Company retreats are a great way to get people out of the office and into a creative and collaborative space. But if you’re planning a company retreat, it’s also important to make sure that it’s accessible to all members of your team.

With the right planning, you can ensure that your next company retreat is accessible to everyone and that every member of your team can enjoy the experience. Also, if you need further help planning an inclusive retreat, Frogbridge Events is here to assist or answer any questions you may have.

How to Make Your Company Retreat More Accessible

Here are some strategies for making your next company retreat more accessible so that all members of your team can benefit from the experience. 

Know Who You’re Inviting

As you start planning your next company retreat, keep in mind the people that you are inviting. Do you plan to invite the whole company or is it a retreat for just one department? This will dictate the venue size. Also, be mindful of the accommodations that the people you’re inviting need. For instance, if a team member uses a wheelchair, you will want to opt for inclusive activities instead.

You may find out that some staff members that do not need any accommodations at work may have other limitations for activities outside of their usual duties. When sending out emails about the upcoming retreat or invitations, you can also let attendees know who to contact if they need any special accommodations.

Ask for Team Member Input

You can also get team members involved in the planning of the retreat so they can express any concerns or preferences with you before you finalize the schedule. Perhaps you can decide on a group of possible activities and send out a poll to the group to see which ones they would like to participate in at the retreat. This way, you can create a retreat based on what attendees want to do. 

Not all accessibility concerns center around wheelchair ramps and ADA compliance. Some staff members might not be comfortable with loud noises or heights. Without finding this out in advance, you wouldn’t necessarily know this when planning your retreat. Ultimately, you want to plan a retreat team members want to attend. Involving them by soliciting input can improve engagement and make it more accessible.

Check for Accessible Hotels

If your retreat includes an overnight stay, be sure to ask hotels about their own accessibility accommodations. Most hotels will abide by and comply with ADA standards. However, it is always a smart idea to verify that ADA-compliant rooms will be available to your team, if needed, when you book the stay.

Make the Event More Accessible

Retreats often require temporary structures, such as gazebos and tents. Fortunately, there are ways to make temporary events more accessible. For example, if your company retreat will have staff members from around the globe attending, it is possible that there could be language barriers that could prohibit full participation. You could have an interpreter available at the event to facilitate communication and participation for all team members.

Also, if your event will have temporary structures, it’s important that there are accessibility ramps where needed, along with ample space between chairs, tables, and other items to allow ample room for a wheelchair to pass through. While permanent structures and buildings may have accessibility features such as an elevator and ramps, you may need to ensure that temporary structures do too.

Recruit a Team of Event Planning Experts at Frogbridge Events

Event planning can be a difficult process if you are trying to incorporate new ideas and make adjustments for a broader audience. Fortunately, you can get help from a team of event planning experts who have plenty of experience creating more accessible company retreats. 

At Frogbridge Events, we work with companies to plan their retreats while focusing on their main goals and making each event accessible to their audience. Let us work with you to plan a company retreat that is right for all of your participants. Call us at (609) 208-9475 or use our contact form to discuss your next event.