Principles of a successful remote offsite
A distributed team does not come to an offsite to do what it already does remotely. It comes for what the screen does badly: spontaneous conversation, shared meals, decisions that need debate, and trust. A good programme therefore protects those moments.
Zapier's public guide is a useful reference. It describes week-long retreats made up of four full working days, plus an optional free day, with two travel days at either end. Work takes two forms: the hackathon, where teams build a project over three days and then present it, and the unconference, where participants propose and run 40-minute sessions themselves. Zapier mixes in games, karaoke, hiking or food tours, depending on the place.
Our proposal keeps that spirit in a tighter format: four days on site, two of them devoted to collaboration, and a rhythm that does not fill every hour. Adapt it to team size, everyone's time budget and the city you choose.
Day 1: arrive, reconnect, settle into the rhythm
Morning and early afternoon: welcome at the airport or station, transfers in waves, room handover. No meeting: people have travelled, often overnight or across time zones.
Late afternoon: a short opening, 45 minutes at most. The leader recalls the intention of the four days, presents the programme and takes questions. A simple icebreaker follows, mixing teams rather than letting everyone find their Slack neighbours.
Evening: an informal dinner in a neighbourhood restaurant, at mixed tables, without speeches. A walking tour or a tapas crawl lets people discover the city in small groups while talking about something other than work. In Madrid, for instance, a tapas tour of the La Latina district suits this format well.
The goal of day one is that by bedtime everyone has talked with at least three people they had not met in person.
Day 2: work together on what needs presence
Morning: a strategic plenary of 90 minutes, no more. Direction, the year's results, big decisions ahead, with time reserved for questions. Avoid presentations that could have been sent as a video before the offsite.
Late morning: small-group workshops of 8 to 12 people on two or three concrete topics (yearly priorities, cross-team working, products to improve). Zapier's unconference format, where participants propose the topics, works well here because it lets the team decide what matters.
Lunch: long, seated, no phones on the table.
Afternoon: workshops continue, then a 5-minute report-back per group. Two hours of free time close the afternoon to rest, walk, or answer an urgent message.
Evening: dinner in a private room or restaurant, with a gentle activity: a wine tasting, or a flamenco show if you are in Madrid or Seville.
Day 3: build, play, get out
Morning: a project sprint in mixed teams, inspired by the hackathon. Each team receives a real company challenge (improve onboarding, simplify a process, propose a new feature) and has a few hours to present a proposal. Zapier cites Formatter by Zapier among the projects born from its hackathons, proof that this format can produce something concrete.
Lunch: a local meal, on site or out.
Afternoon: a collective activity outside the meeting room. Depending on the city: cooking and a market visit in Madrid or Valencia, a wine tasting in a bodega, a bike ride, a regatta or a hike in the Balearics. The point is to share an activity where nobody is an expert, which flattens hierarchies.
Evening: a more festive night. A gala dinner is not compulsory; many teams prefer something simpler, with music and open conversation. Set a reasonable end time: the next day matters too.
Day 4: conclude, commit, depart
Morning: presentation of the previous day's projects, then a commitment slot. Each team writes down three concrete actions it will take on returning, with an owner and a date. This is what stops the offsite from evaporating on landing.
Late morning: a short closing word from the leader, then a quick feedback survey. Zapier says it collects feedback after each retreat on what worked and what to change, a simple practice to borrow.
Lunch: a light farewell meal.
Afternoon: staggered departures depending on flights; luggage storage at the hotel and a grouped airport transfer avoid last-minute stress. If the team wishes, an extra free day lets those who extend enjoy the city.
To choose the city and hotel for this offsite, see our article on why Spain suits a remote company. Send us your dates and we will come back to you with availability.
Frequently asked questions
Why four days rather than two or three?
For a team that only meets on screen, a first day is needed to reconnect. With two days of work and one of activities, the format remains sustainable without exhausting participants. For a smaller committee, two or three days may suffice.
What share of the time should go to work?
About half of the useful hours: plenary, workshops and project sprint. The rest is for meals, activities and free time. An overly dense programme tires people, especially in person after travelling.
Can the programme be adapted to a small team?
Yes. For a team of a few dozen people, a single hotel is enough for work, meals and accommodation. We adjust workshops and activities to headcount.
Who runs the workshops?
Usually you: your teams know their topics. We can recommend a facilitator if you wish, and we handle the room, equipment and schedule. Send us your dates and we will come back to you with availability.
Solara DMC · Updated
