10 Away Day Mistakes to Avoid
Practical advice for planning a focused, inclusive and good-value company away day in the UK.
The short answer
The biggest away day mistakes are unclear objectives, overpacked agendas, poor venue choices, vague budgets, weak communication, ignoring accessibility and failing to follow up. Avoid them by setting one or two outcomes, choosing a suitable format, confirming costs early, briefing attendees clearly and assigning owners for actions before everyone leaves.
What are the most common away day mistakes?
Company away days can be highly useful, but they often go wrong for predictable reasons. The problem is rarely effort. It is usually a lack of clarity, too much content, poor logistics or no follow-through.
If you are planning your first away day, start with the wider structure in How to Plan a Company Away Day, then use this guide as a practical checklist of what to avoid.
The 10 biggest away day mistakes are:
- Planning without a clear outcome.
- Trying to do too much in one day.
- Choosing the wrong format.
- Underestimating the true cost.
- Booking a venue that looks good but works badly.
- Forgetting accessibility and inclusion.
- Leaving travel and timing too vague.
- Making the day too leadership-heavy.
- Treating team building as an afterthought.
- Failing to capture actions and follow up.
A good away day should leave people clearer, better connected and able to act on what was agreed.
1. Planning without a clear outcome
The most common mistake is starting with a date, venue or activity before agreeing why the away day is happening.
“Getting everyone together” is a reason, but it is not a planning objective. It does not help you decide the agenda, attendee list, room layout, facilitator style or budget.
Better objectives include:
- Agree three priorities for the next quarter.
- Rebuild connection after a restructure or period of remote working.
- Improve collaboration between two departments.
- Launch a new strategy and gather team feedback.
- Celebrate delivery while giving people time to reset.
Keep it to one or two primary outcomes. If you try to combine strategy, training, wellbeing, celebration, problem-solving and awards into one day, the result will feel rushed and unfocused.
A simple planning test is to finish this sentence: “By the end of the away day, attendees should understand, feel or do…” If you cannot complete it in plain English, the brief is not ready.
2. Trying to fit too much into the agenda
A packed agenda often looks efficient on paper but feels exhausting in the room. Sessions overrun, breaks disappear and the most important discussion gets squeezed at the end.
For a full-day away day, plan around 5 to 6 hours of actual content, not 8 hours. The rest will be taken up by arrival, breaks, lunch, transitions, comfort stops and informal conversation.
A realistic full-day structure might be:
- 09:30 to 10:00: Arrival, refreshments and settling in.
- 10:00 to 10:30: Welcome and purpose.
- 10:30 to 11:30: Main business session.
- 11:30 to 11:45: Break.
- 11:45 to 12:45: Workshop or discussion.
- 12:45 to 13:45: Lunch.
- 13:45 to 15:15: Team activity or facilitated challenge.
- 15:15 to 15:30: Break.
- 15:30 to 16:15: Reflection and action planning.
- 16:15 to 16:30: Close.
For more detail on shaping the day, see this Away Day Agenda Template (With Timings).
The key is to protect breaks. People need time to absorb information, speak informally and reset. Removing breaks rarely saves the day; it usually reduces the quality of participation.
3. Choosing the wrong format for the objective
Not every away day needs to be a full-day offsite with a large activity. The format should match the outcome, seniority, group size and energy required.
Common mismatches include:
- Using a lecture-style format when you need input and buy-in.
- Booking a competitive activity for a team that needs trust-building.
- Running a half-day when the topic needs deeper discussion.
- Taking people out of the office for an update that could have been a meeting.
- Planning an intense workshop when the real need is recovery and reconnection.
As a guide:
- Half-day away days work well for focused planning, team check-ins and short workshops.
- Full-day away days suit strategy, cross-team collaboration, team building and culture work.
- Overnight formats are better for senior teams, major change programmes or groups travelling long distances.
For activities, choose something that supports the purpose. A charity-based challenge may work well for values and connection. A wellbeing session may suit teams under sustained pressure. Browse structured team-building events, wellness events or charitable events once the objective is clear, not before.
4. Underestimating the true cost
Another frequent away day mistake is budgeting only for the headline item: the venue, facilitator or activity. The real cost is usually a combination of several items.
Typical UK away day costs vary widely, but approximate ranges are:
- Meeting room or venue hire: £300 to £2,000+ per day, depending on location, size and facilities.
- Day delegate rate: £35 to £95 per person, often including room hire, refreshments and lunch.
- Team activity: £25 to £150 per person, depending on format, duration and facilitation.
- External facilitator: £750 to £3,000+ per day, depending on brief and preparation.
- Travel: £10 to £80+ per person for local or regional travel.
- Evening meal: £35 to £90 per person, excluding or including drinks depending on the arrangement.
Build a budget using categories rather than one total figure. Include:
- Venue hire or delegate rate.
- Food and drink.
- Activity or facilitation.
- AV and equipment.
- Travel and parking.
- Accommodation, if needed.
- Contingency of around 10%.
Be clear about what the company will pay for. If drinks, taxis or overnight stays are not covered, say so early. Ambiguity creates awkwardness for attendees and extra admin for the organiser.
5. Booking a venue that looks good but works badly
A venue can be impressive and still be wrong for your away day. The most important question is not “Does it look nice?” but “Will it support the agenda?”
Before booking, check:
- Capacity in the layout you need, not just maximum standing capacity.
- Natural light, ventilation and temperature control.
- Reliable Wi-Fi for the number of attendees.
- AV included in the price, including screens, microphones and adapters.
- Space for breakouts if you need small-group work.
- Lunch area separate from the main meeting room, where possible.
- Accessibility, including step-free access and accessible toilets.
- Travel time from main offices or transport hubs.
- Cancellation terms and minimum numbers.
For a workshop-heavy day, cabaret or classroom layout may work better than theatre style. For discussion, boardroom or clusters of 6 to 8 can be more effective. For activities, confirm ceiling height, floor space, outdoor options and wet-weather plans.
You can explore suitable UK event venues, but always sense-check the venue against your agenda before confirming.
6. Forgetting inclusion, communication and attendee needs
Away days affect people differently. A format that feels energising to one person may be stressful, inaccessible or impractical for another. Inclusion should be designed in from the start, not added after complaints.
Ask attendees for practical requirements before finalising details. This can be done through a short form covering:
- Dietary requirements.
- Accessibility needs.
- Mobility considerations.
- Neurodiversity-related adjustments.
- Caring responsibilities or timing constraints.
- Travel concerns.
- Religious or cultural considerations.
Share the joining instructions at least one week before the event. Include:
- Date, start and finish time.
- Venue address and nearest public transport.
- What is provided and what to bring.
- Dress code, especially for activities.
- Food arrangements.
- Accessibility information.
- Expense policy.
- Contact details for questions on the day.
Avoid surprise physical activities unless you have clearly warned people and provided alternatives. Not everyone wants, or is able, to climb, run, perform or compete. Inclusive planning usually improves the event for everyone, not just those who request adjustments.
7. Letting the day become leadership-heavy
Away days often lose energy when they become a sequence of senior updates. Leaders may need to set context, but if attendees spend most of the day being spoken at, it will feel like a long meeting in a different room.
A better balance is:
- 20% context and updates.
- 40% discussion, problem-solving or workshop activity.
- 25% connection and team building.
- 15% reflection, commitments and close.
Use practical formats to increase participation:
- Small-group discussions with clear questions.
- Rotating tables so people hear from colleagues outside their usual team.
- Dot voting to prioritise ideas.
- Anonymous question collection for sensitive topics.
- Paired reflection before open discussion.
- Clear action owners for each output.
If the subject is sensitive, consider using a neutral facilitator. They can manage time, draw out quieter voices and keep senior people from dominating the room.
8. Failing to follow up after the away day
The final mistake is treating the away day as complete when people leave the venue. If decisions, ideas and actions are not captured, the value quickly fades.
Before the day, assign someone to capture outputs. This should not be left to the busiest organiser unless they have capacity. Decide what needs recording:
- Decisions made.
- Actions agreed.
- Owners and deadlines.
- Questions to answer later.
- Themes from feedback.
- Photos of workshop outputs, where appropriate.
Send a follow-up within 3 working days. Keep it short and useful:
- Thank attendees.
- Restate the purpose of the day.
- Summarise the main decisions.
- List actions with owners and deadlines.
- Explain what happens next.
- Link to a short feedback form.
Ask no more than 5 to 7 feedback questions. Include a mix of rating scales and free text, such as:
- How useful was the away day overall?
- Did the agenda match the stated purpose?
- What was the most valuable part of the day?
- What should we change next time?
- Do you understand the next steps?
The best away days create momentum. Follow-up is what turns a good day out into a useful business activity.
Frequently asked questions
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