A kick-off location for January or February
· By BookWorkations editors
A kick-off in January or February sets the tone for the year, and it is a natural moment to plan: the team is back from the holidays and the year's goals are fresh. Winter does change a few practical things, such as daylight, the weather on the road and the heating of the rooms. Below you find what to check, followed by a live list of venues with at least one meeting room, within three hours' drive of Utrecht. The list is read from our database today, so it changes when venues are added or updated.
Why a short trip works in winter
Days are short in January and February, so a long journey takes a large part of the daylight and of the energy of the group. A venue within about three hours of a central city such as Utrecht keeps the travel to a morning or an afternoon. The travel time on each card is an estimate by car from Utrecht; check the route and the traffic before you book.
If your team travels by train, ask the venue how far it is from the nearest station and whether transfers are possible. Our article on travelling to an offsite by train covers group tickets.
What to check for a winter kick-off
Ask the venue about these points in your request, and put the answers in writing:
- Heating: are the meeting room and the bedrooms heated, and can you set the temperature in the room yourself?
- Meeting room: how many people fit when the tables are in a U-shape or in rows, and is there a second room for working groups?
- Daylight: which room has windows, and is there a place for a short walk between sessions while it is light?
- Arrival: is there parking, and is the access road cleared when it snows or freezes?
- Catering: can lunch and dinner be served at set times, so the programme can start on time?
Dates and the road
Check the school holidays before you fix a date. The spring holiday (voorjaarsvakantie) in the Netherlands falls usually in February and differs per region; the Dutch government publishes the dates per school year. Colleagues with children may prefer a different week, and some venues are busier then.
If you drive to Germany, note that winter tyres are required there when the road is icy or snowy. The rule is in the German road traffic regulations (section 2, paragraph 3a of the StVO). Rules differ per country and can change, so check them for your route before you leave.
Make the kick-off useful
Keep the day simple. Start with the year's goals, give each team room to translate them into a plan, and end with agreements about who does what in the first month. For a longer agenda, see our article on the agenda of a strategy session.
