In today’s fast-paced world, we rarely take a pause and try to develop our personal and professional lives. Planning a networking retreat is probably one of the best ways to meet like-minded people and promote not just your business, but also yourself. Networking retreats help build team spirit while giving everyone time to relax and even come up with new ideas. And what better place to host a networking retreat than in the heart of Silicon Valley itself?
Located at the tip of a peninsula between the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific coast, San Francisco is best known for its summer fogs, Victorian architecture, cable cars, and beautiful vistas. Whether it is a team-building program, or a business conference, corporate event, the planning itself can get quite stressful. Hence, the best and easiest option would be to book a San Francisco coach bus rental. This way, you will not only be able to enjoy a safe and relaxed retreat but will also cater to your needs without digging a hole in your pocket. In this article, we will give you a detailed walk through the process of planning a networking retreat in the SF Bay area.
Selecting The Right Destination And Activities To Perform
When you are on a networking retreat, the most important point of focus has to be team building. Even when you are on the road, as a team leader, you will have to make sure that your group members are enjoying themselves. You need to make that the trip does not seem like an exercise or a responsibility, rather, try to keep them involved by organizing small activities like dumb charades, scavenger hunting, Botticelli, singing games, etc. Allow some downtime and encourage your team members to explore the surroundings and collect memoirs for themselves. According to the choice of your destination, you can also plan cocktail mix parties, Deejay nights, and trivia quiz parties beforehand so that your team members get enough time to interact and have fun with each other.
If you want to pick a destination in SF Bay area, there are a number of options that will be available for you such as:
Monterey County: What could be a better way to retreat than relaxing on the beach, wine tasting, and golfing? Monterey County has all of these to offer. Not just you, but even your teammates will end up having the time of their lives.
Santa Cruz County: This SF Bay destination is filled with beaches, gardens, parks, and breweries. You can go visit the places of local attractions with your team members via biking, thus ending up buying them more time to interact and have fun.
Carmel by The Sea: This destination offers you locations for surfing and scuba diving. For your teammates who are not particularly interested in any water adventure sports, there are even a number of museums to visit.
Half Moon Bay: If you have a knack for golfing and horseback riding, Half Moon Bay would be the best option available. It is one of the most sought after tourist attractions in SF Bay Area that is popular for its beaches and Lemos Farm amusement park.
Loews Regency San Francisco: Previously known as the Mandarin Oriental, Loews Regency is a luxury hotel. Although this will surely end up exceeding your entire budget, it will be once in a lifetime experience, and hence you can consider this option if it lies within plausible grounds.
Booking Your Transportation
Another important point to keep in mind is to decide your mode of transportation. Although allowing everyone to hit the road with their choice of transportation would be the easiest option, it also completely defeats the purpose. Hence, opt for a school bus or a coach depending on the number of people present in your team. Additionally, this will provide you the basic necessities such as a compact bathroom, storage systems, air conditioning system, and Wi-Fi connectivity at cheapest prices. For more than 20 people, a coach bus or a school bus seems more viable whereas, if there are a lesser number of people a minibus or a mini coach bus would serve the purpose. If you are renting the bus online, try to seal the deal as soon as possible to avoid any last-minute price surges. Keep your team members informed and plan your stops and places of accommodations beforehand. This is very important to ensure a tight and an efficient schedule. To encourage your teammates to interact with each other even when on the road, you can arrange for some finger foods and drinks. But before executing this, confirm with your bus rental company whether you are allowed to carry outside food and drinks or not.
Planning Networking Time
This is probably the most important part of your plan. Network Retreats are one of the best ways your team members will be able to interact and bond with each other. Organize luncheons, hangouts, and small cocktail parties, take them out to explore places of local attractions and encourage them to participate in discussions and conference meetings so that they are comfortable enough to express their views and ideas even in front of an audience.
