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Articles and Planning Tips >
Strong Business Themes
Innovative Thinking, Creative Execution
Choosing and creating a theme begins with one question: What business ideas or goals will this retreat concentrate on? Once that answer is decided is when creativity comes into play. Below we have given a few examples of strong business ideas and the themes that drove those ideas home within the context of a corporate retreat.
EXAMPLE 1 Business Theme: New Business Initiatives
Creative Theme: Baseball
Slogan: There’s a new game in town!
Kickoff Event: Baseball game
Teaser: A box labeled “We’ll all go nuts” containing peanuts and a small Save the Date card was delivered to each participant a few months prior to the event . Invitation: Similar to the teaser gift, a small box was delivered to each participant containing a logo-ed baseball and a “There’s a new game in town!” card with the date, time and meeting place but little additional information.
Invitation Part 2: The day before the event, participants were delivered a package containing a logo-ed nametag and personalized baseball jersey. A card attached reminded them of the meeting time and place along with the final instruction that the baseball jersey would serve as their boarding pass for the bus to the event.
TIP: Using small clues, this firm built mystery and excitement around the retreat location and concept. They effortlessly fused the idea of new business initiatives by choosing a theme that echoed that idea (“There’s a new game in town!”) and then built their materials and promotional items around that slogan.
EXAMPLE 2 Business Theme: Driving new business—participants were challenged to create new business opportunities by being given “goals” to reach prior to the retreat.
Creative Theme: Ireland
Slogan: The Luck of the Irish
Retreat Location: Dublin, Ireland
Teaser 1: Participants received a St. Patrick’s Day gift in the form of a green carnation with a card inviting them to a Kickoff Event later that day.
Kickoff Event: A St. Patrick’s Day party introduced participants to the concept and gave them the tools and information to create goals for the year based on their position within the firm. Once they reached those goals they would be rewarded with a trip to the Dublin-based retreat the following year.
Teaser 2: Halfway through the process participants received a postcard with the slogan and a small “Blarney Stone” embedded inside it. The message encouraged eloquence and persuasion in new business and networking (from kissing the stone) and read “Pucker Up!”
Invitation: Once a participant had reached his/her goals they received an official invite that unfolded to reveal a pop-up map of Dublin and a congratulatory message.
TIP: Choosing to focus on creating new business, this firm encouraged participants using their theme, keeping them not only on-track business-wise but building excitement and giving an incentive to attend the international retreat.
EXAMPLE 3 Business Theme: Merging of ideas from the younger and older generations.
Creative Theme: Cruise
Slogan: Smooth Sailing
Retreat Location: Attorneys-only weekend cruise
Teaser 1: Attorneys received a small box containing brightly colored sunglasses with a card attached reading “With a future this bright, it’s sure to be smooth sailing…” and a Save the Date message.
Teaser 2: One month prior to the retreat each attorney received a box containing a bottle of sunblock printed with the message “We don’t want you burned out…” A card attached asked each attorney to contribute one retreat discussion topic pertaining to a generation gap issue. Turning in the completed card would be their key to the final invitation.
Invitation: The final piece of information was a foldout poster containing not only the retreat information, but ports-of-call, ship amenities and general cruise preparation information.
TIP: By placing attorneys in the relaxed setting of a cruise the firm was able to have serious conversations about transfer of power and generational issues without the stress and distraction of an office environment. They were also able to address issues that each generation was worried about by collecting the concerns and ideas prior to leaving, giving them ample time to prepare answers and solutions.
