Team Retreats plans strategic company retreats, leadership offsites and company offsites across Europe for groups of 10 to 1,000+ participants. We are part of Italiaplus Travel & Events GmbH in Wiesbaden, Germany, a tour operator and event agency with 20+ years of experience in event and travel planning. Typical destinations include Italy, Spain with Andalusia and the Canary Islands, Portugal's Algarve, Croatia, the Baltics and Morocco. You get venue, travel, programme and on-site support from one team, with one dedicated contact. We are a member of VDVO - Association of German Event Planners.

Italiaplus Travel & Events GmbH, the Wiesbaden-based tour operator behind the Team Retreats brand, signs your contract and carries responsibility for every booked service. Hotels, venues, coach companies and activity providers work for us, so your company has a single counterparty instead of a dozen supplier contracts. German law applies. If a project includes event production without travel, such as stage and AV for a summit, our event terms cover that part. Any service we only arrange on someone else's behalf is labelled as such in the proposal.

Usually it does. Under the EU Package Travel Directive and German law, a retreat that bundles two or more types of travel service, for example accommodation plus coach transfers or accommodation plus a guided activity, counts as a package, and that holds for business clients too. Booking for employees or paying the planning fee on a separate invoice does not change this. Only bookings under a standing framework agreement for business travel fall outside, and rooms plus a meeting package in the same hotel count as one service. Your benefit: statutory rights, one liable organiser and protected prepayments.

Through customer money insurance with R+V Versicherung, which German package travel law requires for every package (§ 651r BGB). Before we ask for any deposit, your company receives the security certificate (Sicherungsschein) together with the booking confirmation, so finance can release the payment with confidence. Where your headquarters are does not matter: UK, Nordic, Dutch and German clients are covered alike. If transport is part of a retreat already in progress, the journey home is secured too. On top, we carry tour operator liability insurance for personal injury and property damage.

Yes, Team Retreats works only with companies and organisations: leadership teams, whole companies, single departments inside large groups and agencies planning for their clients. Every retreat starts from a business purpose, such as alignment after a reorganisation, a strategy cycle, onboarding new leaders or bringing a remote team together. Contracts, invoices and the security certificate are issued to your company. Planning a private group trip or celebration in Italy instead? Our sister brand Italiaplus at italiaplus.com takes care of that.

Plan with €1,200 to €3,500 per person for 3 nights for a group of about 30, flights excluded and our agency fee included. The lower end means 4-star hotels, shared dinners, one meeting room, one team activity and transfers in good-value destinations such as Portugal, Spain or the Baltics outside high season. From around €2,000 you are booking 5-star hotels or exclusive-use venues, and Italy's lakes and coastline in June and September mark the top of the range. Fixed planning costs weigh more in smaller groups, so their per-person price is higher.

You can choose between three transparent pricing models, and we recommend the one that suits your approval process. Many finance teams prefer a fixed price per participant that already includes our planning. Others want travel costs and our agency fee on separate lines to compare suppliers. For advisory work or partial support, such as destination scouting or agenda workshops, we invoice hourly or daily rates. Whichever model you choose, the group rates we negotiate with hotels and suppliers work in your favour, and extra services are only added after your approval.

For the travel part, no: travel services are taxed under the special margin scheme for travel agents (§ 25 UStG, Articles 306 to 310 of the EU VAT Directive). Under this scheme the invoice shows no VAT, so there is nothing to reclaim as input tax, and this covers accommodation, transport, shared meals and team activities within the retreat. A separately invoiced agency fee is different: German companies receive it with 19% VAT, EU businesses under the reverse charge, and companies outside the EU, for example in the UK, Norway or Switzerland, without German VAT.

On confirmation we invoice a deposit of at least 30%, and only after your company holds the security certificate. Everything after that is tailored: the remaining instalments follow the lead time, the destination, the group size and what hotels and suppliers require, and we fix them in your proposal before you sign. Hotels increasingly secure group allotments with 30 to 50% early, even for retreats a year ahead. Because every date and amount is listed in advance, your finance team can plan cash flow without surprises.

That depends on timing and on the group contracts of the hotels and suppliers involved, which usually allow less flexibility than individual bookings. The later the cancellation, the higher the fees. Before you sign, the proposal lists the cut-off dates and how many participants you can drop free of charge until when. To keep flexibility, we hold rooms on option where possible and tell you every release date in advance. Please send changes to the participant list in writing; we suggest travel cancellation insurance for every traveller.

With a cost framework and two clear thresholds. If we see that costs will exceed the agreed budget by more than 15%, you get written notice with the expected amount, a deadline and your options, including the right to terminate. Any additional service above 10% of the budget needs your approval before we book it. These rules come from our event terms and give your CFO or procurement team a clear escalation path, so the final invoice matches what was signed off.

Within 48 hours of the discovery call you receive a feasibility assessment with suitable destinations and a realistic budget frame, which you can forward to your leadership team. The detailed proposal then shows each cost block per participant, the scope of services, payment dates and cancellation terms. For procurement we provide company details, insurance confirmations, our terms and conditions and the security certificate. If your company needs several offers for comparison, our cost breakdown makes the comparison easy, and we are happy to join a short call with your decision makers.

Start from the purpose and your team's map, not from a beautiful photo. We compare 2 to 3 destinations by direct flights from your team's hubs, travel time, season, budget and the venues available for your group size. A strategy offsite for 15 leaders needs quiet and short travel; a kick-off for 200 people needs airport access and large meeting rooms. Italy, Spain, Portugal, Croatia, the Baltics and Morocco each fit different budgets and seasons. You get our recommendation with the reasons, ready to share internally.

Plan on 3 to 6 months for retreats in May, June or September and for groups above 20 people or 10 rooms. Outside these peaks, 6 to 12 weeks are usually enough. Large kick-offs with several hundred participants or exclusive-use venues are best secured 9 to 12 months ahead. Dates that clash with big trade fairs or public holidays at the destination fill fastest. Under time pressure? Even with 2 weeks' notice we look for a workable option, with a narrower venue choice, higher rates and possibly a last-minute supplement.

Yes, most of our clients start exactly there. In a free discovery call by video or phone, in English, German or Italian, we clarify the purpose, group size and a rough time frame. From that, you receive a feasibility assessment within 48 hours with 2 to 3 destination options and a realistic budget range for each. That gives your leadership team something concrete to decide on. Once dates and budget are approved, we request availability and prepare the detailed proposal.

After you confirm, we turn the proposal into a timeline with clear responsibilities on both sides. We contract hotels, venues, transport and activities, send you a rooming list template and collect participant details, dietary needs and mobility requirements. Before departure your team receives the final agenda, arrival information and emergency contacts. One dedicated contact answers every question, so nobody in your company has to chase suppliers. After the retreat we review the results with you and, if you wish, survey the participants.

Yes, a site inspection can be arranged before or after you book, for the organising team or just for the leaders who decide. It pays off for large groups, exclusive venues and plenary rooms where daylight, layout and acoustics shape the working sessions. We charge our daily rates plus travel costs and agree the budget with you beforehand. When travel is not practical, we run a virtual walkthrough instead: photos, floor plans, capacity sheets and a video call with the venue team.

Yes, if you want us to. Together with you we turn the goal of the retreat into an agenda: which decisions need working sessions, where the team needs time to connect, and when people need a break. For strategy work, team development or difficult conversations we can involve external facilitators, coaches or trainers from our network. Many clients prefer their own facilitator or run sessions internally; then we focus on the setting, from plenary room and breakouts to technology and a timetable that protects focus time.

We choose activities that fit your team's culture, energy levels and purpose, and we always offer options. A cooking class, a guided walk or a sailing afternoon works for most people; physically demanding or competitive formats are optional, never mandatory. We ask about mobility, dietary needs and personal limits in advance and plan alternatives for anyone who prefers a quieter programme. Free time is part of the plan, because connection often happens there. This keeps the retreat inclusive for every participant.

On larger retreats, yes: our project leads and assistants travel with you and manage the timetable, suppliers and any changes on the spot. Smaller groups can book on-site support; without it, your dedicated contact and our local partners are on call by phone for the whole stay. Guides, hosts and drivers receive a briefing from us on your agenda, participants and special needs before you arrive. That way your organiser can take part in the retreat instead of running it.

Disruptions are part of travel, so we prepare for them: before each travel day we check strike notices, flight status and the forecast, and we reroute transfers where needed. Every outdoor element has an indoor plan B, which means the programme shifts rather than loses content. Should a retreat become impossible because of unavoidable, extraordinary circumstances, such as an official ban, your contract and German package travel law define your rights and refunds. Our on-site team updates participants directly, so your organiser is not the one fielding questions.

Yes, because Team Retreats does not insure participants. Each traveller needs health cover abroad including repatriation, and travel cancellation insurance is advisable; check first whether your company's business travel policy already covers retreats. For damage we are responsible for, Italiaplus Travel & Events GmbH carries tour operator liability insurance covering personal injury and property damage. If the project is an event without travel services, your company arranges event liability cover, and we can point you to suitable providers.

The difference lies in who travels and why. A company retreat brings a whole team or company together to work on collaboration and direction; a leadership offsite gives a small senior team quiet time for strategy and decisions; a kick-off launches a new year, product or structure. An incentive trip rewards top performers, so experience matters more than working sessions. Many retreats combine elements, for example two days of strategy and one day of shared experiences. We help you choose the format that fits your goal.

Yes, a large part of our work is for remote, hybrid and multi-location teams and for single units inside large groups, such as a tech, product or regional team. We plan arrivals from several countries, choose destinations with good direct flights for all hubs and coordinate different travel policies. For departments inside a group, we work with your procurement rules and provide approval-ready documents. Group sizes from 10 participants are possible, so even a small leadership team gets the same structure as a company-wide event.

Yes. Event agencies and planners bring us in as their destination partner in Europe for scouting, supplier contracts and on-site delivery, while they stay the face towards their client. On request we work under your agency's name, so your client only sees your brand. Client details and your margins remain confidential. You receive our quotes as transparent cost blocks to add your fee, plus access to local partners we have built up over 20+ years. As VDVO members we follow the standards of German event planners.