9 Engaging Offsite Meeting Ideas for Your Team

If you are located in a major city, an offsite corporate event doesn’t have to require a ton of travel. Reduce your carbon footprint and stay local by searching for your next event location on Peerspace. From eclectic art galleries and warehouses to cozy cafes and lofts, the options for your next corporate event are endless. This platform is Airbnb for events — it works in a similar way and is just as easy to use! Hosts in your city will rent out whatever space they have to offer, and you can rent it by the hour for your event. Everyone can use a break from the office. So next time you host a meeting, take it outside and discover some place new. Here are several engaging offsite meeting ideas your team will love.

1. Gather at a cat cafe

Coffee, charity, and cats — what more could you want? Cat cafes are popping up all over the United States, so they might make a practical meeting space if they offer enough tables in the separate dining area. Many also offer coffee and pastries, so you can have a morning meeting before wrapping up to go spend some quality time with adoptable feline friends. Just make sure you consult everyone on your team first to determine if anyone has allergies.

This is one of the top offsite meeting ideas for those who love animals. Also, if your team is based in or around Silicon Valley, there’s a fabulous cat-friendly creative space in San Jose that you can check out.

2. Venture on a field trip to a theme park

If you live near a theme park, take advantage of the built-in entertainment and amenities and meet there. If you can’t hold the meeting in the actual park, a nearby or onsite hotel may have meeting rooms and catering packages available. This offsite meeting idea allows you to incorporate work and play seamlessly. Just be sure to set aside a whole day for the event because you’ll want to get the most out of your ticket purchases.

3. Explore the great outdoors

A company picnic is a classic corporate event, but with the right planning, it can be reimagined as a meeting. Peerspace can help you find an outdoor venue that meets your meeting needs. You can search by amenities like pools, fire pits, and more. You might also consider combining an outdoor activity like an obstacle course, golf, bocce ball, or a relay race with your meeting. Getting your team up and active will leave them feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the tasks at hand.

4. Check out an aquarium or museum

Take a ride in a submarine under the sea for your next meeting! Museums and aquariums have calming atmospheres and can accommodate events of all kinds. Most also have cafeterias, so lunch for the meeting will be covered. Imagine going over sales goals for the next quarter next to the shark tank or alongside an indoor rainforest. This offsite meeting idea can be both a productive and educational experience for your team.

5. Enjoy a tea party

Take an idea from our friends across the sea and meet over tea. Find a local tea room or get tea and small bites catered to an appropriate tea party venue (you can find one on Peerspace), dress up for the occasion, and put those pinkies out! A tea party doesn’t have to distract your team from the business at hand, but can be a fun addition to any meeting. For extra fun, throw in some card games like Uno or Spoons.

6. Take a tour

If you are a B2B company with local clients or a B2C company with local vendors with open campus headquarters or factories that allow tours, consider taking a field trip meeting. It’s a great way to get to know the companies you are working with. Or, you can visit a local social media or tech company headquarters that your company may potentially work with in the future.

You can also book walking or bus tours of your own city and build that tour into the meeting agenda. At each stop, tackle a different item on the agenda so that the meeting tasks are weaved into the tour experience.

7. Branch out and book a Peerspace venue

Going offsite for a meeting doesn’t have to mean you are going on a faraway adventure or retreat. With Peerspace, you can escape the office simply by hosting your meeting in an alternative venue. You can find a place with all of the amenities you enjoy in the office: long tables, a kitchen, A/V capabilities, outdoor seating, and even things like a pool table!

Peerspace venues may also include catering options, so you can have a lunch meeting. If you rent out a cafe, there may be the option of getting a barista service for a morning meeting. If you need assistance renting A/V equipment and furniture, as well as arranging catering services, get in touch with the Peerspace Concierge service.

8. Embark on a scavenger hunt 

Get everyone out and moving in the fresh air with a little adventure! You can find customized scavenger hunts for your city on sites like CityHunt or ScavengerHunt and incorporate a new meeting discussion topic at each spot in the hunt so that you can be working while exploring. Just remember to ask everyone to come prepared with comfortable walking shoes, appropriate clothes for the weather, sunscreen, and sunglasses. You might even be able to ask to have the scavenger hunt designed so that it leads back to the office.

9. Take a class and learn something new

Give your team members the gift of new knowledge or a new skill. Take them to a make and take class or an interesting lecture. The class can be completely unrelated to your work and taken just for fun so that you have a nice mix of productive meeting time and play. Find classes at community colleges, local art studios, cooking schools, wineries, breweries, and bakeries.

Meetings can be so much more than just gatherings in the conference room with sandwiches. All you really need are some tables, chairs, and maybe lunch, so the possibilities for meeting locations are endless. Take your next meeting out of the office with these engaging offsite meeting ideas.

Find unique offsite meeting ideas on Peerspace