If you operate a small business, a weekend getaway with your staff is a perfect opportunity to cement your relationship with them while working on business-related matters. Unfortunately, if the retreat does not go off as planned, it could end up being a waste for both you and your staff. To help ensure your retreat is a success, here are some tips to use.  

Arrange Transportation for Everyone

Regardless of how close the location for your retreat is, you need to be sure that everyone is able to attend. One way to do that is to contract with a corporate transportation service, such as A&A Limousine & Bus Services . Most companies offer customizable packages that will offer your business the ability to ensure that everyone makes it to the retreat on time.  

Try to schedule the transportation at least a couple of months in advance. By doing this, you have the time to comparison shop and negotiate a contract with a company. You also avoid the possibility that the company you want to use is booked up. 

Select Fun Team Bonding Activities

Undoubtedly, one of the reasons that you want to host the retreat is you want to focus on team bonding. Team bonding can help improve communications between your staff and also push staffers to work together when faced with tasks at work. 

Dull team bonding activities can sap the energy out of your group and distract away from the goal you are attempting to accomplish. Fun activities, such as cooking as a group and playing team card games, can help keep everyone tuned into the activities and the message of the retreat.  

Involve Staffers in Decisions and Discussions

One of the worst steps you can take is to spend the entire retreat talking at your staffers. If you and your speakers are only speaking to the staffers and not engaging them, you will quickly lose their interest. Once you have lost their interest, it will be difficult to accomplish your retreat goals.  

Instead of lecturing your staffers, try to engage them in decisions and discussions. For instance, you can ask your staffers to help you come up with ideas for selling a new service and role play difficult situations involving the service and potential customers. By asking for input, you are forcing them to stay tuned into the conversation. 

There are many methods you can use to make your retreat more engaging and fun for your staffers. Take some time to consider what did and did not work in the past to determine what you should focus on going forward.