Corporate retreats for companies increase productivity, happiness, and team dynamics for both employees and leadership. Who wouldn't love for their company to bring them and a guest on a cruise?

Imagine being paid to sit on your stateroom balcony and sip wine with your spouse while watching the sunset over the ocean. You then go to a steak dinner with your co-workers and their spouses, and have a good time laughing and getting to know each other. While you sit next to them every day in the office and talk about business, spending this time together in a relaxed, luxurious environment, you connect on a deeper level. During the afternoon, your spouse went to enjoy the amenities on the ship while you and your colleagues discussed company goals and set a game-plan for the upcoming year. This was after your team-building luncheon where you all played a hilarious improv game together, which helped the team to understand each of your individual sales techniques and problem-solving styles in a fun way. This is a day in a corporate retreat setting, where you and your company can take a break from the daily grind in a smart way, boosting enthusiasm and productivity in the workplace.

“When you get to know your people at a different level, you can take that back into the office environment. You would be surprised at how successful you can be by having an actual getaway.” -Jim Pehkonen

I recently spoke with Jim Pehkonen, currently a life coach and former general operations manager, who utilized cruises as corporate retreats for his management teams when he was in corporate industry. He emphasized the beauty of facilitating the team to connect in an environment outside the office space, and how that helped him grow these businesses up to 500% over a five-year span. He came to realize that instead of purely focusing on business metrics, focusing on the people who made up the business created a corporate atmosphere of collaboration, and this in turn also created an incredible return on investment.

For big companies, retreats offer a chance to bring different departments together to brainstorm and collaborate without the daily distractions and exhaustion of everyday life. Getting everyone out of their usual routine will spark new ideas, facilitate communication, and give a renewed sense of purpose for the company and its employees, which has been shown to boost its bottom-line as well.

Small, family-owned businesses can get just as much, if not more, out of a retreat. When your employees feel more like a family in a goal-oriented atmosphere, taking time away together can help smooth over tensions, reconnect people on a personal level, and help boost conversation about the future of the business in a relaxed way. It is a chance for everyone to feel heard in a safe space and builds a sense of camaraderie, which they will take back to the office and into everyday life. This important time away gives everyone some breathing room and a fresh perspective on both the business and each other, building a collaborative company culture.

As Jim recommends, Planning a retreat can get overwhelming, and most companies don’t have the resources and expertise to handle all the little details in-house. That’s where a travel advisor like myself comes in! A good advisor will take care of all the logistics, such as booking rooms, organizing group activities, coordinating transportation, reserving event space, planning meals, handling payments and deposits, and answering questions. We know the best deals, timing, and destinations that fit your business's needs and budget. Think of us as your behind-the-scenes stage director who makes sure everything runs smoothly and your show goes off without a hitch. This way, you and your management team can focus on having a good time, growing your profits, and your ROI for the retreat, without getting bogged down in the details of the trip itself.

Your travel advisor may recommend a cruise, as Jim does. As he learned, a cruise can be a wonderful option for a corporate retreat, because the food, lodging, entertainment, and meeting spaces are included and within one small area. Being out at sea and stopping at different ports of call adds an element of adventure, and the ships give spouses and guests something to enjoy while the employees are in meetings. Sipping coffee on the deck, chatting over dinner, exploring a new destination, lounging by the pool, these are all ways in which cruises facilitate moments for natural conversation that bring a team closer together.

Whether you're a part of a massive global company or the owner of a small family-run shop, consider suggesting or planning a corporate retreat. Designating time and finances for a retreat is an investment in your biggest money-making resource: your people. If you are a business owner or manager and ready to get information about planning a retreat for your business, contact me at info@fairbreezetravel.com or take a look at my website FairBreeze Custom Travel. If you are an employee and the idea of a corporate retreat sounds like a good idea for your company, please forward this article to your management team or HR. It is not only a fun time away, but it can make a lasting impact on corporate culture, the enthusiasm and productivity of all employees, and the growth of the business!