaging option for a company offsite event. It will help your employees learn about non-work related but essential life skills. Plus, you get to enjoy some handmade delicacies afterward!
All you must do is book a cooking lesson and a venue that can accommodate your team size. You’ll also want to choose a particular cuisine or meal your employees may not know how to cook. Remember to notify the organizer about dietary restrictions, food sensitivities, allergies, etc.
3.2. Escape Rooms
If you don’t want to put too much work into planning or conducting a complex offsite event, you can simply book an escape room! You can rent out these spaces and set a time and date for everyone to attend the activity. The organizers will take care of everything once you get there, but you may want to set up transportation options for your team members.
Because these games have a time limit, they’re perfect for getting everyone fired up to solve the puzzles. Everyone must work together to move forward in the game, which is great for encouraging interaction and bonding.
3.3. Game Night
If your goal is to host a casual company offsite that doesn’t take more than an evening, consider organizing a game night. This event can take any form depending on your goals, team size,and location.
It is best to include several icebreaker games for companies with many new employees who don’t know each other well yet. In-person teams can also plan a game night where attendees bring their favorite board or card games. A company trivia game is another great option if your goal is to cultivate company culture. You may find a virtual office Olympics more suitable for your needs if you have a remote or hybrid team.
To host a game night, you must secure a location big enough to accommodate your team. Make sure it has enough tables, and order ample amounts of food and drinks for your enjoyment. You can even offer prizes and all sorts of rewards for winners to up the stakes!
3.4. Movie Night
Is your team short on time and energy to host an intensive offsite? A movie night is one low-key activity to try. It requires minimal effort to organize and participate in. At most, you’ll need to book a space for a group screening. You can do this with a local theater—they often offer snacks and drinks for attendees to have the complete movie-watching experience.
Choose an engaging film that highlights teamwork, collaboration, and other similar themes. Here is a list of some movies related to teamwork to get you started.
3.5. Karaoke
Encourage your employees to let their hair down for a fun evening filled with music, singing, dancing, and, of course, food and drinks. You can plan a karaoke event and combine it with a team dinner at a local bar or restaurant. Some venues have private karaoke rooms that you can book or host karaoke nights open to the public.
Book a conference venue and a karaoke machine if you've got a big team. If your group is small, consider holding the event at someone’s home and renting a simple karaoke setup. And an excellent option for remote teams is a virtual karaoke event!
3.6. Paint Class
A painting class is a relaxing yet engaging activity that everyone can participate in. People have vastly different hobbies and interests, but you can get them together to express their creativity at an offsite paint party! Creativity must be nurtured for everyone to have a well-balanced mind.
You can also organize a virtual paint and sip class for your remote team. The best part is that the organizer will supply everything you need, so all you need to do is set a time and date and finalize the number of participants.
4. Top 6 Company Offsite Ideas for Large Businesses
4.1. Wine Tasting
Take your team on a fun social offsite by arranging a tasting at a winery, vineyard, or local tasting room. You will spend an afternoon sipping different wines and learning about them and their origins. You will also be taught proper wine etiquette.
Look for a wine-tasting event that can accommodate your team and provide any additional food and drink requirements. Most venues and event organizers will offer to book a sommelier for the tasting. All you’re left to do is plan a safe means of transport for everyone.
4.2. Community Service Project
A community service project allows your employees and company to connect with locals and make a positive impact. It also boosts employee morale and well-being.
Volunteering at humanitarian charities and animal shelters are popular choices for company offsites. You can also organize a beach cleanup or tree-planting day so your team can spend quality time outdoors and contribute to a better environment.
4.3. Company Field Day
A company field day, or sports day, is a great idea to enjoy a day of fun physical activities. It helps build the team and competitive spirit in employees while allowing them to engage in friendly competition.
Depending on your budget and number of participants, you can host these at a park or public space or book a field day organizer. You can also give away rewards and certificates to winners. It’s best to have a wide variety of games so everyone can participate and stand a chance to win. Also, make sure to check the weather forecast for the day.
4.4. Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are the perfect opportunity to develop various team skills, from communication to strategizing. It also requires everyone to work in groups to solve riddles.
You can plan such an event by yourself or book one that will be organized and managed by an experienced facilitator. If you design the hunt yourself, choose an appropriate location. Arrange the riddles so they’re not too easy or difficult to solve—remember, participants should have fun running around and working together!
4.5. Camping
Taking your company offsite to spend a relaxing time outdoors will give them a deep reset before a new project or to get through the rest of the year. And with these multi-day events, you can schedule more meetings, brainstorming sessions, and team-building activities so you can tick off many of your offsite goals.
It is best to work with an organizer for a camping activity, especially one that will handle most of the logistics. You just need to set the dates and organize your team’s transportation options.
4.6. Resort Retreat
Do you want to combine a company offsite event, employee appreciation, and annual retreat in one?
A resort retreat will give you all of this and more. It will provide your employees with a wonderful change of scenery, and you can easily incorporate work-related and recreational activities. However, you need a bigger budget for this one.
Most venues for work retreats provide facilitator services, so your team-building activities are sure to run smoothly. At most, you’ll need to arrange scheduling and transportation.
5. How to Plan a Company Offsite?
5.1. Determine the Goal of the Offsite
Set clear and actionable goals for your upcoming offsite and every activity or meeting you include in the schedule. This will help your team stay focused on accomplishing the goal, and you can easily set ground rules for the event.
5.2. Choose a Suitable Venue
Depending on your goals and the activities you plan to carry out during the offsite, there are different venues for your needs. Make sure you consider the transport options and whether they will be able to accommodate all of your employees and what you need to do.
5.3. Pick a Date
When choosing the best date for the company offsite, ensure everyone is most likely available. Your best bet is to ask your employees directly about their availability and book the dates as early as possible.
5.4. Develop a Detailed Schedule
Create a detailed schedule for each team-building activity during the offsite. It is best to settle this long before the date of the event. Make sure you have enough time for meetings, lunches, transport, and breaks/downtime.
5.5. Establish a Budget
Decide on a budget for the offsite and list all expenses. These can include costs for booking the venue, event/activity facilitators, materials for activities, food and drinks, transport, accommodation, and more.
5.6. Plan Activities
Offer different activities for everyone to choose from. They should promote a sense of interdependence and collaboration among participants.
5.7. Communicate the Details to Employees
Once the logistics and schedules are ready, prepare a detailed document to share with all attendees. Inform them beforehand if they need to prepare anything for the event and what they need to bring.
6. FAQs
6.1. What is the difference between company offsite and retreat?
An offsite is typically a focused gathering held at an external location or venue, often for strategic planning, team-building, training, or workshops. It aims to enhance productivity and collaboration by providing a change of environment. A retreat is a more relaxed and holistic event designed to promote relaxation, wellness, and team bonding through activities like meditation, yoga, and leisure. The primary goal is to rejuvenate and strengthen interpersonal relationships.
6.2. What Is an Example of a Team Offsite?
Fun and interactive activities like geocaching, glamping, escape rooms, destination retreats, community services, charity fundraisers, and trivia showdowns are some examples of a team offsite used to boost employee engagement.
6.3. What Are Offsite vs. Onsite Meetings?
Offsite meetings occur at external locations away from the company's office and are often used for strategic planning, team-building, and workshops. They can be more expensive but offer a change of environment that fosters creativity and focus. On the other hand, onsite meetings happen at the company's regular workplace, such as the office, and are suitable for routine meetings and daily discussions. They are cost-effective, convenient, and time-efficient.
The choice between offsite and onsite meetings depends on the meeting's purpose, budget, and logistical considerations, with some organizations utilizing a mix of both approaches.
