How to Plan a Company Away Day

The short answer

A company away day is a planned event that takes employees out of their usual workplace to focus on strategy, team building, culture, wellbeing or celebration. To plan one well, set clear objectives, choose the right format, budget realistically, build an inclusive agenda, brief suppliers early and measure outcomes afterwards.

What is a company away day?

A company away day is a structured work event held away from the normal office environment. It usually brings a whole company, department, leadership team or project group together for a clear purpose: alignment, planning, collaboration, team building, recognition, wellbeing or change.

The setting can vary widely. Some away days are hosted in meeting rooms with facilitated strategy sessions. Others take place outdoors, in creative studios, at country venues, in city event spaces or across several activity zones. The common thread is that people step out of day-to-day routines and spend focused time together.

A good company away day is not simply a day out. It should have a business reason, a clear structure and an experience that feels worth the time away from normal work. For HR managers, EAs, office managers and team leads, the main challenge is balancing practical logistics with a programme that genuinely supports the team.

Why does a company away day matter?

A well-planned away day can do things that are difficult to achieve in regular meetings. It creates shared time, removes usual distractions and gives people space to talk, listen, solve problems and build relationships.

Common reasons to run a company away day include:

• Aligning teams around business priorities
• Launching a new strategy, project or company value
• Improving communication between departments
• Welcoming new starters after growth or restructuring
• Rebuilding connection in hybrid or remote teams
• Recognising hard work after a busy period
• Supporting wellbeing and reducing burnout risk
• Encouraging creativity and problem solving
• Giving managers and employees time to reflect

Away days matter most when they are intentional. If the purpose is vague, the day can become a collection of activities with no clear outcome. If the purpose is sharp, even a simple format can have a strong impact.

The best company away day is not the most elaborate one. It is the one that matches your objectives, your people and the decisions you need to make.

What types of company away day can you run?

There is no single right format. The best option depends on your goals, group size, budget, location and company culture. Most away days fall into one or more of the following types.

Strategy and planning away days

These focus on business priorities, annual planning, departmental goals or leadership alignment. They usually include presentations, workshops, breakout groups and facilitated discussion. They are particularly useful for senior teams, growing companies, management groups and departments facing change.

A strategy away day needs careful agenda design. Too many presentations can drain energy, while too little structure can lead to vague discussion. Build in time for decisions, actions and ownership.

Team building away days

Team building away days are designed to improve trust, communication and collaboration. They can include problem-solving challenges, creative tasks, outdoor activities, competitive formats or collaborative group exercises. You can explore suitable options through Rocket Fuel’s team building events directory.

This format works well when teams are new, recently merged, working cross-functionally or struggling with silos. The activity should be appropriate for the group, not just chosen because it looks fun.

Wellbeing away days

Wellbeing away days focus on rest, resilience, mental health, movement, mindfulness, nutrition or work-life balance. They are often used after intense delivery periods or as part of a wider people strategy. Rocket Fuel’s wellness events can be a useful starting point.

A wellbeing format should feel supportive rather than tokenistic. Avoid overloading the day with mandatory activities that leave no time to pause.

Celebration and recognition away days

These events bring people together to celebrate milestones, thank teams or mark the end of a project. They may include awards, social activities, food and drink, entertainment or light-touch team challenges.

Recognition works best when it is specific and inclusive. Make sure remote workers, part-time staff and quieter contributors are considered, not only the most visible people.

Learning and development away days

These are designed around skills, behaviours or culture. Common themes include leadership, communication, feedback, inclusion, customer focus and innovation. They can combine training, practical exercises and reflection.

If the content is sensitive or specialist, use an experienced facilitator. Internal leaders can still contribute, but external facilitation often helps keep discussions balanced.

Charity or purpose-led away days

Charitable away days give teams a chance to work together while supporting a good cause. This might involve practical volunteering-style activities, fundraising challenges or building items for community use. You can browse charitable events if social impact is part of your brief.

Purpose-led formats can be highly engaging, but they should be handled carefully. Make sure the activity is genuinely useful and that any charity element is clearly explained.

How do you choose the right away day format?

Start with the outcome, not the activity. Many planning problems happen when the activity is chosen first and the purpose is added later. Use a simple decision process before you approach venues or suppliers.

1. Define the main objective

Write one sentence that explains why the away day is happening. For example: “We need the sales and operations teams to agree a better handover process” or “We want our hybrid team to reconnect and build trust.”

1. Identify the audience

Consider seniority, physical accessibility, team dynamics, confidence levels, working patterns, caring responsibilities and travel needs. A leadership team of 12 needs a different format from a whole-company event for 180 people.

1. Decide the level of structure

Strategy days need clear facilitation and outputs. Social or celebration days can be lighter, but still need flow. Mixed-purpose days usually need the most careful planning.

1. Choose the duration

A half-day can work for focused objectives, local teams or limited budgets. A full day gives more space for travel, deeper workshops, team building and social time. For more detail, see Half-Day vs Full-Day Away Days.

1. Match the activity to the objective

If the goal is trust, choose collaborative activities. If the goal is innovation, choose creative problem solving. If the goal is wellbeing, avoid over-competitive formats.

1. Sense-check inclusion and risk

Ask whether everyone can participate comfortably. Consider mobility, neurodiversity, dietary needs, religious observance, alcohol, noise, weather and travel.

1. Confirm the budget range

Budget affects venue, catering, transport, facilitation and activity options. Be realistic early so you do not waste time exploring unsuitable options.

What are realistic UK company away day costs?

Company away day costs in the UK vary significantly depending on location, group size, venue standard, catering, activity type, facilitation, AV, travel and whether the event is half-day, full-day or residential.

As a broad guide, typical UK costs might be:

• Simple meeting-led half-day with light refreshments: approximately £25-£75 per person
• Half-day with venue, catering and a team activity: approximately £60-£150 per person
• Full-day offsite with meeting space, catering and facilitated activity: approximately £100-£250 per person
• Premium full-day event with high-end venue, production or multiple activities: approximately £200-£400+ per person
• Residential away day with accommodation, dinner, meeting space and activities: approximately £250-£600+ per person

These are typical planning ranges, not fixed prices. London and major city venues often cost more, particularly when AV, room hire, service charges and minimum spends are added. Rural or out-of-town venues may offer better package value, but transport can increase the total cost.

Common budget lines include:

• Venue hire or day delegate rate
• Breakfast, tea and coffee, lunch and refreshments
• Dinner or drinks reception, if required
• Activity or facilitator fees
• AV, screens, microphones and technical support
• Transport, parking or station transfers
• Accommodation for residential events
• Event management support
• Insurance, contingency and VAT where applicable

For a deeper breakdown, use the dedicated guide: How Much Does a Company Away Day Cost in the UK?.

What group sizes work best for away days?

A company away day can work for almost any group size, but the format needs to change as numbers grow.

Small groups: 6-20 people

Small away days are useful for leadership teams, project groups and departmental planning. They allow detailed discussion and high participation. A meeting room, facilitator and focused agenda may be enough. Be careful not to over-plan every minute; smaller groups often benefit from space to explore issues properly.

Medium groups: 20-60 people

This is a common size for department or team away days. You can combine plenary sessions, breakout groups, team activities and informal networking. Logistics become more important, especially room layout, timings, dietary requirements and how people are grouped.

Large groups: 60-150 people

Large away days need stronger production and clearer movement. Registration, signage, microphones, seating plans, breakout spaces and catering flow all matter. Activities should be designed so everyone is involved without long waits.

Very large groups: 150+ people

At this scale, the event is closer to a company conference or internal festival. You may need professional event management, AV production, multiple facilitators, staged arrivals, app-based communications or zoned activities. Keep the core message simple and repeat it clearly.

For larger groups, consider using Rocket Fuel to browse corporate event venues and all events that can handle your required capacity and format.

How should you build the agenda?

An away day agenda should have a clear rhythm. People need a reason to arrive, a strong opening, varied energy levels, proper breaks, useful interaction and a clear close. Avoid building an agenda that looks efficient on paper but feels exhausting in practice.

A simple full-day structure might look like this:

• 09:00 Arrival, breakfast and informal networking
• 09:30 Welcome, purpose and outcomes
• 09:45 Business update or context setting
• 10:30 Interactive workshop or facilitated discussion
• 11:15 Break
• 11:35 Breakout activity or team challenge
• 12:45 Lunch
• 13:45 Main team building, planning or wellbeing session
• 15:15 Break
• 15:35 Group reflection and action planning
• 16:15 Commitments, next steps and close
• 16:30 Optional social time or departure

The exact timings should reflect your objective. If you need decisions, allow enough time for debate and action planning. If the priority is connection, protect informal time. If the day includes travel, do not start too early or finish too late.

For ready-to-use structures, see the Away Day Agenda Template (With Timings).

How far ahead should you plan a company away day?

The ideal planning timeline depends on size and complexity. As a rule, start earlier than you think, especially if you need a popular date, central location, specialist facilitator or venue with good transport links.

12-16 weeks before

• Confirm the purpose, audience and decision maker
• Agree a rough budget range
• Choose preferred dates and backup dates
• Decide whether the event is half-day, full-day or residential
• Shortlist locations and venue types
• Identify any internal speakers or facilitators

8-12 weeks before

• Confirm the venue or event space
• Select activities, facilitators or suppliers
• Check accessibility, travel and dietary arrangements
• Draft the agenda
• Issue a save-the-date or calendar hold
• Confirm internal approvals and purchase order requirements

4-8 weeks before

• Finalise the agenda and running order
• Collect dietary, access and travel information
• Confirm AV, room layouts and materials
• Brief speakers and activity providers
• Arrange transport if needed
• Share the purpose and high-level plan with attendees

1-4 weeks before

• Confirm final numbers with venue and suppliers
• Prepare slides, handouts, name badges or table plans
• Send joining instructions
• Create a contact list for the event day
• Check weather plans for outdoor elements
• Review risks and contingency plans

On the day

• Arrive early and check the room, AV, signage and catering
• Welcome attendees clearly
• Keep to time but stay flexible where needed
• Capture decisions, actions and feedback
• Close with next steps

After the event

• Send a thank-you message and summary
• Share actions, owners and deadlines
• Collect feedback while the day is still fresh
• Review success against objectives
• Follow up on commitments

Where should you hold a company away day?

The right location depends on access, purpose and atmosphere. A city-centre venue may suit a half-day workshop with easy public transport. A countryside venue may suit a full-day reset, wellbeing event or leadership retreat. A creative venue may help if the goal is innovation or culture change.

When comparing locations, consider:

• Travel time for the majority of attendees
• Public transport and parking
• Accessibility from stations or airports
• Availability of breakout rooms
• Natural light, outdoor space and ventilation
• Catering quality and dietary flexibility
• Noise levels and privacy
• AV and Wi-Fi reliability
• Wet-weather options
• Accommodation if needed

For London-based teams, it may be worth looking beyond the obvious central options. Locations just outside the city can offer more space and a stronger sense of being away, while still keeping travel manageable. See The Best Away Day Locations Near London for ideas on choosing the right area.

If you are still open to format, browse venues alongside event options so the activity and setting work together.

What common away day mistakes should you avoid?

Many away day problems are avoidable. The most common mistakes are usually caused by unclear objectives, poor timing or assumptions about what employees will enjoy.

Avoid these pitfalls:

• Planning around an activity before agreeing the purpose
• Trying to cover too many objectives in one day
• Choosing a location that is awkward for most people
• Forgetting accessibility, dietary or religious requirements
• Making social drinking central to the event
• Overloading the agenda with presentations
• Leaving no time for breaks or informal conversation
• Failing to brief speakers and facilitators properly
• Running competitive activities that exclude some attendees
• Not capturing decisions, actions or feedback
• Treating the away day as a one-off rather than part of wider work

Hybrid teams need particular care. If the away day is mandatory, think about travel burden, childcare, part-time working patterns and whether people are being asked to give up personal time. If some people cannot attend, decide how they will be included before and after the event.

For a fuller checklist, read 10 Away Day Mistakes to Avoid.

How do you measure whether a company away day worked?

Measurement should connect back to the original objective. A satisfaction score is useful, but it is not enough on its own. If the goal was alignment, you need to know whether people left clearer. If the goal was collaboration, you need to see whether teams behave differently afterwards.

Useful measures include:

• Attendance and drop-off rates
• Feedback scores on relevance, organisation and inclusion
• Qualitative comments on what worked and what did not
• Confidence ratings before and after the day
• Number of decisions made or actions agreed
• Completion of follow-up actions
• Manager observations over the following weeks
• Employee engagement survey themes
• Cross-team collaboration indicators
• Retention of key messages after 30 or 60 days

A simple post-event survey might ask:

1. What was the most useful part of the day?
2. What should we change next time?
3. Do you understand the priorities or next steps more clearly?
4. Did the event help you connect with colleagues?
5. Was the format accessible and inclusive for you?
6. What action should the company take now?

Share the results with stakeholders and attendees where appropriate. If people gave time and honest feedback, they should see that it mattered.

How can Rocket Fuel help you plan a company away day?

Rocket Fuel helps UK teams find corporate events, team building activities and venues that fit the purpose of the day. Whether you are planning a small leadership offsite, a department away day, a wellbeing event or a full-company gathering, you can compare suitable options in one place.

Start by browsing all events, explore team building, wellness, incentives or kickstarters, or look for suitable venues. If you need help narrowing the options, you can also contact Rocket Fuel with your brief, group size, location and budget range.

The best results come when you share the basics early: objective, audience, date range, location preference, budget per person, accessibility needs and whether you need venue, activity, catering or full event support.

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