At Marco, we've planned 500+ offsites across the world for nearly every type of business — from 10-person startups to Fortune 500 enterprises. In 2026, with 52% of U.S. employees working in hybrid arrangements, getting team connection right during in-person retreats matters more than ever. Here are our top tips for fostering genuine team-wide connection at your next retreat.
1. Plan Your Retreat with a Clear Goal
Giving your offsite a well-defined objective solidifies the purpose of every scheduled session — keeping your team engaged all the way through. Take it from the team at Medium. When they came to Marco, they had one simple request: an offsite for deep, meaningful work. Thanks to our white-glove service, the Medium team could offload the logistical headaches of retreat planning and focus on planning next steps and sussing out new ideas.
As Cameron Smith-Price, Recruiting & People Ops Lead at Medium, shares: "Several people said this was the best company offsite because so much thought was put into the purpose of our meeting and making sure everything — from the venue to the activities — was in support of that."
2. Ditch the Zoom-Style Agenda
When you have your team gathered in front of you, it can be tempting to pull up a PowerPoint deck and take the mic. But your company retreat should feel like the opposite of a Zoom call. Instead, to make the most of your team's time together, focus on ditching the typical workday agenda and lean into in-person, relationship-building activities.
That's what the team at Alpha Exploration Co. decided to do while partnering with Marco — and the results were impressive. In the words of Janet Kim, Executive Assistant at Alpha Exploration Co.: "We came out of this retreat with stronger, happier relationships, inside jokes, and excitement about the company — all of this thanks to Marco."
3. Unplug with Laptop-Free Sessions
If your team operates remotely, they've likely had more than enough screen time at home. Putting away the devices at your retreat can be the perfect way to nurture focus, mindfulness, and collaboration.
Beyond encouraging employees to leave laptops behind for certain portions of the retreat, you can bring printed meeting notes and double down on the live, physical aspects of discussions or activities. You'll be amazed by your team's creativity when everyone is fully present and engaged.
4. Give Everyone Options (Including Yourself)
Asking your employees to attend every event you've planned is a tall order. To go easy on their bandwidth (and their social batteries), clearly communicate which experiences are mandatory vs. optional. This way, you can also ensure your executive leadership attends required sessions, which sets a positive example for the team.
The best retreats we've planned in 2025 and 2026 include a mix of structured group sessions, optional activities, and genuine free time. People come back energized rather than exhausted.
5. Appoint a "Final Decision-Maker"
Having a thick skin helps you tackle workplace challenges head-on — and the same goes for retreat planning obstacles. Take it from the team at Cytovale. When they set out to organize their first in-person event in two years, they encountered several roadblocks. As Jax Larrecou-Whipple, Executive Assistant at Cytovale, describes: "We had such an accelerated timeline, and we rescheduled three times. I knew I'd need a partner to pull it off."
Whether your decision-maker is a co-worker who knows the retreat's objective inside-out or a trusted event agency like Marco, having one person empowered to make quick calls is a game-changer for event planning.
6. Focus on Building Cross-Team Rapport
It can be tricky to break down silos and build rapport between your company's C-suite and individual contributors — especially for remote-first teams. In-person retreats are an invaluable opportunity for employees to connect with leadership, as long as execs make the time to sit in on sessions and join for a cup of coffee.
One tactic that works well: structure meal seating so that people from different teams sit together. Random table assignments at a team dinner can create more cross-functional conversation than a week of Slack messages.
7. Show Your Team Their Feedback Matters
To collect vital feedback and show you value your teammates' ideas, hand out both pre- and post-retreat surveys. You can often tell whether an event went well by simply looking at people's faces, but surveys reveal the nuances — what people loved, what felt forced, and what they'd change next time.
Marco helps clients design these feedback loops and uses the insights to continuously improve the offsite experience across retreats.
8. When in Doubt, Go Back to Your Original Goal
Whenever you find yourself second-guessing, always come back to your retreat's main objective (tip #1). Whatever purpose you set for the event will be your guiding light, helping you make decisions that align with the ultimate business goal. As Brittany Jezouit, Chief of Staff at Medium, shares: "Having an offsite that is really specific in its purpose and intended outcomes does a lot to accelerate the overall work and progress of our company."
Ready to plan your 2026 offsite? Take our retreat quiz to get matched with the perfect destination, or reach out to our team for a custom retreat proposal. From Charleston adventures to San Diego team building, Marco has planned 500+ offsites and can help you create an experience your team remembers.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long should a company retreat be?
Most effective retreats are 2.5 to 4 days. Shorter than 2 days doesn't allow enough time for genuine connection beyond work sessions. Longer than 4 days risks fatigue. The sweet spot for most teams is 3 days: Day 1 for arrival and icebreaking, Day 2 for deep work and team building, Day 3 for strategic planning and wrap-up.
What's the ideal group size for team-building activities at a retreat?
It depends on the activity. Facilitated discussions work best with 8-15 people. Adventure activities (kayaking, sailing, hiking) are ideal at 15-25. Large-group formats like trivia or gameshows can handle 50-200+. For large companies, Marco typically designs concurrent activity tracks so everyone stays engaged.
How do you balance work sessions with team-building activities?
The most successful retreats follow a roughly 60/40 split: 60% intentional connection (team building, meals together, free time) and 40% structured work sessions. The work sessions are more productive because the team has already built trust and rapport through the shared experiences. Never stack more than 3 hours of consecutive work sessions.
Should remote teams have retreats more or less frequently than in-office teams?
More frequently. Remote and hybrid teams should gather in person at least quarterly for smaller team syncs and annually (or semi-annually) for company-wide retreats. Teams that meet in person regularly report 25-30% higher engagement scores than those that only meet once a year. The cost of travel is easily offset by improved retention and productivity.