by Christy K. Thompson

You either love it or loathe it. It’s that day of mandatory socializing, soul-searching and spirit building – the company retreat.

At a time when more and more companies are realizing the value of nurturing their employees, company retreats or sharing days are becoming increasingly popular. But today’s retreats are different from those you may remember. With a new focus on employees and how they can benefit from a day away, retreats can involve a lot more than corporate cheerleading and trustfalls. Many companies are using their annual meeting as a chance to celebrate successes, learn about employees’ strengths and motivate them for the work ahead. Others choose to make the event a gift for staff members, with an emphasis on relaxation and pampering, or teambuilding and socializing. Whatever the agenda, there are a wide variety of facilities and meeting plans right for your company.

For the board of directors, volunteers and fundraisers at Life Skills Foundation, the annual meeting is a type of celebration. Life Skills is a federally funded agency that specializes in assisting adults and teens with disabilities by matching their skills and abilities with jobs and living arrangements. Aimee Davis, public relations and marketing director, explains that each year, the Life Skills annual meeting is a chance to show board members and supporters the many lives that have been touched and improved through their help.

“In recent years we’ve met at the Sheraton West Port Hotel Lakeside Chalet to acknowledge the outstanding service of our staff and volunteers. We listen to Life Skills success stories and reflect on those people whose lives have been made better through their work with us.” Life Skills also uses its annual meeting as an opportunity to inspire members and motivate them for the challenges that lie ahead.

“Hearing a story about an individual with a disability who is now working at a full-time job, or a couple who has gotten married and is living independently really inspires us all,” Davis explains. “Especially during the holiday season, it’s easy to get caught up in the details of our own lives. An event like our annual meeting reminds all of us about the importance of reaching out and helping those who really need it.”

For companies seeking opportunities for staff members to grow and interact, there are many St. Louisarea venues designed with corporate events in mind. At TripleXpresso’s cafe, coffeehouse and meeting center, owners Calvin and Tellia Thompson have created an environment conducive to productivity and fun.Meeting rooms and conference facilities are available for activities as diverse as strategy sessions or Scrabble tournaments. With 15,000 square feet of “virtual office space,” TripleXpresso’s offers groups a 24- hour receptionist and voice mail service, and can accommodate nearly any type of corporate learning activity. Since it opened three months ago, companies have been using this creative space to inspire employees to set goals and strategies, and to kick back and celebrate.

Yet another type of company retreat involves teambuilding and bonding sessions – the specialty of the house at Upper Limits climbing gym.Upper Limits offers team challenge activities designed to help employees unite and problem-solve together. Many, but not all of the Upper Limits activities involve rock climbing, and marketing manager Jodi Duniphan is quick to point out that there are activities suited to people of every age and fitness level.

“Our team challenges are focused on building cooperation and communications skills,” Duniphan explains. “While climbing is incorporated into some of the sessions, we also have a huge array of activities that don’t involve the rock wall.” Challenges such as navigating “the corporate maze” help employees learn to rely on one another and work as a team. “The Team Challenge is customized to suit each company’s goals, budget and time limits,” Duniphan adds. Groups from Dell Computers, Bank of America and Purina One have experienced the Upper Limits challenge. Duniphan says that in most cases, it doesn’t take long for employees to discover how much fun it is to loosen up and act like a kid again. “They leave here knowing more about their co-workers and about themselves,” she says.

Finally, for the company that truly wants to pamper its employees, a weekend vacation is a great opportunity for staff to get acquainted outside of the office walls. In December, lucky employees at Cfx, a full-service communications and design firm, were treated to an all-expense-paid weekend in Riviera Maya,Mexico.

Cfx president Chris Frank explains, “I wanted to thank my employees for all their hard work and efforts in the previous year and really pump them up for a tremendous year ahead.” Frank says he also planned the trip to help break down the “invisible walls” that are ever present in the workplace. The weekend was the perfect opportunity to help staff get to know each other on a more personal basis. “When you travel together, it doesn’t take long to really get to know one another,” he laughs. After a three-hour plane flight, employees, their spouses or significant others were free to spend their days sightseeing or just relaxing poolside. Account executive Dori Degenhardt says the trip was “truly a dream holiday retreat come true. I felt close to my co-workers before the trip, but now, we all feel like family.”

Frank was thrilled to see that despite their freedom to explore on their own, his employees chose to spend their time together nearly every minute of the day. “The trip definitely exceeded my expectations,” he remarks. “Our company is more tightly-knit now than I would have ever hoped.”

Even if a trip around the world is not on the agenda, a creative annual retreat day can do wonders to unite and invigorate a company. Teambuilding activities like rock climbing or problem-solving games can prepare employees to tackle new challenges. Even a traditional meeting environment can provide a respite for employees when it involves celebration and inspirational messages. Cfx’s Frank concludes, “If you expect your staff to work hard, you’ve got to let them play hard, too.”

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Upper Limits climbing gym near Union Station specializes in teambuilding.

At the Life Skills Foundation the annual meeting is a celebration of success.