A vast majority of businesses and companies rely on their employees to operate effectively, and likewise place an emphasis on functioning as a team in order to achieve success collectively. One of the best ways to foster productivity, reinforce cohesion, and simply provide an opportunity to shake off stress and get better acquainted with your employees and co-workers outside of the office is investing in a company retreat.
Company retreats stoke teamwork and company loyalty. Retreats provide staff with an opportunity to learn more about their co-workers than they would in the work environment, as well as the opportunity to learn something new about themselves in the process. They also reenergize staff, providing more focus and productivity going forward. The Strategic Air & Space Museum (SAC) is adding several new attractions this summer that will be permanent fixtures and ideal for company retreats, including a zip line, rock climbing wall and a large trampoline. During the summer these attractions will be featured as the Summer Over The Planes exhibit, as you can zip, climb and jump over the planes showcased at the SAC Museum! In addition to these new attractions, they are extending their hours to stay open until 9 p.m. every Thursday evening starting from now until September 5th for Hops, Props & Wings. They will have a different themed chicken wing to try each week, a different locally brewed beer each week and live music each Thursday evening. The great line up of bands includes:
June 6 – WGO Orchestra • June 13 – Rhythm Collective
June 20 – Fish Heads • June 27 – Cactus Hill July 4 – Cowboy Up
July 11 – High Heel • July 18 – The New Humans • July 25 – On the Fritz • Aug 1 – The Confidentials • Aug 8 – Kaitlyn Maria
Aug 15 – Fish Heads • Aug 22 – Cactus Hill • Aug 29 – Omaha Guitar Trio • Sept 5 – Mr. Hand
Angela Roeber of SAC Museum invites companies of any size to gather for a company retreat and visit the attractions and exhibits, or just plan to come out on a Thursday evening to enjoy a night of entertainment with the co-workers! She adds that the mission of the SAC Museum is to ignite the thrill of innovation and discovery within each of their guests, including the young AND the young at heart, which is the perfect recipe for a company retreat!
Omaha Patio Ride offers a unique way to get out of the office together and experience destinations in Omaha as a team. They are a very interactive party bus in the form of a sixteen passenger bike that rides to different venues in the Old Market area, and they can also work with you to create your own route and experience. Omaha Patio Ride typically provides a two hour pub crawl but are not limited to that and can arrange private parties to your destinations of choice, beer/wine/food tastings or can incorporate other types of events, which would be perfect for a company retreat! A.C. Clouthier of Omaha Patio Ride suggests that companies could book tours of the downtown area, lunch outings, end of the quarter or year retreats, business incentives, or just for a fun time with the co-workers. You can visit www.omahapatioride.com or find them on Facebook or Twitter for more information.
If you are looking for a more private area to host your company retreat, White Deer Retreat is the perfect destination. Located just 15 minutes from downtown Omaha, White Deer Retreat sits on nine acres of land with a panoramic view of the Missouri River Valley and Loess Hills, and provides a sanctuary to meet, relax, and connect. The natural splendor of its wooded setting with an amazing view allows for peace, serenity, and greater focus. White Deer Retreat is an intimate, casual facility and can comfortably accommodate up to 16 people for a business meeting or company retreat. There is a 40” “smart” TV with WIFI/HDML connection and Bose sound and several break-out areas including a screened porch, patio, and large shaded lawn area. Meals can be provided by the retreat, catered, or served by the company and beverages are complimentary. The possibilities for other supportive activities are as unlimited as your creativity! Outdoor activities or nature walks at nearby Neale Woods can appeal to the need for natural stress relief. There are also two bedroom suites on-site which can accommodate up to eight men or women (if they don’t mind sleeping in the same area) for overnight retreats. There are six wellness practitioners available to provide different forms of mental, emotional, and spiritual support, and professional musicians are also available for entertainment and relaxation during your stay.
Owner Debra Cook notes, “We’ve all been to retreats that were either held in windowless, sterile halls or were just regular business meetings with a retreat title. The best ones are creative, intimate, team enhancing, nurturing, and fun. It is never a waste of resources to show employees that they are cared about in an environment which promotes their individuality and personal well-being.” Cook adds, “No matter what the event, the beauty of this place is Mother Nature. You can’t help feeling the stress and worries disappear as you head north under the Mormon Bridge, and into an area that many people don’t even know exists so close to the city.”
The Lied Lodge & Conference Center, located on 260 acres of Arbor Day Farm, is another perfect venue to host a company retreat. Their conference planners assist clients in determining what options are right for their group, as they offer a wide array of choices depending on the goal of the event and the personality of the group. For example, you could choose to BBQ outdoors at the Historic Morton Barns after exploring the Tree Adventure attraction or doing a nature scavenger hunt. For more competitive or athletic groups, you could play a round of golf at the Arnold Palmer designed ArborLinks Golf Course. Denise Duvall of The Lied Lodge & Conference Center adds that tasting Arbor Day Farm wines and learning about the grapes has become a popular retreat event for most any type of organization. Duvall says “The 260 acres of Arbor Day Farm allows companies and organizations to regroup, refocus, and revitalize their efforts. In today’s fast world, those are three very important efforts in the success of organizations. In addition, employees like to feel appreciated and going on a retreat gives individuals and teams the sense that they are worth it and my company cares about them.” For more information about Lied Lodge & Conference Center, you can visit their website at www.liedlodge.org.
The Archdiocesan Retreat & Conference Center is Omaha’s best kept secret and offers great spaces to host a retreat, as The Main Hall is 32’ x 37’ and the Grand Hall at 32’ x 54’and can meet the needs of all groups. Each room can be set up classroom style, boardroom style, open boardroom style, theater style, and with U shape or round tables. Recognizing business can be conducted at all times, their wi-fi internet access facilitates any style of presentation and enables everyone to stay connected with their customers. Each hall is equipped with an LED (overhead) projector, drop down screen, portable white boards and a podium which has microphone, laptop connections and DVD/VCR capabilities. The ARCC also has an in-house laptop, so all you need to bring is a flash drive! Deacon Charles Adams, Manager of The ARCC, notes that many meeting planners have found their facilities ideal for off-site meetings, conferences and retreats because of the central location near historic Benson and its close proximity to downtown Omaha and the interstate. He adds, “Team members that respect and work well with each other can exceed challenging business objectives. Getting all team members’ together, reviewing objectives, sharing ideas, building understanding through questions and dialogue is the best approach for achieving goal consensus and team success in exceeding them. Many times, the only way to make that occur is to take the team away from the office, where distractions are at a minimum and communication at a maximum.” The ARCC’s historic past, décor and architectural building features definitely offer a welcoming and comfortable place to host your retreat.
The Corky Canvas offers a variety of team building packages that allows companies to unwind and uncork their creativity! From working on better communication and cohesiveness to exploring their artistic side, a team building event at The Corky Canvas will provide companies with unique artwork as well as an exceptional bonding experience and memories. Angie Lewis, owner of The Corky Canvas, says that company retreats are an extremely important investment because harmony and happiness within a company leads to increased productivity and a more positive work atmosphere. Employees that get along and actively work together have better communication and can problem solve more effectively as well as save everyone unnecessarily long hours and headaches. If employees don’t have that sense of community, they’re less likely to go to each other for help–be it brainstorming or delegating tasks. Lewis adds that something as simple as a few hours away from the office, while enjoying wine or beer with a paintbrush in hand, allows employees to not only get to know each other, but also discover a creative side of themselves that can be utilized within the company. The Corky Canvas offers four varieties of team building activities at both Lincoln and Omaha locations, and they would be happy to discuss those options with your company or business!
Bryson Airboat Tours is another great idea to get your team active and out of the office. Bryson delivers both adventurous and peacefully paced rides, can book up to 100 people with advanced notice, and offers several different package options for private three hour events including a 3 Hour Picnic package, 3 Hours of Fun package and “We Come to You” package. If you are not comfortable on an actual airboat, the 3 Hour Picnic package lets your group take advantage of their riverfront property. They can provide tables and chairs for a special event, and this area provides direct access to the water and scenic views of the Platte River, as well as space to play horseshoes or volleyball. The 3 Hours of Fun package includes airboat rides and the same accommodations on the riverfront. Bryson can bring the airboats to your location with the “We Come to You” package, which is perfect for businesses or communities located next to rivers!
An essential facet of planning a company retreat is having a goal. Without a goal there no point to conduct a retreat, as there is nothing that sparks a shift in momentum or gives it a significant purpose. Company retreats should motivate or inspire employees to achieve the goal framed by your retreat, whether it is to de-stress in order to have a better focus, to plan for an exciting project, strategize to attain a milestone, or to foster unity among co-workers. All participants should feel welcome to collaborate, whether there are ten or a hundred employees involved. You may want to consider the dynamics of the group, such as if you have more introverted or extroverted people, and choose an event or activity that best serves the interest of the group as well as the individuals that it is composed of. Choose a time of the week when you know your employees will be able to focus and enjoy the time they are investing, instead of around a deadline or on Monday when they have thirty-six other things they need to do to start their business week. Also, whether your business location is small or large, you should always host a company retreat off-site. Retreats held on-site can appear like a cheesy office party, or are just another way to say “meeting.” This should be a place with minimal distractions from the outside world for an acceptable amount of time to expect from your employees, unless it is within their regular working hours or they are being compensated for their time. You are conducting a company retreat for positive growth, and it will certainly not be received well if it is imposed or has undesirable conditions. However, since the retreat is an investment in the company and the well-being of employees, it is reasonable to expect that they will be focused on this event and not disengaged by using their phone or checking out the latest posts on Facebook or the Internet. As an employee, it is important to respect what a company retreat aims to accomplish. Look at it as a positive experience, with many short-term and long-term benefits, that helps you to understand your co-workers, boss, and maybe even your bosses’ boss. What is good for them is good for you, and vice versa, so improving the existing structure of your operations or fine-tuning communication and teamwork is well worth the investment of time and resources. When planned and utilized in the correct way, company retreats enhance many aspects of the work environment and are a contributing factor in cultivating the future of your company or business.