How to renew, re-energize and reconnect

Genie Campbell

In 2004 and again this year, the chosen spot was Ho-Chunk Casino and Hotel Convention Center in Baraboo.

Not only can the gambling resort accommodate a group that large, but its on-site casino amenities are hard to find elsewhere.

Organized like a convention, attendees pay for food and their rooms at a group-discount price.

"We send out a survey after each retreat and we always get the same percentage of people who want to go back to Wisconsin Dells and Ho-Chunk area in January. That's because January is traditionally a slow month for real-estate people," said Doris Hanson, First Weber Group executive vice president.

Getting away from the office, if only for a day, can help employees brainstorm and refocus. Sometimes a business retreat is little more than a catered lunch. Other times it might involve an overnight stay with time built in for a game of golf.

"We help businesses all the time with their retreats," said Deborah Archer, president/CEO of the Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau. "The greatest help we offer is sending out meeting specs for a vast number of hotels, facilities and other venues in the area. We can also collect proposals," she added.

The majority of requests received by the bureau are generated by non- Madison businesses and organizations.

"Work retreats are often scheduled in remote or resort locations. This often works well, but we always recommend that event planners look at urban or suburban hotels, B&Bs and other venues because their attendees will be closer to the airport and highways, pricing may be more reasonable and there is more for attendees to do when they take a break," Archer said.

Holly Berkenstadt, CEO of Wisconsin Cheeseman Inc., a specialty food catalog company based in Sun Prairie, said getting out of the office to talk strategy has helped her business.

"We haven't done anything on a major scale, but we've held strategic planning meetings in conference rooms at local hotels. One instance, it was a mid-level management retreat attended by about 35 people.

By shifting the responsibility for leading discussions and presenting ideas, we helped people to develop leadership skills," she said.

"Definitely everyone enjoyed being able to get off site and devote their time without having to deal with interruptions," she added.

Thomas Wilkerson, with eXpandRetreats.com, based in Seattle, is hoping to add more Wisconsin sites to his online listing of retreats. The demand for such sites is increasing, he said.

Large corporations, especially, he said, set up weekend retreats to do management training and seminar work. They want technological services, including high-speed Internet access, and "better-thanaverage" food, he said.

"A place with an atmosphere is nice because it is more relaxing," Wilkerson added. "Hence the term 'retreat.'" Another important factor is logistics.

"It's best to pick a spot that everyone can get to within a couple of hours of driving," he said, noting that, "especially with large corporations, the higher you are up on the ladder, the more say you have in the venue." Cost is often the deciding factor for where to go, how long to go or even whether to meet outside the office. Local businesses will, however, sometimes donate meeting space for use by nonprofit boards, companies and groups.

For example, American Family Insurance allows nonprofit groups (with no religious or political agendas) to use the educational and training center at its corporate headquarters on the far East Side of Madison. The auditorium seats 317 people and has up-to-date multimedia capabilities.

There is a separate charge for food and beverages.

CUNA Mutual Group also allows nonprofit groups ? primarily United Way and its affiliates ? to hold functions and meetings at its office complex at 5910 Mineral Point Road.

"We never charge groups to use the facility. We absorb that cost. We do expect our guests to pay for their own food and beverages, and we charge them for security if there is a need to put extra guards on duty," said Phil Tschudy, media relations manager.

Chamberlain Research Consultants often hosts in-house staff retreats and brain-storming sessions of its own. The company also rents meeting space to other businesses for the same purposes.

"We can handle as many as 45 people, and we have a gourmet chef on staff," said Sharon Chamberlain, president and CEO. "Businesses are welcome to do their own moderating or we will do the facilitating for them."

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