We’re back. With an idea to steal.

Friends: It’s been a minute! We hope you enjoy this new version of our newsletter, designed to give you a behind-the-scenes look at what we’re working on with our clients (and what we’re learning along the way). Thanks for staying with us & please reply directly to this email if you have any thoughts, questions or tomatoes to throw. ❤️ Krystle

We recently programmed a 30-person communications & marketing retreat in DC.

If you know me – you know I LOVE a good hands-on retreat. I want a corporate retreat to feel like a really productive summer camp where there are lots of activities and everyone leaves feeling motivated. And gets ice cream.

If you’re running a retreat for your team this year or next, please steal this idea:

SHARK TANK: A pitch competition that asks each retreat participant what they would stop doing, start doing or invest in to make a big impact on your team’s goals.

• Before the activity, provide your team with audience research – we had provided a Jobs To Be Done analysis, brand analysis and performance analysis to center the retreat on the audiences’ needs.
• At the activity itself, give each person 15 minutes to come up with a 90-second pitch
• Ask each person to present to a small group of 4 people first – then, tournament-style, the small teams will vote on the best pitch to be sent to the “sharks”
• Watch 6 individuals present their 90-second pitch to three company executives
• Prompt the executives to ask good questions – how long will this take to see impact? How much will it cost? Why is it more important than other priorities?
• Award the winner with a happy hour for their team with the executives – and fund their idea.

This session was our way of asking where we should look for the biggest impact – and afterward our client had a list of solid ideas for how to move the team’s goals forward.

I’m curious: What has been the most productive retreat activity you’ve been a part of?

KRYSTLE KOPACZ CEO, Revmade krystle@revmade.com

​

P.S.: Revmade's COO, Courtney Fowler, is speaking at SHSMD on October 14. If you'll be in Denver, get in touch -- we'd love to connect with you there!