Business Retreat Trades Conference Rooms for Croatian Waters

Imagine starting your workday by brainstorming on deck as dolphins swim alongside, then transitioning to an impromptu workshop as your "conference room" sails past ancient Mediterranean towns. That was the reality for the participants of the Barefoot Business Retreat ON A YACHT, a first-of-its-kind floating business event that was developed and produced by Liz Lathan and Nicole Osibodu, the innovators behind The Community Factory and Club Ichi.

The 15-cabin yacht was more than a novel venue for a business retreat. It delivered concrete business results that surprised even veteran corporate event planners. Two senior executives who attended shared their insights with Skift Meetings at the Best Business Events of the Year 2024 virtual summit.

Why a Yacht Changes Everything

While business retreats often involve nature and remote settings, this event took things a little further. Revolving around a chartered yacht sailing the Croatian seas, the unique and constantly changing settings sparked creativity and fostered bonding. 

"Taking yourself out of our day-to-day and putting you in a completely fresh, new environment infuses a lot more curiosity, a lot more newness, a lot more bonding across people because we're all experiencing something new at the same time," shared Jill Ann Leithner, Director of Executive Event Productions at Intel Corporation, a participant at the retreat.

Former Accenture Chief of Staff Kafi Joseph, who also participated, highlighted the scientific basis for this approach through "attention restoration theory." She explained, "There's something about the natural environment, not being in artificial light, not being in a structured space that allows your brain, the cortisol stress to release, for your brain to relax and for you to be a bit more creative and open."

The natural environment of the Adriatic coast created unique opportunities for connection. "It allowed everybody to walk away with something that was very meaningful to them," Leithner noted. The format demonstrated that significant business impact can occur outside traditional conference settings.

Building Lasting Connections

Pre-event preparation was intentionally simple. It focused on community building through a pre-sail chat, where participants could connect before meeting in person. The organizers created what Leithner called "elegant simplicity" with "just the right amount of information."

Before setting sail, participants engaged in sightseeing and social activities together, which Leithner noted helped create "a safe space with friends." This environment encouraged vulnerability and openness among participants, setting the stage for meaningful discussions during the yacht journey.

Structured Spontaneity

While maintaining a basic agenda, the event emphasized flexibility and organic interactions. "Liz and Nicole really created these moments that are to an extent spontaneous, but they had that solid framework around it," Joseph explained. As Leithner described it, "The framework was loose. It was almost like there were lines, but we were the crayons and the agenda became us. It wasn't the agenda was made for us that we fulfilled. We came together, we opened up and we shared, and then the agenda fell out from that."

The format included innovative elements, such as sharing personal "superpowers" — unique abilities not necessarily related to work. This approach led to unexpected opportunities, such as Joseph running an impromptu workshop on human design after sharing her interest in the topic.

Leithner emphasized her top takeaway from the experience as "not over-engineering every moment and really allowing the moment to kind of form itself and breathe," noting that while meticulous planning has its place, stepping back and seeing things from the attendee perspective can yield better results.

The impact of the gathering extended beyond the retreat itself, with participants maintaining active connections through WhatsApp. As Joseph reflected, "Join us and find a community you didn't know you needed."