How To Plan a Team Building Event in Cancun, Mexico: 10 Simple Steps To Success

Cancun, Mexico is a popular vacation spot that hides one of the best-kept secrets in the corporate world – it’s THE best place to go for corporate team building retreats. It fosters a powerhouse combination of fun in the sun and embracing expertise beyond the company boardroom.

This beautiful resort destination also boasts five-star hotels and some of the world’s best beaches, with year-round, idyllic weather. Bringing your team here is an unforgettable escape from the everyday.

Planning a corporate retreat in Cancun starts with understanding how your team members will benefit from it. One of the best benefits is its ability to help team members feel important, appreciated, and included. When they’re invited on a company retreat, their morale is boosted, their productivity is sure to increase, and their understanding of and respect for the corporation and its goals skyrockets.

Are you ready to take your teams to the next level with a company retreat? Here’s all the info you need on how to plan a team building event in Cancun!

How To Plan A Team Building Event: Planning Essentials

Preparing for a corporate team building retreat in Mexico can involve a plethora of moving parts. From getting your HR Department on board to choosing which team members to select for the retreat to choosing your retreat type and location, the To-Do list for a corporate retreat can be exhaustive.

1. Choose Your Retreat Goals 

Clearly defining the goals of your retreat is crucial for its success. It sets the direction for everything from choosing the perfect location and activities to evaluating the event’s effectiveness.

Whether you’re facing a creativity drought, welcoming new faces, battling burnout, or yearning for stronger teamwork, your retreat’s goals need to match your intentions in order to maximize the impact once you get back to the office.

You should also put briefings and reviews in place to ensure your goals were met upon your team’s return to the office.

2. Create a Planning Team

Often it falls to the HR department, or a go-it-alone leader to plan a company team-building event, but you don’t need to go it alone!

You can assemble a trusted “Retreat Task Force” with colleagues representing different departments and strengths to help you plan. Leverage their expertise and perspectives to make informed decisions, spread the workload, and share the pre-retreat jitters (and post-retreat high fives)!

Send a quick e-mail out to see who wants to be involved with the planning. 

Or you could say goodbye to the legwork, stress, and pressure of corporate event planning, and trust Grupo to plan an exclusive event none of you will ever forget. When you work with us, you take more than a tan back to the office – You also go back with a set of team building, goal setting, vision casting, and project management skills that will last the rest of your career.

3. Define Your Budget

Budgeting for a retreat can feel overwhelming!

Domestic retreats will be more budget-friendly than heading to an international destination, but can offer unique experiences that can’t be replicated. Weigh the cost against the potential return on investment (ROI) of cultural immersion, team bonding on a global stage, and memories that money can’t buy.

You can vary the cost depending on factors like location, duration, and activities. Look into how you can adjust your plans based on your budget realities. To lower the cost you could explore alternative dates – considering shoulder seasons instead of peak times, look at a range of accommodation options, and get creative with activities. Some of them you can DIY.

Remember, sometimes the most memorable moments happen organically, not on a pricey itinerary.

4. Decide Which Team Members Should Attend 

We can’t tell you which team members to bring, although we encourage you to bring everyone! While leaders are essential, also invite emerging talent eager to learn and foster a diverse mix of voices. Don’t forget those who bring positive energy and make your company culture sparkle.

Think beyond seniority, including new hires and remote workers to build stronger bonds and ignite creativity. Remember, a successful retreat thrives on inclusivity and empowered contribution from everyone!

5. Select Retreat Dates

Planning a successful retreat takes time, so don’t rush into booking dates! Give yourself at least four to six weeks for smaller groups, and four to six months for larger gatherings.

As planners, it is helpful to create a detailed timeline, to track deadlines and ensure everything falls into place smoothly. Remember, the earlier you start to plan your company team building event, the less stressful and more enjoyable the planning process will be for you and your team.

Once you have the dates set, you need to announce the retreat dates to your staff so they can block off personal and professional development time on their calendars. The earlier, the better! (Also remember to check that everyone has a valid passport too!)

6. Create A Travel Plan

To avoid scheduling conflicts and accommodation headaches, inform everyone early on about who’s responsible for booking flights and hotel rooms. Delegate responsibility clearly (e.g. are you making individual bookings or through a designated coordinator) to streamline the process and minimize overlap.

Encourage your attendees to make their reservations well in advance, especially for peak travel times in popular destinations like Mexico. Proactive booking not only prevents scrambling for flights and rooms, but can also lead to lower prices and better options.

Keep your team informed at every step of the travel planning process. Share deadlines for booking, preferred accommodation choices, and any relevant travel information to ensure a smooth and stress-free journey for everyone.

7. Choose an Agenda of Team Building Challenges

Once you’ve decided on corporate team building goals, you need a schedule of activities to help you achieve them.

There are a whole host of ideas you can find for retreats. You’ll want to choose activities that let your team learn skills that go back to the office with them.

Developing a retreat theme like “giving back”, indoor activities, or outdoor learning adventures can help you pinpoint your plans. Especially as the weather in Mexico lends itself to being outdoors, you can enjoy the sun and open spaces, combining fresh air and vitamin D into the mix too!

However, planning activities for a retreat in another country can be a challenge – so why not allocate this part of the planning process to the experts? Our team will help you choose from a slew of activities including Smart Team Building, Outdoor Team Building, Social Team Building, Indoor Team Building, and Give Back Team Building. You simply choose the team goal and we’ll create the perfect event.

Then nobody needs to worry about packing the tools and equipment, and working through their retreat time – you can all sit back and reap the benefits.

8. Plan in Some Downtime 

If you’re coming all the way to Mexico, you’ll also want to have time to enjoy this amazing country while you’re here.  

Don’t overbook the schedule – instead, build in enough time for team members to catch their breath, have a little personal space, and enjoy the local culture and beauty of the resort.

Time to tan on the beach between games, dinners, and strategy meetings will be appreciated by all!

9. Use a Checklist!

With the big picture and all activities planned out, you still need to ensure your retreat runs like clockwork! By creating a detailed logistics checklist, you’ll catch those pesky details that might otherwise trip you up.

Think transportation – company shuttle, individual arrangements, or even a carpooling rota.

Fueling your team is key, so plan out meals, snacks, and drinks options, remembering dietary needs and allergies. Let people know what will be included and where they will need to fend for themselves.

Don’t forget waivers and insurance – keeping everyone safe and covered is a top priority. If your retreat includes overnight stays, confirm room reservations and curate welcome packets with essential info.

You’ll also want to give your team a heads-up on what to pack – whether it be comfy clothes for activities, sun protection, swimwear and any personal items they might need.

Remember, inclusivity matters, so ensure accessibility for all and be mindful of dietary restrictions and religious considerations. Finally, pack an emergency plan with first-aid kits and weather contingencies, and keep everyone in the loop with clear communication.

10. Create a Post-Event Plan 

Your team will take new skills and ideals home so make sure you have a plan in place to discuss, review, and implement those tools upon your return.

Plan a day back home for your team to talk about what they did and what they learned during their retreat. Ask each team member to talk about their favorite activity, biggest takeaway and what they’d like to tackle during next year’s retreat.

When done correctly, team development always comes with accompanying personal development. As part of your corporate retreat follow-up process, ask each team member what they’ve learned about themselves, their role on your team, and the importance of working together.

Team members may even find they want to swap or reassign team roles because of what they’ve learned in team challenges and activities in Mexico. Being open to those ideas and ideals can let team members learn to self-assess, self-evaluate, and self-approve.

How To Plan a Team Building Event Made Easy!

By following these 10 simple steps you’ll be well on your way to planning a team building event for your company!

Corporate retreat planning can be a massive undertaking that involves coordinating calendars, setting goals, looping in your Human Resources department, and getting all the necessary approvals in place. That’s a lot of moving parts – which is why you want Grupo Events on your side.  We’re a corporate event planning company with all the tools, knowledge, and experience you need.

Grupo Events is more than a corporate event planners. We step in to help your team leaders, corporate executives, and HR department with every aspect of corporate retreat planning from start to finish. 

Why Trust Grupo?

When you trust your corporate retreat to Grupo Events, your team-building event in Mexico goes from stupefying to simple.

We know exactly how to plan a team building event. That means we do the legwork for you. From creating a custom theme to setting a realistic and workable time frame based on your group size.

We can work with any size team and budget. From multi-hundred people events over many days, to tailor-made personal experiences, we can help with it all.

We have turn-on-a-dime flexibility which means your pre-existing schedules and specific time frames are no problem for our event planning pros.

Like an ever-changing business landscape, we can easily modify our events, make necessary changes, and respond quickly to meet your needs.

Above all, at Grupo, we do one thing. We build great teams. Period.

Contact Us Today to Book Your Cancun Team Building Event

At Grupo, we’re excited about helping you plan and host your next corporate event. A corporate team-building retreat is an ideal way for your team to recharge, reenergize, and reconnect.

Click right here today and reap the benefits of team bonding and building in the beauty and luxury of Mexico.