Retreats are a literal step away from business as usual. In fact, many companies plan retreats to spark some much-needed inspiration by visiting a vibrant destination. Besides learning about the history of a new locale, immersing oneself in the local culture can have a tremendous impact on creativity by exposing employees to fresh perspectives. And isn't it always easier to break the ice (and break down formalities) when everyone feels like first-time tourists?

Although cultural integration transforms retreats into enriching and memorable experiences, this kind of immersion doesn't happen automatically. Managers must proactively plan their retreats to provide the best opportunities for local cultural exchange. Let's look closer at how much local culture plays a part in successful retreats and how to ensure you're fostering the most meaningful interactions.

Why Does Local Culture Matter in Retreats?

Local culture isn't a picturesque backdrop for fun diversions. When you fully embrace a retreat destination, you can create a fertile environment for learning, bonding, and breakthrough thinking. Here is how the "local perspective" works on your company off-sites:

1. Enhanced Engagement and Creativity

The science is in: Even imagining travel excites our brains with a dopamine rush. When we expose ourselves to a new culture, it's natural to spark our curiosity and creativity, which is excellent news if you're in a rut and need a fresh perspective on work. By stepping outside of familiar contexts, retreat participants have the encouragement they need to engage more fully and deliberately in their day-to-day activities, including with colleagues, locals, and their own thoughts. 

2. Deepened Connections to Place and People

Employees deepen their connection with their surroundings and fellow human beings by getting directly involved with a local culture. This includes taking part in unique traditions and customs, as well as exploring values and ways of being that may be alien to someone's sense of self. The result? Teams better understand meaning and presence that they can carry back to their work lives.

3. Improved Trust and Collaboration

Shared cultural experiences like learning a traditional dance or cooking a delicious meal build bonds beyond titles and departments. While you could host similar events at home, it just won't have that spontaneity of being in a foreign environment. You'll find that the moments for team bonding in a new local culture are far more memorable than anything in a more predictable home setting.

The Role of Local Experts: Your Team's Cultural Ambassadors

Immersion in a local culture brings many positives, but how do you experience these benefits without feeling like a lost tourist? That's where local experts come into the picture. Partnering with local experts breaks down many features that may get lost in translation. When you take the time to choose the right local professional, you'll enjoy authentic understanding without bothersome language and cultural barriers. Local guides don't skim the surface with commercialized or superficial experiences, so you get undiluted interactions and context with every encounter. 

For example, OnsiteHub worked with our local team of experts in Šibenik to give the remote cybersecurity company QuoIntelligence an authentic Croatian experience. We deliberately decided to bring QuoIntelligence's team to Šibenik to take advantage of the local hospitality distinct from bigger cities like Zagreb and Split. To help everyone better appreciate Šibenik's history, and to support team-building skills, OnsiteHub organized a treasure hunt to get everyone oriented and teach them some unique facts about this city (including its relationship with the famed Nikola Tesla). While it took some extra logistical planning to get to Šibenik, QuoIntelligence felt it was worth the effort to get a sense of authentic Croatia rather than more popular, but also more touristy, towns. 

Examples of Cultural Activities to Enrich Retreats

Even if we know the benefits of immersing ourselves in a local culture, some team members may feel hesitant to dive in. Let's face it: Not everyone has the same comfort zone, and that's OK. When building an activity itinerary, you have to recognize that everyone's coming from a different place (literally and figuratively), and it may take some time to break down those cultural barriers.

In most cases, the best way to create an enriching local retreat experience is to include multiple activities and gradually work toward the most immersive events. While every destination will have different unique activities, there are a few common ideas that often crop up when planning these retreats.

1. Workshops with a Local Twist

First, consider a few hands-on experiences rooted in a local culture's tradition. These activities push team members into action, which can easily get them out of their heads and create many lifelong memories.

• Culinary classes are a staple on retreats: They're low-stress and help with teamwork while preparing the food (plus plenty of conversation while eating it!). 
• Craft workshops: From Japanese calligraphy to Irish pottery-making, there are always special arts and crafts you could learn to better appreciate local skills and take home a fantastic souvenir. 
• Dance and music sessions: Every country has a different rhythm, and you can move to this beat by booking a dance or music class tailored to the local culture. 

These ideas encourage traits like vulnerability, experimentation, and joy, which are perfect for breaking down bureaucratic barriers and learning more about your host city.

2. Guided Cultural Tours

While historical tours are a must in many retreat destinations, they can easily become overly touristy "sightseeing" journeys. To go beyond this common issue, work with local experts who can offer more story-driven explorations that uncover hidden gems and share local legends. Local experts can also bring tourists to community hubs where teams get the full scoop on how locals eat and enjoy life.

3. Participate in Community Events

If you're fortunate enough to be in town during a special event (think a festival or a farmer's market), this is a golden opportunity for immersion. While not always feasible, this level of interaction can take your cultural exchange to a new level.

How To Incorporate Culture Into Team-Building Exercises

Forget the cliché "trust falls" to build teamwork. You should use this environment to your advantage when you're in a new culture. Whatever activities you prefer, always find ways to incorporate local culture into team-building for your retreat.

Cultural Scavenger Hunts

Keep the local culture in mind when drawing up your scavenger hunt maps. This could include:

• Visiting local landmarks to find clues filled with historical insights.
• Learning key phrases in the native language.
• Finding and interpreting cultural symbols and artifacts.

By making local culture the center of a scavenger hunt, you'll automatically encourage team members to become more engaged with their new surroundings. 

Group Problem-Solving with Regional Flavor

Get employees to engage with different perspectives and environments by bringing local color to your retreat experiences. For example, during a retreat to the Serbian forests, OnsiteHub encouraged the attendees from the company Ultimate Beauty to connect with the rugged Serb spirit in a Country Olympics. These outdoor games took advantage of the local scenery and encouraged participants to connect to the natural world. Whether your retreat is in a big city or a secluded forest, there are always creative ways to incorporate local heritage or scenery into a retreat.

Purpose-Driven Engagement

Another way to build teams and get involved with the local community is to sponsor sustainability initiatives or community-focused activities that resonate with a company's core values. For instance, OnsiteHub led a local beach cleanup campaign with the company Convert on their retreat to Kotor, Montenegro. This type of engagement not only strengthened team bonds through shared purpose but also positively impacted the host community.

Navigating Cultural and Logistical Challenges: A Few Suggestions

Incorporating local culture is one thing. However, appropriating it is quite another. One challenge many retreat planners face is translating local traditions to make them understandable without oversimplifying them. Companies must be mindful of respecting local customs. They should seek first and foremost to understand their nuances rather than merely using them as aesthetic and entertainment value. This typically involves consulting with local cultural experts for plenty of support and context throughout planning. We are partnered with trusted local cultural experts who guide us in authentically honoring local traditions into every retreat. These experts ensure we respect the cultural nuances and present them in meaningful and thoughtful ways, beyond mere aesthetics.

Another key challenge to watch out for is balancing business objectives with cultural immersion. While it may be tempting to schedule packed agendas filled with sightseeing and cultural activities, this can easily lead to superficial engagement and fatigue. Instead, designing a retreat that integrates cultural experiences with plenty of team-building sessions generally leads to more of a meaningful impact.

Logistically speaking, organizing retreats in unfamiliar settings has complications, such as language barriers and transportation issues. Besides working with local experts and conducting thorough research, you'll need to prepare plenty of contingencies to prepare for all scenarios. It's also important to communicate clearly with participants at a meeting or in memos about what to expect, including cultural norms and appropriate behavior.

The Competitive Advantage of Cultural Retreats

By now, you should see that incorporating local culture into retreats is way more than just a "nice to have." For forward-thinking organizations, paying careful attention to locality can be a serious strategic differentiator. Embracing the culture of your retreat location can create opportunities for human connection and creative inspiration. Immersion in local culture also has benefits for aligning your Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) goals by cultivating cultural intelligence, as well as promoting a more global awareness.

Want Unique Local Retreats? Work With Us

Partnering with local experts can be your retreat's superpower. Companies that take the time and energy to design culturally immersive retreats are well-positioned to provide their teams with an authentic and deeply impactful experience.

However, it can be a challenge to seamlessly meld local culture with a retreat's core objectives. That's where we can help. Our retreat planners have close connections with local experts throughout Europe to ensure your teams get genuine experiences that broaden their perspectives and build long-lasting bonds.

Reach out to OnsiteHub today to find out how we can bring cultural immersion to your next business retreat.