Integrating wellness activities into corporate retreats are encouraging event attendees to look at work-life balance. Photo Credit: GettyImages/plustwentyseven
Face-to-face gatherings have never been more important, given that
people have been starved of in-person contact over the past couple of
years.
Michelle Sargent, director, Australia & New Zealand at CWT
Meetings & Events, says the agency’s clients are very keen to
reunite their teams, big or small, and have made this a business
priority.
“We
are seeing a big increase in corporate retreats/internal company
get-togethers,” she says. “People are keen to reconnect in-person and
have a change of scenery. Our clients are also keen to reignite the
passion in their team with an event that can motivate and inspire them
for the months ahead.”
Groups who meet in a relaxed environment are much more likely to get
their creative juices flowing, while time spent gathering together as a
group is invaluable, promotes open dialogue and creative ideas, and
increases team motivation levels.
Michelle Sargent, director, Australia & New Zealand at CWT Meetings & Events, says that companies have much to gain from hosting retreats of any kind. Photo Credit: CWT Meetings & Events“Our clients are incorporating wellness sessions that encourage their
delegates to look at a holistic approach to their work-life balance,”
says Sargent. “We are able to create bespoke team-building activities
ranging from yoga and cooking classes to sleep therapy sessions. Working
from home has not necessarily meant better habits, as some people are
less mobile and are spending longer periods sitting in front of a
computer.”
Olinto Oliveira, general manager, MCI Hong Kong & Macau says that
rather than look at an activity in a vacuum, analyse the outcome you
are hoping to achieve through a given activity or process, and consider
whether that is still the best vehicle to achieve that outcome.
“If retreats and internal company get-togethers are about building
camaraderie and gelling a team to create stronger synergies and
chemistry - then absolutely, there are few better, more effective
options for creating shared experiences and memories,” he says.
“That being said, perhaps the structure of such programmes needs to
change to ensure that the impact that they deliver is maximised, since
travel within the APAC region is slightly more complicated than it was
in the past.”