When planning a retreat, there are 10 essential decisions that must be made, in advance, before you can start inviting your attendees to join you. How to plan your retreat by making these 10 essential decisions is outlined step-by-step below.
Think of these decisions as your blueprint for building your perfect retreat and then make adjustments as needed for all of the pieces to fit together.
The thoughtfulness you put into these decisions will determine your retreat’s foundation and success!
1. What is your why?
Why are you planning and hosting this retreat? This is the foundation of how to plan your retreat and all of the other decisions must support this one!
What transformation do you want your attendees to achieve in your time together? What desired outcome do you want for them? This is not just a vacation where your attendees put in their time. You want them to go home changed.
A good statement to help you determine your why and the transformation you want to achieve is…
“I came here feeling ___________, and left feeling __________________”.
“I came here feeling overwhelmed and lacking direction, and left feeling encouraged with a clear action plan”.
“I came here feeling exhausted and burned out, and left feeling rested, reenergized, and clear-headed on what I want to do going forward”.
All of the following decisions will circle back to this one.
2. Who is it for and how many can you serve?
Decide how many attendees you can serve and still achieve your transformation. When making this decision, you need to also consider who it is NOT for. By eliminating those who will not be a good fit, you protect the room so you can accomplish your “why” in decision #1.
Not everyone will be the right fit for your retreat vision. Individuals are unique and we want to make reasonable accommodations for personal preferences. But it’s ok to wisely choose your tribe.
For example; I hosted a retreat for 20 women at a beautiful lodge on a lake in Northern Arizona. It was for a group of moms who rarely had time to have a thought for themselves with all of their other responsibilities. The transformation statement was, “I came feeling depleted and like I’d lost myself, and I left feeling centered and excited about my marriage and family”.
The schedule purposefully included an extended quiet time with no demands one afternoon for each woman to think about what was most important to her, with no interruptions or responsibilities to distract her.
One of the attendees was not included on the private invite list but had heard about it from others, and it was awkward to not let her attend since I had the space. (I gave in even though my ‘gut’ was telling me NO)!
During our ‘personal quiet session’, she knocked on my door to tell me she had noticed the night before that the porch lightbulb was burned out. A few minutes later, another knock on the door; the upstairs bathroom was down to the last toilet paper roll. An hour after that, “Could I borrow your keys; I’d love to go to Walmart. I never get to shop without the kids with me and I carpooled with so-and-so”.
Bottom line- your retreat is not for everyone and don’t feel bad about being exclusive.
3. What is the ‘vibe’ you are envisioning?
‘Retreat’ can mean a lot of things so think about the style and theme you are envisioning. Are you imagining a grown-up summer camp with cabins, bunks, and campfires? Or, were you picturing a luxe, all-inclusive experience with private rooms and soaking tubs?
There is not a right or wrong answer, but this essential decision must be made early in the planning stages.
4. What is your retreat time frame?
How long do you want your retreat to be for attendees? This decision will be based on who your retreat is for- your perfect fit client. A weekend getaway may be perfect for a self-care/ wellness retreat for busy corporate women. If it’s a business and networking retreat for the same group, Sunday through Wednesday may serve them better.
A note here on the length of retreats. Your retreat can be overnight, for example, Friday and Saturday. It can be 3 days, 4 days, or more. Typically, a ‘4 day retreat’ would be structured something like this:
- Day 1 Arrival (often late afternoon/ early evening)
- Day 2 Full day
- Day 3 Full day
- Day 4 Departure (usually before noon)
Be aware that many venues have a check-in time of 4 pm so plan on your guest arrival time accordingly. You may want to ask for early check-in for yourself (or add an extra day pre-event) so you have time to set up and be prepared to meet your guests.
5. When planning your retreat, what venue will serve your first four decisions?
There are as many venue options as there are retreat visions! We will cover only the basic categories here to get you thinking about what works best for your desired transformation for your attendees, who your retreat is for, the number of attendees you anticipate hosting, the vibe you imagine, and your time frame.
Your categories to consider for accommodations are:
- A retreat center that caters to groups.
- A meeting venue where your group gathers and they arrange their own accommodations and meals.
- A hotel or inn where everyone stays together as a group and meets in a central gathering place.
- A private home, such as an AirBnB.
- A group of cabins, or rental homes in a neighborhood with a central meeting spot.
6. How will I promote my retreat?
Will it be by invitation only? An open invite to a certain group or community? Open to a broad audience that you may not know yet?
You can see the sequence of the essential decisions you are making. Every subsequent decision must meet the criteria of supporting the decisions that came before.
An intimate retreat at an AirBnB for a maximum of 10 guests is going to be much different than a weekend where the host has a gathering venue and attendees arrange their own travel, lodging, and meals.
7. How to plan your retreat budget
In a sequential list, why would budget be the 7th essential decision? Your budget (and ticket price) should be based on your vision and your desired outcome.
You must lay out in your mind (or on paper) what your dream retreat looks like, calculate what it will cost (approximately), and how much you will need to charge to cover your costs and pay yourself.
Only then will you be able to make adjustments such as a shorter time, adjusting the number of attendees, or finding a different venue. Is it worth making these adjustments, or would you rather raise the ticket price?
8. What is included in your retreat?
Now that you have established your budget and your ticket price per person, decide what you can include.
For example, depending on your location, and the proximity of stores and restaurants nearby, you can choose to include all meals, most meals, or only some meals. Make sure whatever you decide fits your 1st five essential decisions.
You could consider having a photographer you have hired shoot media assets for you and include a free headshot for your guests- or they can book their own optional mini photo session and pay the photographer directly.
Include the important things that are needed to accomplish your vibe and transformation and be willing to negotiate the other things on your “wish list” as needed.
Being very clear about what is not included in your retreat price is as important as what is included.
Most retreats do not include travel- but what about getting to the venue? What meals are included? How about snacks? Beverages? Alcohol? Is there a mini-fridge in their room, or can they bring their preferred snacks and beverages to the AirBnB?
What should they bring and what is provided? Make it clear what your guests can expect.
I have even done a trade with a photographer friend where she attended my retreat as my photographer capturing all of the moments and doing individual headshots. In exchange, a few months later, I was the concierge and coordinator for her retreat where she did branding workshops for her entrepreneur attendees and included their photo shoot as part of the retreat ticket price.
I got amazing professional media assets, my attendees got added value with their headshots (and she got referrals for future business), and she was able to be fully present with her retreat guests while I handled logistics, meal prep & cleanup and kept everyone on schedule!
9. Who do I need on my team?
Unless you are hosting a very small number of guests and have a minimal amount of structured time in your schedule, you will need a team to help you.
- Who will prep and clean up meals?
- Who will be the point person if someone can’t find the venue or has a delayed flight?
- Are you facilitating workshops and group time or do you need to bring in another expert?
- Do you need a general ‘assistant’ who can handle everything or more specialized help such as a personal chef?
As the host, you need to be well-rested and available for your attendees. It is almost impossible to achieve this if you are wearing all of the hats!
10. Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
The purpose of frequently asked questions is to answer your attendee’s queries, but it’s also an opportunity to address concerns and possible objections. It’s a chance for you to help your potential guest make the decision to buy a ticket to your retreat.
Be sure to clearly spell out your cancellation and refund policy in the FAQ section even if you have listed it elsewhere. Suggest travel insurance for those who are not local.
You can use this section to ‘qualify’ those attendees who will be the best fit (and eliminate those who won’t) by strategically asking a question.
For example,
Q: Can I come on Friday morning instead of Thursday night?
A: Our Thursday evening check-in and welcome reception is the time when you get settled into your room and get to know your fellow attendees. After a fun and relaxing evening, and a good night’s sleep, we are ready to tackle our first full-day agenda. Rather than disrupting the group, it would be better for you to attend when you can be fully present for the entire experience.
There is a lot to think about when planning your retreat and answering these 10 essential questions will give you the framework to keep you on track with your vision!
For QUICK REFERENCE in your retreat planning, download the 10 Essential Questions for Planning Your Retreat CHECKLIST. It’s my gift to you 
I’d love to hear your retreat plans! Book a FREE 30-minute call and tell me all about it! I’d be glad to help you make decisions, give you some tips, and share my 25+ years of hosting experience with you. Your dream becomes real when you say it out loud 
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