The all-hands retreat, 2027 edition: how to plan one your whole company remembers

An all-hands retreat is the one time a year the whole company is in the same place. It is expensive, it is visible and everyone has an opinion about it afterward.

Done well, it is the moment people remember why they joined. Here is how we plan one for 2027.

Why it still matters in 2027

Teams are more spread out than ever. Slack threads and quarterly video calls keep the work moving, but they do not build trust between people who never meet. An all-hands does. It is where the strategy becomes a story, the org chart becomes faces, and new hires finally meet the people they have been emailing for months.

Step 1. Decide what success looks like

Before a venue, before a date, write down what the company should think, feel and do differently when it is over. Keep it to two or three outcomes. Make at least one measurable, like moving your engagement score or your “I see my future here” number.

Step 2. Take the pulse before you go

A short survey a month out does two jobs. It gathers the practical things: dietary needs, accessibility, dates people cannot travel, shirt sizes. And it gives you a baseline on how connected and optimistic people feel. Ask a few 1 to 10 questions, then ask the exact same ones a month after.

Step 3. Choose the place, then lock the dates

Look for a place that is easy to reach for most of the company, with one room that holds everyone, breakout rooms nearby and somewhere to be outside. In 2027, the strongest windows are mid-January to early February, late April to mid-May, late September and late October to mid-November. Our 2027 dates note has the full calendar, and our destination notes cover where we would go.

For a large group, start sourcing 6 to 9 months out and sign 4 to 6 months out.

Step 4. Build the agenda, work first

Put the work sessions in the mornings, when people are sharpest. Fill the afternoons and evenings with meals, movement and fun. And build in real travel days, so nobody lands at 11pm and sits in a keynote at 8am.

The sessions that earn their place

State of the company. The CEO, 30 to 60 minutes, honest about wins and misses. Leave time for questions, including anonymous ones.

A customer panel. Two or three customers, partners or investors telling the company what it means to them. It lands harder than any internal slide.

Hot Seats. Our favorite format for a big group. One person brings a real problem; a mixed group of colleagues helps solve it.

Step 5. Get leaders ready early

Every leader who presents should have their story drafted weeks ahead and reviewed by the CEO. Nothing undermines an all-hands faster than a slide that contradicts the one before it. Send leadership a short pre-read and the pulse results before they write a word.

Step 6. Run it like a host, not a planner

On the day, someone needs to own the day: the AV, the timing, the dietary card that went missing, the speaker who is running long. That person should not be your Chief of Staff, who has a company to talk to. It should be a day-of producer. That is us.

Step 7. Follow through

Within 48 hours, thank everyone and send a short recap with the decisions and owners. Within a week, settle up with vendors. Within 30 days, run the same pulse survey and share the results with the company. Then use the photos and stories: they are the best recruiting content you will make all year.

We plan all-hands retreats as part of our Team retreats. Whether it is 40 people or 400, the goal is the same: a company that goes home more connected than when it arrived.