Arguably, the most time-consuming part of planning a start-up offsite is securing the perfect accommodation for your team. I’m yet to find a single website that gives you all the information you need upfront to make a booking.
I have spent hours calling venues in the UK, making sure all the ones I suggest to my clients are suitable for the basic needs of a startup offsite. Each team has their own individual needs, but there are a few things that I need to find out from every venue.
Most people don’t want to share a room with their colleagues, and especially not a bed. I have found that most venues have extra cottages, tents, beds that can be made available, so it’s always worth asking about extra capacity.
Maybe you are dialling in colleagues who are unable to make it, or you still need to take some sales or customer calls while you are offsite. One of the startups that I work with even take the chance of being together to do a quarterly hackathon.
It’s likely that having bad internet will be annoying at best, damaging to business at worst. I ask if they have fibre internet installed and if they have done a recent internet speed test. If they haven’t, I explain how it is done and ask them to send me a screenshot of the results.
Unfortunately there is only so much you can rely on google maps for travel efficiency. I have found local knowledge on the nearest and most reliable train station is a very valuable nugget of information. Venue managers will also know the best local taxi firm to pick your team up from the station.
Perhaps this goes without saying but if you call a venue, you almost always get a better price for going direct. Team offsites are midweek multi-day stays, not in school holidays therefore deals are available. I make sure to mention these points when asking for a quote.
Some country houses say they can sleep 40 but only have a dining space and crockery for 25. Eating together is one of, if not THE most important element of a startup offsite so making sure that everyone can sit together is key!
There are two reasons I ask this question. Firstly, it makes my life easier when planning the agenda. Teams want to experience the local area and who better to recommend local activities than someone who lives there.
Secondly, it gives me a good sense of how helpful and welcoming this venue is going to be to my startup teams. Someone who is engaged and enthusiastic about your team having a good time makes me feel at ease that they will be looked after.
Nothing beats a fantastic, hospitable venue. It takes time to find, but checking all of these important details can take your company offsite or retreat to the next level.
