Planning a company offsite is one of the most complex logistical challenges in corporate operations. You're juggling calendars across time zones, comparing hotel contracts with different terms, coordinating vendors who've never worked together, and building itineraries in spreadsheets that break every time someone changes a date. It doesn't have to be this way.
The Real Problem: Scattered Tools and Fragmented Planning
Most offsite planning happens across a dozen disconnected tools: email chains with hotels, Google Sheets for budgets, Slack threads for activity ideas, calendar invites for the agenda, and a shared doc that no one reads. The average large offsite takes 80+ hours to plan, requires multiple people, and still leaves gaps that surface during the event.
The logistics are a maze because the tools weren't built for this use case. Hotel booking platforms are designed for individual travelers. Project management tools don't understand event workflows. And email was never meant to manage vendor coordination across a dozen suppliers.
How Marco's Itinerary Builder Changes the Game
That's why we built the Marco Itinerary Builder - a purpose-built tool that turns offsite planning from a logistical maze into a streamlined process.
Step 1: Choose a template
Select the number of nights and your offsite objective to generate a template that fits your needs. Whether it's a 2-night leadership retreat or a 4-night all-hands, you start with a proven structure instead of a blank page.
Step 2: Customize your schedule
Add, remove, or modify activities to craft the perfect itinerary. Drag and drop sessions, meals, and activities into time slots. The builder automatically handles the logistics - travel time between venues, meal scheduling, buffer time between sessions.
Step 3: Create a guest experience page
Generate a branded landing page for your attendees with everything they need - itinerary, venue details, packing list, travel logistics, and team information. No more "did you see my email?" conversations. Everything lives in one place.
Step 4: Collaborate with your team
Share the itinerary with stakeholders for feedback. Comments, approvals, and changes happen in the tool - not in a reply-all email thread. When the CEO wants to add a session or the Head of People wants to swap an activity, it's a click, not a cascade of calendar updates.
What Marco Handles End-to-End
Beyond the technology, Marco's team manages the operational complexity that no tool can fully automate:
- Venue sourcing: Access to 3,000+ curated properties with negotiated group rates (20-30% savings on average)
- RFP management: One request, distributed across our network, with responses compiled for easy comparison
- Vendor coordination: F&B, activities, transportation, A/V, photography - all managed as a single point of contact
- Budget management: Real-time budget tracking across all vendors, with our finance team ensuring you stay on track
- Guest logistics: Travel coordination, room assignments, dietary restrictions, and the guest experience portal
- On-the-ground support: Marco team members on-site to handle real-time adjustments and ensure everything runs smoothly
The Result: More Time for What Matters
Companies using Marco report saving 70-100+ hours of planning time per offsite. That's the Chief People Officer, People Ops Manager, and EA getting their time back to focus on their actual jobs - while knowing the offsite is in expert hands.
100,000+ employees delighted. 800+ teams connected. 4.9/5 average experience rating.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to plan an offsite with Marco?
With Marco's full-service offering, most offsites go from initial request to confirmed itinerary in 2-4 weeks. For simpler retreats, our Instant Offsites product can have you booked in as little as 48 hours. The itinerary builder accelerates the planning process by starting with proven templates instead of a blank page.
Can I use the itinerary builder without full-service planning?
Yes. Marco offers both full-service offsite planning and property-only bookings. The itinerary builder and guest experience portal are available with both options, though full-service clients get dedicated support from our event operations team.
How does Marco handle last-minute changes to the itinerary?
Changes are inevitable - a speaker cancels, weather forces an indoor activity, the CEO adds a session. Marco's team handles real-time adjustments and communicates changes to all vendors and attendees. The itinerary builder updates in real-time, and guests always see the current version.
What size groups does the itinerary builder support?
The itinerary builder and Marco's services work for groups from 20 to 500+ people. The tool scales to handle complex multi-track agendas for large all-hands events as well as simple schedules for intimate team retreats.
Ready to plan your next offsite? Take our retreat quiz to get matched with the perfect destination, or book a consultation with our team.