A summer offsite with outdoor space
· By BookWorkations editors
In summer, outdoor space can change an offsite: a session under a tree, lunch on the terrace, a walk between two blocks of work. It also brings questions that an indoor venue does not: shade, heat, rain, and who is responsible for the pool. Below you find what to ask the venue, followed by a live list of venues that list a pool or outdoor activities, within four hours' drive of Utrecht. The list is read from our database today, so it changes when venues are added or updated.
What outdoor space means in the data
Our database records whether a venue has a pool and whether it offers outdoor activities. It does not record the size or the state of a garden, so a venue can have a lovely garden and not appear in the list. Use the list as a starting point and ask every venue about its outdoor space directly.
Questions to ask about the outdoor space
Put these in your request, and ask for the answers in writing:
- Shade and shelter: where can the group sit in the shade, and where do you go when it rains?
- Capacity: how many people fit on the terrace or the lawn, and is there a table for the whole group?
- Power and wifi: does the connection reach the garden if people want to work outside?
- Pool: is it open to your group, who is responsible for supervision, and what are the rules for children and for alcohol?
- Noise and neighbours: until what time may the group stay outside in the evening?
- Exclusive use: is the garden yours alone, or shared with other guests?
Plan the day around the weather
Hot afternoons can make it hard to concentrate. Put the sessions that need focus in the morning, keep the middle of the day for lunch and a break, and plan lighter work for later. Always have a plan B indoors, with a room that fits the whole group.
Ticks live in tall grass and bushes. The Dutch national institute for public health (RIVM) advises staying on paths, wearing closed shoes, long sleeves and long trousers, and checking your skin after you have been outside. Mention this to the group before a walk in the grounds.
Keep the work in the programme
Outdoor space is not a reason to drop the agenda. Use it for the parts that benefit from fresh air, such as walking one-to-ones or small group discussions, and keep decisions and presentations in the meeting room, where everyone can see and hear.
