Leaving the office for one or several days to bring the team together, work in a different setting and spend quality time together. That, in essence, is the idea behind a company offsite.
These gatherings provide an opportunity to hold meetings, strategic sessions or training in a different environment, while combining them with meals, activities and more relaxed moments with colleagues.
But how do you plan an offsite? What should you consider when choosing the location? And what can you include to make it genuinely worthwhile for your team?
What exactly is a company offsite?
A company offsite is a professional gathering held away from the usual workplace.
It can last anything from a single day to several days and can serve many different purposes: preparing a new project, defining the strategy for the coming months, holding a training session, bringing different departments together or simply spending time as a team away from the daily routine.
Unlike a conventional meeting, an offsite allows you to combine focused work with food, activities and time to talk in a more informal setting.
There is no single formula. Each company can shape the experience around its own needs.
What do you need to organise a successful offsite?
Choosing the right location is one of the most important decisions.
It is not simply about finding a meeting room. If the team is going to spend the whole day there, or even stay overnight, it is worth considering the experience as a whole.
A comfortable place to work, dining options, accommodation for multi-day stays and opportunities to switch off between sessions can make the entire event much easier to organise.
Having everything in one place, or within easy reach, is another advantage. It reduces unnecessary travel and allows the team to make better use of their time together.
Swap the office for a different setting
One of the main reasons for organising an offsite is precisely to step away from the usual working environment.
A peaceful setting allows the day to unfold at a different pace and gives the team a break from the usual interruptions and routines of the office.
Natural surroundings are therefore particularly well suited to this type of gathering.
At Hotel Calitxó in Molló, in the heart of the Vall de Camprodon, meetings can be combined with the landscapes and tranquillity of the Pyrenees, creating an experience that goes beyond the hours spent working.
A meeting room that adapts to your needs
The workspace should reflect the purpose of the day.
A management meeting, training session or presentation may require different layouts, so having a flexible space makes planning easier.
Hotel Calitxó has a multipurpose meeting room with natural light, which can be adapted to different types of professional meetings and working sessions.
As it is located within the hotel itself, working sessions can also be easily combined with breaks, meals, time outdoors and any other activities planned during the offsite.
→ Discover meetings and offsites at Hotel Calitxó
Food is part of the offsite experience too
Meal breaks are also moments the team shares together and can become part of the overall experience.
At Restaurant Calitxó, the cuisine focuses on local, seasonal produce, with ingredients closely connected to the surrounding area and the Ripollès region.
Having a restaurant within the hotel makes it easy to organise lunch and dinner without additional travel and to adapt the experience to the characteristics of the group.
Beyond simplifying logistics, sitting down together after a morning of meetings creates a different setting in which colleagues can continue talking and spending time together.
A day out or an overnight company retreat?
Not every offsite requires an overnight stay.
For some objectives, one day may be enough: arrive in the morning, hold a working session, have lunch together and finish with an activity before heading home.
However, when you want to dedicate more time to the team, staying overnight makes it easier to spread out meetings rather than squeezing the entire programme into a few hours.
Hotel Calitxó offers rooms and apartments, bringing the workspace, restaurant and accommodation together in one place.
The team can finish the working day, have dinner, rest and continue the following morning without having to travel anywhere else.
Make time for the team
An offsite does not have to be filled with meetings from beginning to end.
In fact, it is worth setting aside time outside the meeting room when planning the programme.
A walk, a group activity, a break in the garden or simply having time to talk in a different setting can help change the dynamic of the day.
Hotel Calitxó’s location makes it possible to enjoy the natural surroundings of Molló and the Vall de Camprodon, combining the offsite with walks, routes and other outdoor activities.
Each company can therefore find the right balance between working time and shared experiences.
Ideas for planning a company offsite
The programme will always depend on the purpose of the gathering, but an offsite can bring together several different elements.
The first day, for example, could begin with a morning working session, followed by a team lunch, with the afternoon set aside for an activity or time to explore the surrounding area.
If the team stays overnight, dinner offers a more relaxed way to finish the day, leaving another working session for the following morning.
Other possibilities include management meetings, internal training, strategy sessions, presentations, cross-department meetings or team activities.
The important thing is to create a programme that makes sense both for the people taking part and for the objective behind the offsite.
Where should you organise a company offsite?
When choosing the location, look beyond the meeting room itself.
Having a workspace, restaurant, accommodation and easy access to the outdoors all in one place can make the whole event considerably easier to organise.
At Hotel Calitxó, you can organise meetings and company offsites in Molló, in the heart of the Vall de Camprodon, tailoring the stay to the type of gathering and your team’s needs.
If you are planning your next offsite, tell us what you have in mind and we will help you put together a proposal tailored to your team.