An effective away day example is not a room full of colleagues being asked to build a tower from spaghetti. It is a day with a clear purpose, the right setting and enough structure to create useful conversations that do not happen around the usual desks or video calls.
For HR teams, People & Culture leads, EAs and in-house event managers, the challenge is usually not finding an activity. It is choosing a format that works for the team, fits the budget and gives people a reason to take the day seriously. Whether the priority is planning, connection, recognition or a reset after change, the venue and agenda need to support the outcome.
What makes an away day worthwhile?
The strongest away days balance business focus with time to connect. A leadership team may need privacy and space to make decisions. A growing team may need a more social format that helps people build relationships across departments. An organisation bringing colleagues together after a busy period may need both.
Start with one clear question: what should be different when people return to work? That might be a shared set of priorities, a better understanding of customers, stronger cross-team relationships or simply a team that feels appreciated. Once this is clear, the format becomes easier to choose.
It also prevents a common mistake: booking a venue and activity before agreeing what the day is meant to achieve. A spectacular setting can make an impression, but it cannot compensate for an agenda without purpose.
Five away day examples that work
1. The strategy workshop with a social finish
This format works well for leadership groups, departmental teams and businesses entering a new financial year. Begin with a focused morning of presentations, facilitated discussion and smaller breakout sessions. Keep the meeting content practical, with decisions to be made rather than updates that could have been circulated in advance.
The afternoon can shift into a more relaxed experience, such as a cookery class, cocktail masterclass, private gallery tour or team challenge, followed by dinner. The change of pace gives people time to absorb the work and talk more openly.
A private dining room, boutique hotel or Central London venue with both meeting space and a good restaurant can be particularly effective. It reduces travel between elements and helps the day feel joined up. For teams travelling from several locations, access to major stations may matter more than an unusual activity.
2. The customer and culture away day
For teams that are becoming disconnected from the customer experience, build the day around insight rather than internal presentations. Invite a customer, partner or industry speaker to share a perspective, then give groups a live brief to respond to. Their ideas can be presented back in a short, energised session.
This is a useful away day example for marketing, sales, product and client service teams because it combines commercial thinking with collaboration. It can also reveal where departments have different assumptions about the same audience.
Choose a venue with comfortable theatre seating, natural light and breakout areas that are genuinely usable. Trying to run group work in a cramped restaurant or a room without surfaces for notes and laptops will quickly frustrate attendees. Good AV is equally important when external speakers or video content are involved.
3. The team connection day for growing businesses
When new starters, hybrid working or rapid growth have changed the shape of a team, connection is often the real priority. The agenda should not force intimacy or rely on everyone enjoying high-energy competition. Give people several ways to take part.
A morning of short, well-facilitated sessions can help colleagues share working preferences, identify friction points and agree how they want to collaborate. In the afternoon, offer an activity with a shared outcome: creating a meal, taking part in a city challenge, working on a charitable project or solving a creative brief.
The best venues for this format tend to feel less formal than a conventional boardroom. A contemporary space, museum, historic building or waterside venue can help signal that this is not an ordinary office day. However, character should not come at the expense of practicalities such as accessibility, reliable Wi-Fi, cloakroom space and sufficient toilets for the group.
4. The wellbeing-focused reset
A wellbeing away day can be valuable after a demanding period, but it needs careful handling. Employees are unlikely to respond well if the event presents yoga or mindfulness as a solution to unsustainable workloads. Make the day part of a wider commitment to listening and action.
A considered programme might include a keynote on resilience, optional movement sessions, a healthy shared lunch and small-group discussions on how teams can work more effectively. The practical output could be a set of changes managers agree to implement, such as meeting-free focus time or clearer ways of prioritising work.
A countryside venue can be ideal when the team has time for travel and an overnight stay is possible. For a one-day event, a London venue with outdoor space, daylight and a calm atmosphere is often the more sensible choice. The right answer depends on how much time attendees can realistically give to the event.
5. The recognition and celebration day
Recognition is often more memorable when it is personal and specific. This format combines a short business update with awards, team stories, entertainment and a strong food and drink element. It works particularly well after a major project, a successful trading period or a company milestone.
The risk is that the daytime content becomes too long and delays the celebration. Keep formal presentations tight, rehearse the awards sequence and ensure there is a clear handover from meeting to social event. A venue with separate spaces can make this transition feel special, particularly if the room is restyled while guests enjoy a reception.
For larger groups, consider guest flow from arrival through to food service, bar capacity, stage sightlines and sound. These details are what separate a polished celebration from an event where guests spend too long queuing or cannot hear the speeches.
Choosing a venue for your away day
A suitable venue is about more than capacity. Start with guest numbers, preferred location, budget and the balance between meeting time and social time. Then consider the less obvious requirements: room layouts, travel time, dietary needs, accessibility, production requirements and whether attendees need accommodation.
For a small senior team, privacy may be the deciding factor. For 100 colleagues, flexible breakout space and efficient catering may be more important. For a large conference-style away day, registration areas, loading access, staging and technical support all need to be considered from the outset.
This is where venue sourcing can save considerable time. Contacting dozens of venues individually to check dates, costs and layouts is rarely the best use of an organiser’s time, especially when plans are still developing. A relevant shortlist lets you compare practical differences, not just attractive photographs.
Free venue finding from people who know the options
The Event Book provides free venue finding for corporate events in London, across the UK and internationally. Our experienced team works on briefs ranging from private dining for 25 guests to large conferences, exhibitions and company-wide away days.
Every enquiry receives a response from a real event professional. We take time to understand the purpose of the day, ask useful questions and approach suitable venues on your behalf. With more than 20 years of venue-finding experience and direct relationships with London and international venues, we can explain why one option may work better than another for your agenda, guests and budget.
Once we receive a complete brief, we aim to provide a shortlist of preferred venues, availability and indicative costs within two working hours. Timing will always depend on the complexity of the enquiry and how quickly venues respond, particularly for popular dates or specialist requirements.
The service is completely free to clients. We check availability, gather costs and present focused options, helping you avoid the back-and-forth of multiple venue enquiries. Our relationships can also help us negotiate rates and clarify the practical differences between options, although the right venue is not always simply the one with the lowest headline price.
You can use our free venue-finding service on its own, or ask us to manage the entire event. For full-service support, we can coordinate catering, activities, entertainment, AV, production, branding, guest management and onsite delivery, with one experienced point of contact throughout.
Give the day a purpose people can feel
A well-planned away day gives people more than a change of scenery. It creates room for better decisions, stronger relationships and the conversations that make everyday work easier.
Send us your complete brief and we aim to provide a shortlist of preferred options, availability and indicative costs. Speak to a real person. Call us on 020 7523 5046 or email your event brief to events@theeventbook.uk. We respond within 2 hours, Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm.
The best format is the one that respects your team’s time and gives them a clear reason to come together.
FAQs
What is an example of a corporate away day?
A corporate away day might include a welcome session, team-building activities, a shared lunch, a strategy workshop and an informal social activity. The schedule should reflect the team’s goals.
What activities can you include in a company away day?
Options include team challenges, outdoor activities, creative workshops, cooking experiences, strategy sessions and group discussions. Choose activities that suit the team and the purpose of the day.
How should you structure a corporate away day?
Set clear objectives, create a realistic schedule, alternate focused sessions with breaks and allow time for lunch and informal conversation.
Where should you hold a corporate away day?
The best venue depends on group size, travel time, budget and planned activities. Options include countryside hotels, conference venues, activity centres and distinctive private event spaces.
How long should a company away day last?
Some away days last a few hours, while others run for a full day or include an overnight stay. Choose a length that allows enough time to meet the objectives without overloading the schedule.
How do you measure whether a corporate away day was successful?
Assess the event against its goals using team feedback, participation, progress on agreed actions and any improvements in communication or collaboration.
