Many healthy Forums take a multi-day retreat together each year. This allows members to disconnect from their daily routines and really focus on the group’s continual development. On top of strengthening bonds and delving deeper into personal and business topics, holding an Annual Forum Retreat is also an opportunity for the members to have a little fun.
The best retreats aren’t coordinated overnight. They take months of planning, consistent communication with the Forum to ensure all members are on the same page and in the know about potential activities, and keeping careful track of which logistics are complete and which tasks still need to be worked on. Here’s everything you need to know about planning a successful Annual Forum Retreat with the help of our free Retreat Planning Timeline & Checklist.
The Ideal Timeline for Planning Your Annual Forum Retreat
An Annual Forum Retreat that’s put together at the last minute runs the risk of providing an unfulfilling experience wrought with disorganized activities and unproductive discussions. And your Forum deserves better! When you take the time to plan and perhaps find a retreat facilitator to guide your group through high-value exercises, you’re setting yourself up for a great retreat that’ll leave a positive, lasting impact on each and every member and the group as a whole.
First Steps
The most proactive Forums start planning their next Annual Retreat at the previous year’s retreat. This gives them a jumpstart on high-level logistics like picking their next location and retreat theme. However, not every group can start this early—and that’s ok!
Ideally, the Annual Forum Retreat planning process should begin at least six months before the retreat. Here are a few steps to get the ball rolling:
- Set aside time at a monthly meeting to discuss the retreat.
- Conduct a pre-retreat survey or have an in-depth conversation to help identify general preferences like retreat goals, budget, and potential locations. Many Forums narrow down their destinations based on their budget and what climate they’d like to visit.
- Assign one or two Forum Retreat Planners, who will handle the logistics and keep the group informed throughout the process on their progress.
There are many tasks to attack in the planning process. So all Forums—including EO, YPO, and independent organizations—can benefit from beginning their planning process at least half a year before their retreat.
Continual Planning Efforts
As the months pass and your retreat nears, continue to allocate part of your monthly meeting agenda to Annual Forum Retreat updates. The Retreat Planner(s) will likely have some questions for the group as well as new details on the progress made since the last meeting. Four and five months prior to the retreat, these agenda items might include formally setting the retreat goals and objectives, dates, location, and whether a professional retreat facilitator will be used.
It’s a best practice to make travel and lodging arrangements about three months prior to the retreat to avoid any surprises or late booking fees. Your group also might choose to run a Forum Health Survey about two months prior to the retreat to identify any core topics or issues that should be discussed during the retreat. If you’ve chosen to hire a professional facilitator, they may handle this survey for you.
Hiring a Professional Retreat Facilitator
To enhance the takeaway value for the group and individual members, many Forums bring in a facilitator to help with their Annual Retreat. These experts can help a retreat succeed in many ways, including:
- They offer expertise in a wide range of fields, which is particularly helpful if the Forum wants to learn about a certain subject or is looking for help with a challenge.
- Facilitators allow every member to fully participate in each exercise. When Forums try to self-facilitate, one of the members needs to be in charge of running each activity, which prevents them from experiencing the full value.
- Since facilitators bring new perspectives and ideas to the retreat, their presence and guidance can rejuvenate the Forum’s overall dynamic.
Keep in mind that each Forum—and each retreat—is unique. While some Forums greatly benefit from an eight or twelve-hour facilitation at every Annual Retreat, other groups might opt for a shorter 4-hour facilitation. Some even take a year off and bring in a retreat facilitator every other year.
Since a lot goes into determining whether to hire a retreat facilitator, it’s important to begin the discussion with your Forum early. Start discussing the pros and cons of bringing in one of these experts about five months before the retreat. If your group chooses to hire a facilitator, research your options early and try to formally book the facilitator about three months ahead of time.
The Month Before the Retreat
In the last few weeks before your Annual Forum Retreat, the group is probably very excited about their getaway! Now is the time to put the final touches on your event:
- Finalize the retreat agenda and activities. If you’ve hired a professional facilitator who’s local to or well-versed in your retreat location, they might be able to provide ideas for restaurants and attractions that your Forum will enjoy.
- Assign any pre-work exercises. Some retreat exercises might include the members gathering their thoughts, contemplating insights and completing worksheets in preparation for the retreat. Make sure everyone knows what they’re supposed to bring to the table.
- Double-check all plans. Reconfirm your travel and lodging arrangements as well as any reservations you might’ve made.
- Remind members of the plans. Forum members tend to be busy people with hectic schedules, so give them a courtesy reminder of the dates, climate, dress code, and any other applicable details.
By giving yourself ample time to plan, you’ve set your Forum up for a successful and impactful retreat that can have lasting value for each member.
Staying On Top of Logistics and Activity Coordination
Careful planning and organization are paramount in coordinating a great Annual Forum Retreat. As you’ll see in our free Retreat Planning Timeline & Checklist, there are many different details you’ll need to keep track of throughout the planning process.
Although this usually falls to the Retreat Planner—or multiple Planners, depending on your unique Forum—your group might opt to delegate a few tasks to different members to make the planning process easier. For example, if one of your members is a social butterfly who’s always looking for a fun night out, ask them to pick out some interesting and entertaining activities the entire group will enjoy. And if another member is a known foodie, enlist their help in researching dining opportunities for the Forum.
However your members decide to divide up the tasks, remember: a great Annual Forum Retreat requires advance planning, and some of the most impactful ones are assisted by professional planners and facilitators.
Let Us Help Plan Your Annual Forum Retreat
Planning an awesome Annual Forum Retreat isn’t easy—but we’re here to help! Our talented ForumSherpa Certified Facilitators have the experience, expertise, and resources to create a custom agenda of retreat exercises that meets your Forum’s goals and exceeds your expectations.
Contact us today to learn how we can help you plan an incredible Annual Retreat!
Written by Britt Spread