6 Reasons to Host Your Next Company Retreat at Boardwalk Lodge

Many companies use company retreats to do everything from planning strategic agendas for the year to team building, strengthening company culture or improving employee engagement and morale. But one of the key factors that makes a corporate retreat successful is its location.

It’s important to choose a setting that team members are excited about and that offers plenty of novelty, activity, and relaxation during the hours outside of retreat time. For a company retreat that meets leadership objectives and makes great memories, look no further than Boardwalk Lodge.

Boardwalk Lodge Corporate Retreat Benefits

1. Team Bonding
2. Spark Creativity
3. Sharpen Critical Thinking Skill
4. Boost Morale
5. Unbeatable Location
6. All-inclusive Experience

A company retreat is an incredible opportunity to strengthen bonds among your team, invite fresh, new thinking and break up the everyday routine. But even the best-planned company retreats can fall flat if you don’t get the location right.

At its most basic, your retreat venue needs to provide all the amenities you need to complete the ambitious activities you’ll have planned for your organization. But that’s just the beginning. To build buzz and excitement among your team, you also need to choose a retreat location that brings a bit of “wow.” You need a true destination—a place your entire team can’t wait to visit. A place that creates nothing but positive feelings about your corporate retreat.

Popular retreat destinations often include beautiful, natural settings—think oceanside, mountainside, etc. But more than that, they feel luxurious. You want your employees to feel like they’re being treated to something special. In addition, it often helps to find a location that is one-of-a-kind and/or has special historical interest. You want your retreat location to feel as far from the everyday as you possibly can—and that’s exactly what you get when you choose Boardwalk Lodge.

What is a Corporate Retreat?

A corporate retreat can serve several purposes for an organization—from professional development to strategic planning, goal-setting to team building. A corporate retreat might be a simple, day-long event, or it can last several days and be held at a destination location.

In the end, a successful retreat pulls your team members out of their day-to-day routines, thought patterns, and experiences so they can feel free to think more creatively. Plus, spending multiple days together in a new setting can help coworkers get to know each other in a more laid-back or less competitive environment, which can strengthen working relationships and improve collaboration among employees. With the rise of working from home in recent years, a corporate retreat represents a prime opportunity to bring your remote team together and help them create stronger bonds.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to plan a thoughtful and impactful agenda for your team—one that helps them feel like they’ve used their time wisely while also helping your organization meet its strategic goals.

Think carefully about the goal(s) of your annual retreat; don’t just have one to have one. For example, is there an especially thorny business problem your entire team has been wrestling with? Or is there an aspect of your company culture that needs to be cultivated or supported? Do you need to celebrate team achievements or help improve morale? Or is there a particular area in which your team needs training or professional development? All of these are good challenges to address during a team retreat.

In addition, make sure your corporate retreat ideas include a variety of activities—creative projects, strategic planning, and social activity, including the occasional happy hour, can make for a good mix. You’ll also want to make sure you build in plenty of time for team members to relax and engage in recreational activities on their own.

6 Reasons to Host Your Next Company Retreat at Boardwalk Lodge

Now that we’ve gone over what a corporate retreat is, let’s take a closer look at some of the key reasons you should host your next team building activity at Boardwalk Lodge.

1. Team Bonding

Sometimes the day-to-day work grind can be an obstacle to team members having the opportunity to develop meaningful relationships. But a corporate retreat can help ensure that your employees develop a strong working rapport and sense of team collaboration.

If you’re thoughtful and execute your retreat well, your team can forge new relationships, share ideas, and come to view each other in new and unexpected ways. Try to plan for both strategic and social activities that group people with others they may not have a chance to work with on a daily basis. Being in a more relaxed setting and interacting in new ways can catalyze creative thought, and carry over into how your team solves problems when you’re all back in the office.

In fact, research tells us that strengthening relationships outside of work increases employee engagement, and can help employees communicate better when they’re at work.

2. Spark Creativity

The change of scenery that the Boardwalk Lodge offers can be a huge creativity boost. When you’re surrounded by the beauty and majesty of nature, it just feels easier to think bigger and aim higher. Your entire team is physically breaking away from its physical routine, which opens the opportunity to break away from mental and creative barriers as well.

In addition, the breathtaking setting at the Boardwalk Lodge can help your team members feel more relaxed, which also encourages them to take some creative or strategic risks and share ideas they may feel more hesitant about in the office. Be intentional about planning brainstorming sessions and activities that encourage creative problem-solving, as these types of activities can help employees build upon each other’s ideas and really get their creative juices flowing.

3. Sharpen Critical Thinking Skills

The grim truth is that most of your employees probably devote little of their normal workday to true strategic leadership thinking. They’re fighting too hard to stay on top of the whirlwind of details and daily decisions that constantly come their way. Taking time away from the office to work on strategic challenges facing your organization gives your team permission to set aside the daily details and really focus on the overall health and direction of your organization.

Build in some time to engage in activities like a SWOT analysis to make sure your entire team is aware of both internal and market challenges in order to provide feedback on how to move your company forward. Giving your team a voice in overall company direction is a great way to revisit—or even redefine—your company mission. Plus, it encourages the team to work together toward a common purpose.

4. Boost Morale

Maybe your company is struggling with morale or employee engagement. Post-COVID-19, this isn’t all that uncommon. Your team has been through a lot in recent years, and you may have even dealt with market downturns or other external challenges that have led to staff reductions.

Whatever the case, a company retreat is a fantastic opportunity to boost your team’s morale. First of all, inviting your team to an amazing retreat location where they can socialize and brainstorm while also relaxing and having fun reminds your team of how much you value them. Second, being in a relaxed location and enjoying themselves together can reignite your team’s commitment to your organization and its mission.

5. Unbeatable Location

When you plan a destination team retreat, you’re looking for the kind of breathtaking location most people only dream of visiting. Choosing an amazing locale for your corporate retreat signals several things to your group: first of all, that you value them and want to provide an opportunity for them to make memories in a beautiful place together.

Hosting your corporate retreat at Boardwalk Lodge ticks all these boxes, allowing your team to enjoy the highest level of luxury within the beautiful and rugged Alaska wilderness. Boardwalk Lodge is an oceanfront fishing resort just 30 minutes from Ketchikan, Alaska, on the beautiful  Prince of Wales Island. Located among some of the best saltwater and freshwater fishing in the world, our lodge sits right in the heart of the Tongass National Forest. This prime location allows us to lead guided fishing trips to 23 different waterways and hundreds of miles of Alaskan coastline.

6. All-inclusive Experience

Taking your team to an amazing retreat location for a once-in-a-lifetime experience does more than just help meet your company’s goals. You’re also building loyalty and engagement among your team for years to come. When you hold your company retreat at Boardwalk Lodge, you not only stay in one of the world’s most beautiful locations, but you also have the chance to treat your team members to an all-inclusive adventure experience.

Planning amazing excursions and experiences for your team can be time-consuming and tricky, especially if you’re planning a retreat in a far-off destination. That’s where you truly win when you book with Boardwalk Lodge. We take all the stress and planning off your plate and deliver a top-quality adventure experience for you and your team.

We, of course, have the gourmet food and luxurious rooms and suites you’d expect from a world-class resort, but we also offer corporate groups the chance to participate in excursions with expert fishing guides as you enjoy saltwater or freshwater fishing, or even our famous eco tours.

Whether you’re in the mood for King or Sockeye salmon, Alaska halibut, dungeness crab or trout, our guides can help you get a great catch. When you partner with Boardwalk Lodge for your corporate retreat, you’ll enjoy:

• Chartered floatplane from Ketchikan to the Boardwalk Lodge dock
• Gourmet meals throughout your stay
• Freshwater and/or saltwater fishing, including all fishing equipment and gear, along with your catch packed in ice for shipping
• Floatplane back to Ketchikan

You get all this without the stress, worry, decision-making, and organizational gymnastics of planning the details yourself. And we’re confident you’ll find our tours and excursions some of the best you’ve experienced. Each one of our freshwater fishing guides is Orvis endorsed, and our saltwater boat captains are licensed by the U.S. Coast Guard.

And if not everyone in your group wants to fish, that’s fine, too. We offer plenty of adventures that don’t involve fishing. Other guided activities include whale watching, kayaking, spelunking, biking, hiking, and more. Guests also can visit the nearby bear observatory or tour Kassan totem Indian village. Or they can relax at the lodge while enjoying the splendor of the Alaskan landscape. There’s something for everyone in the group.

Boardwalk Lodge is Retreat Planning Made Simple

When planning your company retreat, you have a chance to offer your team members a much-needed physical and mental break from the ordinary. With a few fun activities, corporate retreats can help solve business problems, build morale, strengthen working relationships and more. And when you book your work retreat with Boardwalk Lodge, you have the added benefit of giving your employees a truly unique and once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience some of the world’s most beautiful natural landscapes and outdoor recreation with their coworkers. When you factor in our world-class service, unbeatable gourmet food and experienced tour and fishing guides, it’s hard to imagine a better retreat location for your corporate event.

Give us a call today and we will custom build your all-inclusive company retreat for you.