How to Plan a Fun Company Retreat

Written by Catherine Seda and Jen Seda, M.D. of Entrepreneur.com

Say "company retreat" at the office, and suddenly employees cringe imagining stuffy conference rooms and mind-numbing lectures. That's not a retreat; that's a meeting -- and it's neither inspirational nor effective. If you want a new way to motivate a dream team, try "play" first and "work" second.

Drew Warmington, 41, founder and CEO of iLeads.com in Newport Beach, Calif., lets his employees choose where to hold their annual retreat. The multimillion-dollar business, which matches professionals in the insurance and mortgage industries, has taken trips to Hawaii, Las Vegas and Wyoming.

"People like having the power to say where they go," Warmington says. "You also learn a lot about your co-workers by getting to know them outside the office. Everybody comes back ready to move mountains, and they're juiced up for months."

What kind of retreat fits your team? Extravagant escape? Thrill-seeking adventure? Cultural immersion? Here are a few possibilities to explore at a range of prices:

Community Culture

Today's highly mobile, technology-dependent work force often lacks a sense of community. By providing an opportunity to connect with your city's culture, you can generate company and community loyalty. So take your team out on the town. Here are two ways to taste the local flavor you've been missing:

Culinary School of the Rockies: Let's face it. Food brings people together. And a company quest in gourmet cooking is a delicious low-cost activity that includes the ingredients for success. Chefs from the Culinary School of the Rockies in Boulder, Colo., teach up to 30 participants to tap into their inner chefs while handling time constraints and optimizing resources. Don't worry if your team members are toast burners or top chefs; the school designs cooking events for all skill levels. Corporate kitchen programs start around $175 per person and include a take-home Culinary School of the Rockies apron and recipe packet, pre-selected menu, chef instructor, photographs of your mouth-watering event and a multi-course meal made with quality ingredients. Because every person gets hands-on experience, your team will discover how to work together more efficiently while enjoying the fruits of their labor.