Offsite Meetings – Why Every Business Needs to Utilise Them
This article aims to discuss the benefits of offsite meetings and how businesses can utilise them to their advantage. No matter what kind of job you have, chances are you are involved in meetings. Offsite meetings are a great opportunity for discussing opinions, solving problems and creating plans.
Face-to-face communication with clients and employees should never be undervalued and can be a much more efficient way of communication than phone or email. However, with middle managers spending an average of 35% of their time in meetings, using the same day-to-day environment time and time again can get tedious. This is why hiring an offsite meeting space has become increasingly popular.
Getting out of the office has a range of benefits and can improve the way you communicate with your team, as long as you choose a suitable meeting venue.
Contents:
- Why are Offsite Meetings Important?
- Benefits of Offsite Meetings
- The Cons of Offsite Meetings
- What is An Example of an Offsite Meeting?
- What is Offsite vs Onsite Meetings?
- How do You Conduct an Offsite Meeting?
Why are Offsite Meetings Important?
Company offsite meetings can be a valuable way of communicating with smaller teams on a personal level. Being in the same working environment, day out can stump creativity. Opting to hold your meeting in an offsite meeting location can help spark ideas and give your employees that extra push they need to stay productive and enthusiastic.
Did you know that Sedgebrook Hall has 22 meeting and event rooms available to hire. Each of these rooms can come fully equipped with everything you need to host a meeting or conference.
Benefits of Offsite Meetings
- Access Technical Facilities
- Fosters Creativity
- Increases Focus and Productivity
- Enhances Relationships Within Teams
- Improves Company Culture
- Gives a New Perspective
Choosing a venue to host your offsite meeting can be challenging. However, there are certain features you need to look out for such as technology, space, location and transportation links.
After securing an ideal venue for your off-site meeting, there are plenty of ways you can utilise the business centre to your advantage. Some benefits of offsite meetings include boosting productivity and fostering stronger relationships among your team members.
Now, let’s delve into more of the pros of offsite meetings.
Access to Technical Facilities
If you visit a dedicated venue for an off-site meeting, chances are they will have a range of technology that you won’t have in the office.
Offsite tech setup can include smart whiteboards, AV technology and projectors, which can all be very handy during a meeting and will often be provided for you.
Introducing additional features can invigorate your meeting dynamics and ignite enthusiasm among attendees. Technology can be used to make your meetings more interactive, and therefore fully engage your audience.
A smart whiteboard is perfect for doing quizzes and surveys. For example, if you have a bigger group, you could use a poll on the whiteboard to ask for people’s opinions or preferences on something. Delegates can simply vote using their laptop or phone.
If it’s a Monday morning and the energy levels are low, start with a simple 5-minute quiz to get everyone’s minds warmed up.
There are plenty of ways the technology provided at an offsite meeting location can enhance your business meetup. This can also save you costs as you won’t have to invest a lot of money in smart technology for the office.
Fosters Creativity
Repeating the same routine can become stale and leave little room for inspiration or creativity, which does not help in any corporate meeting.
A change of scenery can be exactly what your team needs to find new, fresh ideas. It also stops meetings from becoming a mundane occurrence so delegates actually get excited about it.
Having a trip out can be a morale boost for the team. This helps keep motivation and therefore work ethic high. Especially if you are choosing an offsite meeting venue that offers packages. Offsite meetings include everything you need for your brainstorming session to be a success including the room hire, tea and coffee, and even a tasty lunch!
Increases Focus and Productivity
In a bustling office space, distractions to your meeting can be rife. With noise going on outside or people knocking, it can be detrimental to delegates’ focus, leading to less employee engagement.
In a dedicated meeting space, the rooms will be isolated to ensure no noise will distract from the meeting. It’s also likely that the guest list would be more calculated if delegates have to travel to get there. This means people won’t be there unless they really need to be.
In theory, this should eliminate people checking phones, emails and talking because they don’t see the relevance of the content.
On top of this, hosting a successful off-site meeting can help increase productivity as the team are out of their mundane office routines. If employees are in a new environment, their minds are less likely to wander.
Being in a fresh environment can reinvigorate your team and get them focused on their assignments.
Enhances Relationships Within Teams
When using a venue for offsite meetings, it is a good idea to use this as an opportunity to do some team building exercises.
Socialising between team members can improve communication patterns by up to 50%. With stats like that, I think it is fair to say that team building activities are crucial to any business model to strengthen companies.
There are tonnes of great team bonding ideas available. At Sedgebrook Hall, we have partnered with Off Limits, the UK’s leading corporate team building specialists.
Depending on the activity you opt for, team-building exercises can help promote time management, creativity, problem solving and communication.
Improves Company Culture
Offsite meetings contribute significantly to improving company culture by offering a change of environment that promotes collaboration, innovation, and shared experiences. According to TravelPerk, 46% of individuals indicated that company events help boost motivation and provide them with a better alignment and vision of company goals.
Stepping outside the usual workplace setting encourages open communication, breaks down hierarchical barriers, and fosters a sense of equality among team members. These gatherings provide opportunities for team bonding, enabling employees to interact in a more relaxed and informal manner, ultimately strengthening relationships.
Gives a New Perspective
Offsite meetings offer a fresh perspective by removing teams from their everyday work environment and immersing them in new surroundings. This change sparks creativity and encourages participants to think differently, often leading to innovative solutions and ideas.
Exposure to different spaces and settings stimulates fresh insights, challenging ingrained routines and thought patterns. A new environment prompts attendees to approach challenges from new angles, fostering a broader understanding of issues and opportunities.
The Cons of Offsite Meetings
So what are the cons of offsite meetings? While there are many benefits of offsite meetings, there are a few considerations. Offsite meetings may involve additional costs for the venue and travel, requiring budget planning. While these costs can be a factor, they are often outweighed by the advantages gained from a change in environment.
The investment in offsite meetings can lead to improved team dynamics, enhanced creativity, and fresh perspectives that can invigorate the team’s approach to challenges. Therefore, while the cost aspect should be acknowledged, it should be seen as an investment in the team’s growth and innovation.
How to Choose a Venue to Host Your Meeting?
There are a lot of different factors that go into choosing a venue to host your offsite meeting. The main considerations are location; choose a location that is accessible for all employees to access. You will also want to choose a location that will help promote creativity.
Secondly, you will want to choose a venue that has the right technology for the type of meeting you host. For example, if you are doing a presentation you will want a projector or smart board as well as superfast Wi-Fi.
Space is also a massive factor. Think about how many employees will be attending your offsite meeting. Choose a venue that not only has a meeting room big enough, but also has numerous breakout spaces for your team to relax and outdoor grounds for them to wander.
Finally, you’ll want to ensure that there are excellent travel links so that employees can reach the offsite meeting venue regardless of if they are travelling by car or train.
Offsite Meetings – The Final Word
Deciding on whether to hire an off-site meeting space very much depends on the type of meeting, the offsite meetings agenda and the occasion. A bigger meeting for your company, perhaps with an important client, may benefit from the extras that an offsite venue can provide.
If you are looking for an offsite meeting location, look no further than Sedgebrook Hall. Choose from 22 flexible meeting rooms and benefit from a team that has a wealth of experience in hosting successful meetings.
We are an easily accessible location from Northampton. When your guests arrive, they are able to settle in straight away and make use of free onsite parking. Don’t hesitate to contact us today for more information.
Offsite Meeting FAQs
What is An Example of An Offsite Meeting?
An example of an offsite meeting is when a team gathers at a nearby event space such as Sedgebrook Hall, which is rented out for the afternoon or potentially travels further for an overnight retreat.
This change in location from the regular workplace encourages a fresh perspective and enables focused discussions, team-building activities, and strategic planning sessions outside the usual office environment.
What is Offsite vs Onsite Meetings?
Offsite meetings refer to gatherings held in locations external to the usual workplace. These are often chosen for their potential to foster creativity, innovation, and team bonding in a different setting.
On the other hand, onsite meetings take place within the regular workplace environment and are suitable for routine discussions, project updates, and maintaining established team dynamics. Factors like the meeting’s purpose, goals, and the team’s dynamics play a role in determining whether an offsite or onsite approach is more suitable for a particular occasion.
How Do You Conduct an Offsite Meeting?
To conduct an offsite meeting, follow these steps.
- Choose the right location
- Arrange transportation and accommodation
- Plan meals
- Send agendas in advance
- Designate a facilitator
- Incorporate company values
- Encourage team bonding
- Provide space for reflection
- Solicit attendee feedback
- Follow up
