Notes from the Office
Field notes on how teams gather, why it works, and where to do it. Written in the office, not by a marketing department.
Note 33 · DestinationsThe best retreat places within two hours of ManhattanFarms, lakes, mountain lodges and river towns. Real quiet, close enough to drive, for New York teams.Read the note →Note 32 · PlanningClient appreciation retreats: how to host your best clients without it feeling like a pitchThe strongest client relationships are built away from the conference room. Here is how to host one that feels like a gift, not a sales trip.Read the note →Note 31 · PlanningHow to measure the ROI of a company retreat, and win the budgetFinance approves the retreat. Here is how to show them what it returns, before and after.Read the note →Note 30 · PlanningHow to run an AI workshop at your offsite, and keep it humanEvery company is figuring out AI. The offsite is the best room to decide how, together, and what stays human.Read the note →Note 34 · From the founderWhat I saw at IMEX America 2026: retreats are turning inwardOur founder spent four days on the floor in Las Vegas. The experiences were loud. The ones that will matter are quieter.Read the note →Note 29 · PlanningRetreat schedule templates: five itineraries you can stealThe right schedule protects energy, respects travel and leaves room for the conversations that matter. Here are the five shapes we use most.Read the note →Note 28 · PlanningThe new job requirement for People leaders: retreat strategistPlanning the offsite used to mean booking rooms. Now it means changing how the company works. Here is how our programs do the heavy lifting.Read the note →Note 27 · PlanningThe all-hands retreat, 2027 edition: how to plan one your whole company remembersEveryone in one place, once a year. Here is how we plan an all-hands that aligns the company, and actually feels good to be at.Read the note →Note 26 · PlanningThe unreal anniversary: how wellness, fitness and future-facing companies celebrate a milestoneA company anniversary should feel like the company. For teams built on energy, breath and big ideas, that means something a little out of this world.Read the note →Note 25 · DestinationsWhy Indian Wells is the perfect retreat destination for big teamsMountain views, big resorts and sunshine all winter. When the whole company is coming, Indian Wells makes it easy.Read the note →Note 24 · DestinationsWhy Joshua Tree is the perfect retreat destination for creative teamsHigh desert, big sky, and a strange beauty that makes people think differently. An hour from Palm Springs, a world away.Read the note →Note 23 · DestinationsWhy Yosemite is the perfect retreat destination for teams that need perspectiveGranite walls, waterfalls and the oldest kind of awe. Nothing puts a quarterly plan in perspective faster.Read the note →Note 22 · DestinationsWhy Mendocino is the perfect retreat destination for small teamsFog, cliffs, redwoods and very little signal. For teams that need to go quiet before they can think clearly.Read the note →Note 21 · DestinationsWhy Lake Tahoe is the perfect retreat destination for Bay Area companiesA lake so clear it resets you on sight. Snow in winter, swimming in summer, and a few hours from the Bay.Read the note →Note 20 · PlanningTwo companies, one team: how to design a post-merger retreatThe deal closed on paper. The merger happens in a room. Here is how we bring two teams together so it actually takes.Read the note →Note 19 · PlanningThe sales kickoff, our way: workshops that get a team GTM-ready, and a celebration they will rememberSlides tell a sales team the plan. The right workshops get them ready to run it. Then you celebrate like it matters.Read the note →Note 18 · PlanningCost per attendee: how to calculate the true cost of a company retreatOne number tells leadership what a retreat really costs. Here is how to get it right, with real ranges from our own retreats.Read the note →Note 17 · PlanningWhat dates to avoid when booking your 2027 retreatThe dates are the first decision and the hardest to undo. Here is the 2027 calendar, and the windows we would book.Read the note →Note 16 · PlanningMarketing team offsite for 2027: the agenda and ideasA marketing offsite should do two things: reset the strategy and refill the creative tank. Here is a three-day plan that does both.Read the note →Note 15 · TrendsWhat Gen Z employees want from a company retreatThe youngest people on your team did not grow up with the ballroom offsite. Here is what actually lands with them.Read the note →Note 14 · WorkshopsWhat a sound bath actually does for a teamIt sounds like the softest part of the agenda. It is often the part people talk about most.Read the note →Note 13 · PlanningHow to prepare your leadership team before an offsiteThe best leadership offsites are half done before anyone gets on a plane.Read the note →Note 12 · PlanningRunning a retreat after a reorg or layoffsWhen a team has been shaken, a retreat can rebuild trust or break it further. Here is how to get it right.Read the note →Note 11 · PlanningPlanning a sales kickoff that actually sellsMost kickoffs are a week of slides and a hangover. Here is how to send a team home ready to hit the number.Read the note →Note 10 · PlanningThe week after: how to make a retreat stickThe retreat ends on Friday. Whether anything changes is decided the following week.Read the note →Note 09 · PlanningHow to pitch a retreat to your CEOYou believe your team needs time away. Here’s how to make the case in the language leadership uses.Read the note →Note 08 · DestinationsWhy Ojai is the perfect retreat destination for California companiesSome destinations are designed for entertainment.Read the note →Note 07 · DestinationsWhy Palm Springs is the perfect retreat destination for Bay Area companiesPalm Springs has always been a place to slow down.Read the note →Note 06 · DestinationsWhy Napa is the perfect retreat destination for Bay Area companiesThe more digital work becomes, the more valuable time together becomes.Read the note →Note 05 · TrendsWhy Bay Area AI companies need better retreatsWork has become almost entirely digital.Read the note →Note 04 · Workshops5 retreat workshops that will shape 2027The future of company retreats isn't more activities. It's more intentional experiences.Read the note →Note 03 · From the founder“We’re aligned.” Who The Renewal Office is for, and who it isn’tNot every company needs The Renewal Office.Read the note →Note 02 · Trends7 corporate retreat shifts shaping 2027As AI transforms the way we work and teams become increasingly distributed, time together has become one of a company's most valuable investments.Read the note →Open a file
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