Corporate retreats: Tofino style
What’s your idea of a corporate retreat?Park a bunch of employees in a meeting room and talk at them all day? Or how about shared experiences, adventure and discoveries which encourage team building and re-energized staff?
Ask Deirdre Campbell, owner of Victoria’s Tartan Group, and she will suggest the latter: shared experiences and adventures are better at boosting employee morale, creating an overall vision for the organization and re-energizing staff. And especially if done on the waters of Cox Bay, Tofino.
Campbell and her team of marketing and public relations experts spent a late-February weekend at Long Beach Lodge Resort, mixing team building with surfing the Pacific Ocean.
For some staff, plans to catch a wave caught them off guard.
On the Saturday of the weekend-long retreat, Campbell was asked by U.S. based team member Richard Edwards what the plans for the day. Campbell’s answer: “We're putting wetsuits on and learning to surf in the freezing-cold British Columbia ocean!”
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Tartan team – early-risers all – found their way to the Resort’s Surf Club where they were fitted in wetsuits, hoods, boots. Over warm drinks and snacks, the Resort’s certified surf instructors schooled the initiates on surf etiquette, basic procedures and strategies and provided an overview on what to expect on the water.
With their heads full of surfing knowledge, the Tartan crew gathered up their boards and made the short trek to the beach in front of the Resort.
Cloudy with some blue skies, the surf height was about 8-feet with 8 mile-per-hour winds from the south east. Great conditions for a beach full of Barneys.
 |
 |
 |
 |
But as the lineage of her company’s name proffers: there is no quit in the Scottish. The Tartan side banded together, faced and conquered the modest peaks and swells of Cox Bay that late-winter morning.
Following the lead, advice (and not a little bit of coxing and cajoling) of Resort surfing instructors, one-by-one the Tartan-ites caught a wave - they have photo evidence.
“Surfing in the morning set us up with the camaraderie we needed to ignite for the rest of the day,” says Campbell. “We had a few fairly new team members with us and a few team members mentioned it really helped to focus due to the fact that for those few hours in the morning – you had to think of nothing else but the waves and your board so it helped clear your head!”Tartan’s surf experience and the resulting sense of accomplishment built cohesion as staff formed personal connections with their co-workers.
Seeing fellow workers squeezed into wetsuits, falling down, being bowled over and then finally riding a wave created a sense of exhilaration as individual accomplishments were shared – and celebrated – by the group.
“Long Beach Lodge offered the perfect combination of adrenaline pumping adventure and remote luxury – we were not roughing it but we also pushed our limits out on those waves,“ says Campbell adding, “It was a bonding experience for the team we won’t soon forget and may even become an annual tradition.“
Looking for a retreat that will encourage team building and re-energized staff and provide all the meeting support services and equipment, accommodation and dining amenities you require?
Retreat to the Resort; an inspirational location for your next board meeting, executive retreat or corporate brainstorming session.
The Resorts attention to detail, extraordinary facilities and gourmet cuisine will make your meeting memorable. Meeting facilities and conference room is ideal for groups of up to 35 people.
Contact Megan Hall, Events and Group Sales Manager for more information.
