November is when next year’s budgets close, and a retreat that is not in the plan by then usually does not happen. Approval rarely turns on the amount. It turns on whether the person signing can see what the two days are for, what they cost all in, and what happens if the team does not go. Here is a one-page proposal that answers all three, and the numbers you will need from us to fill it in.
Start with the decision, not the venue
Name the one thing the retreat produces: next year’s three priorities, a launch plan with owners, a team that has worked together for two years and never met in person. One sentence, written as an outcome with a date. “By the last morning we will have…” is the test. If you cannot finish that sentence, the proposal is not ready, and neither is the retreat.
Tie it to a date the business already cares about: a Q1 kickoff, the planning cycle, a product date. The retreat then reads as the way the work gets done rather than as a trip. If the date is January, see a sales kickoff venue.
The format in three lines
- Dates: midweek if you can. Tuesday to Thursday is easier to book, usually easier on the budget, and sends everyone home for the weekend.
- Nights: two is the common choice, an arrival evening, one full working day and a closing morning; three adds a second working day. Build in the wind-down: the working day ends at four with the hot tub, the games room or the ten-minute walk into Blue Mountain Village before dinner, and the last day does not stop at a hard checkout, because the time is agreed when you book, so lunch can run long and the afternoon can go to the Village, the spa or Collingwood before people head off in their own time. The two-night agenda shows the shape.
- Where: a private chalet at the base of Blue Mountain, two hours from Toronto, where the team takes over the whole property and the great room is the meeting room for the whole stay. No hourly room rental.
Who is coming, and who is not
Headcount drives the quote, so settle it before you ask for one: one chalet sleeps 14, two sleep 28, all three sleep 42. Name the people who must be in the room and the people who can join one session by video; the wifi holds a full day of calls. A shorter must-attend list is often the difference between a proposal that is approved and one that is sent back. See how many people can stay.
The budget, line by line
An approver wants one all-in number and the lines behind it. For a retreat with us, the lines are:
- Chalet: one quote for the whole property, per chalet per night. Send us your dates and headcount and we reply with availability and a quote, usually within a business day. That number covers the bedrooms, the great room, the kitchen, the hot tub, the games room, wifi and parking.
- Food: groceries for breakfasts, one dinner from a private chef or caterer, one dinner in Blue Mountain Village, a ten-minute walk. The local chefs and caterers are listed under private chef and dining; you book them directly, so the pricing is clear.
- Activities: one organized activity if you want one, and lift tickets for anyone skiing the hill 500 metres away. The hot tub and the games room cost nothing extra.
- Transport: carpools, about two hours from Toronto or Pearson, and whatever the people coming from further afield need. Parking is at the chalet, and nobody needs the car again until they leave.
- Facilitation and materials: a facilitator if you use one, flip charts, printing.
- Contingency: ten percent, so the first surprise does not need a second approval.
Then list what you are not paying for, because the comparison is what sells it: a meeting room by the hour, per-plate minimums and a block of hotel rooms. The cost page explains the pricing, and catering and meals covers the food.
The alternatives, stated honestly
Every approver wants to know you considered the cheaper options, so say so in three lines.
- A day in the office: cheapest, and the team drives home at five. The evening is the part of a retreat that changes how a team works, and this option does not have one.
- A hotel with a meeting room: a room block, a meeting room by the hour and food with a per-plate minimum, and at nine o’clock the team scatters to separate floors.
- Not going: the decision gets made on a video call, or does not get made.
The ask
End with exactly what you need: approval of the budget ceiling, the dates blocked on everyone’s calendar, and a yes by a named date. The date matters because the calendar does. Ski-season weekends and holiday weeks go three to four months ahead; midweek dates in the shoulder months can often be held a few weeks out. See the best time of year and how to book.
The one-page template
- Purpose: one sentence, written as an outcome with a date
- Format: dates, nights, where, and why there
- People: headcount, who must attend, who joins by video
- Budget: the lines above, an all-in number and a ceiling
- Not in the price: the hotel costs you are avoiding
- Alternatives considered: three lines
- Risks: a key person out, weather on the drive, dates slipping, and what you will do about each
- The ask: the ceiling, the calendar block, and the decision date
Attach the quote and the meeting spaces sheet, which shows the rooms, and the group planner if the approver wants the logistics. The planning checklist picks up once the answer is yes.