In this article we'd like to talk about the power of holding your company meetings, be they conferences, team building or strategy meetings etc. off-site, away from your normal work environment and the benefits that can be gained from heading off-site for your next meeting or conference.

Everyone gets used to their work environment and we all fall into set habits and behaviours, heading off-site, away from the office, can encourage your staff to break these habits and develop new ways of thinking. It's an interesting concept but totally true that staff behave differently when meetings are off-site.

Below are some of the key benefits of an off-site meeting.

Increased Productivity and Focus

Off-site meetings by their very nature are away from the usual work environment. Unlike meetings in your company's standard meeting or conference room you have the opportunity to separate the usual day to day work activities and routine and move away from everyday distractions like emails and phone calls.

When staff can concentrate and aren't being distracted or stressed by other factors this can only be beneficial to the meeting outcome and your business objectives.

A new meeting location and change of scenery can have a very positive impact, allowing for a more focused discussion on the meetings objectives. As a consequence staff are much more likely to be engaged and enthusiastic, resulting in higher productivity.

Enhanced Creativity

If you are finding that your in-house meetings are flat, off-site meetings can be a fantastic way of changing and shaking up the "status quo"; thereby reenergising staff. Stepping away from the office can often help bring new viewpoints and perspectives, and with this can come new, innovative ideas.

A new meeting environment can help staff break out of their usual office mind sets, increasing creativity and allowing them to think and communicate differently. Therefore if you're planning to host a meeting where you are looking to form a new business strategy or generate new ideas or goals e.g. when launching a project or product then an off-site meeting may be the ideal way to hold brainstorming sessions.

Ian Campbell from the Meetings Industry Association has been quoted as saying "Going off-site does wonders for creativity. A new surrounding can inject a fresh perspective into a team allowing blue sky thinking to come to the fore. Going off-site can feel indulgent but it is also hugely rewarding".

It's also interesting to note that a commissioned study conducted by Forrester Consulting on behalf of Adobe found that creativity is one of the most crucial factors to long-term business success. Companies that embrace creativity outperform rivals in revenue growth and market share.

Motivation, Wellbeing and Team Building

An off-site meeting can also provide a great opportunity to do team building activities and encourage social interaction between staff of different departments building a sense of camaraderie within the team. If the meeting was held in-house staff would normally wander back to their desks and back to their usual work routine once the meeting was finished.

Going off-site may also give you the opportunity to observe staff strengths and weaknesses which they may not show when they are reverting to type at in-house meetings.

Given the right setup and approach an off-site meeting can give your staff something to look forward to and will make them feel valued, giving them a boost to morale. Ian Campbell from the Meetings Industry Association also commented "Staff feel special and important that they have had that little bit more thought given to them and this will manifest itself in greater commitment and support".

Technology

Along with a specially dedicated meeting venue comes specialised equipment and the latest meeting technology available, allowing you to get the most of out of your meeting.

Everything from lavalier microphones (also known as a lapel mic, clip mic or personal mic) to whiteboards, flipcharts or work walls, plasma screens, LCD screens, or for larger rooms digital projectors and screens can help you to get your point across, present information in a way that's memorable and make your meeting a success.

The added bonus is that even though much of this equipment or technology may be unknown to you a good venue will come with audio-visual expert support.

Knowing that a fully-equipped meeting room is on hand, backed by the support you need makes a world of difference! You can leave the setup (and problem solving) to the venue allowing you to concentrate on your message or your presentation, without having to worry about whether any of the technology or kit is likely to break down or go awry.

We Can Help

If you are looking to move some or all of your meetings off-site Booking Partners can help by finding the right venue to meet your meeting or conference requirements. For meeting and conference room bookings contact us on +44 (0)330 022 8643 or via e-mail at reservations@bookingpartners.co.uk.