Chances are if you’re reading this article, your company’s Founder or CEO ‘voluntold’ you to quarterback your company’s Offsite or Retreat, and now you’re doing your due diligence to figure out what support is available, and who you can turn to for help. Let’s face it; it’s going to be a huge amount of work, and there are going to be dozens, if not hundreds of people looking in your direction whether things go well (or go sideways), so you know you need to make sure it’s a home-run and work with an agency you can trust!
You’ve likely spent a bit of time Googling around or asking ChatGPT, and ended up overwhelmed with all the options. You’re looking for a bit of extra guidance on how to sort through the alternatives and narrow down which agency is the best fit for your company’s unique needs.
Fortunately, there are over a dozen alternatives available to help you plan your company’s retreat, covering a wide spectrum of service offerings, value propositions, and support levels that cater to all sizes and styles of clients. Unfortunately, it can be hard to sort through all the options, as on the surface they might all seem quite similar, and without hopping on 10+ phone calls, it’s hard to distinguish between them. So whether you’re a startup pinching pennies for your team’s first offsite, or a Fortune 500 aiming to celebrate its Top Performers at a blowout in Bali, rest assured - there’s a planning partner out there for you! You just need a bit of help to find the right one!
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered - and in line with one of our core values of transparency, Moniker is going to dish the goods on which of our industry peers (in our opinion) are best at what, and who might be the best fit for your particular needs, and why. We’ve been in this business for over 12 years and by now have a pretty good handle of the competitive landscape - so we've compiled the below guide to help you understand the “who's who” in the corporate retreat planner world— and figure out where to focus your energy!
Key Takeaways (TL;DR)
- For the Budget-Conscious Startup: BoomPop
- For No-Frills “Just Help Me Find a Home” Groups: Offsite.com
- For Outdoorsy or Nature-Loving Teams: Wilder Retreats
- For the Smaller-Team Meetups Looking for a little Extra ‘Oomph!’: Marco Experiences
- For Large-Teams & Bespoke Experiences: Moniker
For the Budget-Conscious Startup: BoomPop
When your finance team gives you a lean budget and tells you to make magic from it, BoomPop swoops in with algorithmic efficiency. Their tech-forward approach means you can plan a retreat leveraging a pretty robust platform, with several features available to customize it on your own. The experiences may come from templates rather than from scratch, but their tech-driven platform can also offer a lot of extra data-based insight (travel times, visa requirements, CO2 emissions) if that’s important to you. They have a clear per-person fee structure, and can provide tools and guides for tackling the task of planning your company retreat if you’ve got the extra bandwidth.
Ideal for: Startups and Smaller (< 50) companies, where you are comfortable doing the heavy lifting yourself. BoomPop won’t be able to offer you the hand-holding and high-touch service that might be necessary for larger, more complex retreats, but their tech platform is pretty handy and offers lots of tools to help you plan your team’s retreat in-house, and on a tight budget.
For No-Frills “Just Help Me Find a Home” Groups: Offsite
If your company’s offsite is pretty ‘meat and potatoes’, and you’re mostly looking for help finding suitable accommodation to host your team’s event (but not necessarily looking to turn it into a highly customized experience), Offsite delivers functional solutions with minimal fuss and expense. Their straightforward marketplace works well for companies that view retreats as quarterly or annual necessities, rather than a transformative celebration of their team’s successes or culture.
Ideal for: Smaller or mid-sized companies that want a semi-self-service model with basic vendor support. Their marketplace platform offers a wide variety of accommodation and activity options at reasonable rates, though it might be harder to find options outside the USA & Canada (SurfOffice is a better alternative for Europe). Smaller teams that are comfortable doing most of the planning in-house and don’t need a lot of customization will be more than happy with Offsite’s offering.
For Outdoorsy or Nature-Loving Teams: Wilder Retreats
Wilder Retreats’ motto is “End-to-end retreat planning in breathtaking destinations worldwide”, and focuses on hosting retreats in destinations and locales embedded in nature. They have a very hands-on approach to planning, which is helpful for teams needing a bit more help (or looking for someone else to take over the reins!), and offer clients support throughout the process and on-site during execution.
Ideal For: Companies looking to take their teams outside and disconnect. Think National Parks, tropical rainforests, hiking the Cascades or Appalachian Mountains, or relaxing on ranches and mountain ranges across the continent.
For the Smaller-Team Meetups Looking for a little Extra ‘Oomph!’: Marco Experiences
When your department or small team of under 25 people just needs to find a place to meet up for a quick multi-day offsite, book some meeting rooms, and plan an outing for team-building - Marco Experiences has you covered. Their platform offers smaller teams a super simple “click and book” approach to hotel rooms, meeting space, and à la carte adventures that add spice to an otherwise vanilla team outing.
Ideal for: Teams looking for a straightforward platform for booking <25 rooms, meeting space, and a few activities all in one place. Think of it like the AirBnB+Experiences platform for small-team gatherings. You can plan and book the entire experience without having to talk to anyone in person - how’s that for convenience?
For Large-Teams & Bespoke Experiences: Moniker Partners
If you’re looking to get an entire global team together in some corner of the world, and you recognize you’ll benefit from getting a lot of helping hands and support to pull it off - look no further than Moniker. Moniker’s bread and butter is working with larger companies who are hoping to plan more complex retreats, involving flying in remote teams from dozens of countries around the globe into a single destination, thoughtfully curating an itinerary that balances work sessions with locally-flavoured elements and activities, and ensuring the on-site experience is flawless. Moniker assigns a dedicated team of 3 people to every project, who will guide you through the process every step of the way (with bi-weekly meetings and daily access and support via Slack). The same team that you plan the retreat with will also be there on-site to execute it, so you can relax and actually participate - and not end up working the whole time. They aren’t going to be the cheapest option, but for those companies who are prepared to spend a little bit extra to ensure the single biggest investment in their people and teams is done right, Moniker is the best fit for you. They even offer a Budget Guarantee!
Moniker’s process emphasizes transparency, creativity, and close collaboration with the client’s planning team to make sure their fingerprints are all over it, and it passes the ‘vibe check’ of your company’s unique culture when your people finally arrive onsite! If you’re looking for a custom theme or scratch-built activities and challenges, Moniker’s got you covered.
Ideal for: Larger, Full-Company teams (200+ people) that are looking for extra service and support, and want a lot of customization in the process. Their unique “Pod” model of assigning 3 dedicated Trip Planners to each program offers clients high-touch support throughout the process, and provides tons of guidance on best practices to give your attendees the best experience possible, without breaking the bank.
The Bottom Line
Let's be real—each of these retreat planning agencies has their place in the ecosystem. If your needs align with quick planning, smaller groups, or budget-friendly options, the other agencies on this list might be your perfect match.
But for companies that view their retreat as the defining moment in their cultural calendar—a reflection of their commitment to excellence and a catalyst for continued success—Moniker Partners remains the uncontested champion. Because when mediocrity isn't an option for your business, why would it be acceptable for your retreat?
