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Pre-offsite survey questions (pre-retreat attendee survey template)
The questions to ask attendees before a team offsite or company retreat: what they want from it, what worries them, what they need, and a baseline to measure against.
A pre-offsite survey asks attendees, four to eight weeks before a team offsite or company retreat, what they want the time to achieve, which topics matter most, what activities they'd enjoy, and what they need to travel and take part comfortably. It shapes the agenda, surfaces concerns early and gives you a baseline to compare with the post-offsite survey. Below is a free pre-retreat survey template with questions you can import into any form tool.
Pre-offsite survey template
Keep it under five minutes. Logistics questions that need names (dietary needs, rooms, travel) belong in the registration form, not this anonymous survey.
1. Pre-offsite survey questions
| # | Question | Type | Scale or options | Why ask it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What is the one thing this offsite must achieve for it to be worth your time? | Open | Free text | Shapes the agenda around real needs |
| 2 | Which topics should we spend the most time on? | Multi-select | [List 6-8 candidate topics] | Ranks agenda topics |
| 3 | What topic are we avoiding that we should discuss? | Open | Free text | Surfaces the hard conversations |
| 4 | How clear are you today on the company's priorities for next year? | Rating | 1 to 5 | Baseline for the post-offsite survey |
| 5 | How connected do you feel to colleagues outside your own team? | Rating | 1 to 5 | Baseline for the post-offsite survey |
| 6 | Which kinds of activities would you enjoy most? | Multi-select | Food and cooking / Outdoors / Sport / Culture / Wellness / Creative / Low-key social | Picks the team activity |
| 7 | Is there any type of activity you'd rather not do? | Open | Free text | Avoids exclusionary choices |
| 8 | What balance of structured sessions and free time works for you? | Choice | Mostly structured / Balanced / More free time | Sets the agenda rhythm |
| 9 | How do you feel about the length of the trip and time away from home? | Choice | Longer is fine / About right / Prefer shorter | Flags caregiving and travel limits |
| 10 | Is there anything that would make it hard for you to fully take part? | Open | Free text (optional) | Surfaces access and wellbeing needs |
| 11 | What would you like to have prepared or read before the offsite? | Open | Free text | Shapes the pre-read |
| 12 | Anything else the organizers should know? | Open | Free text | Catch-all |
2. Extra questions for leadership offsites
| # | Question | Type |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What are the three decisions this leadership team must make in the next quarter? | Open |
| 2 | Where do you think we disagree as a leadership team? | Open |
| 3 | What should we stop doing as a company? | Open |
| 4 | How effective is this leadership team at making and sticking to decisions? (1-5) | Rating |
| 5 | What would you need from your peers to hit next year's goals? | Open |
3. Sending the pre-offsite survey
Before you send
- Leadership agrees which answers can still change the agenda
- Topic list (question 2) is short and written in plain language
- Survey is anonymous, and the invite says so
After you send
- One reminder after a few days; close it after a week
- Share the top themes with attendees before the offsite
- Save the baseline scores for the post-offsite comparison
Opens in Google Sheets, Excel, Notion or Google Docs. Paste the Markdown into Notion or a doc, or import the CSV into a sheet.
Rather not fill this in yourself? Offsiteio plans the whole offsite and sends you a free itemized proposal in days.
How to use this pre-offsite survey
- Send it four to eight weeks before the offsite, when the agenda can still change but the dates and venue are fixed.
- Edit the topic list in question 2 to six to eight real candidate topics from leadership.
- Use the leadership extras only for leadership or executive offsites.
- Keep it anonymous. Collect names, dietary needs and travel details separately in the registration form.
- Summarize themes for the offsite sponsor and adjust the agenda. Tell attendees what changed because of their answers.
- Re-ask questions 4 and 5 in the post-offsite survey to measure the change.
Example: how a pre-survey changed a Buenos Aires retreat
An illustrative case for a 20-person engineering and product retreat in Buenos Aires. The answers below are invented to show how a survey shapes a plan.
| Survey signal | Change to the plan |
|---|---|
| Top topic was technical debt, which wasn't on the draft agenda | Replaced a roadmap presentation with a two-hour working session on debt |
| Several people disliked competitive sports | Chose a cooking class and a tango lesson over a football match |
| Long overnight flights for most attendees | Day 1 started at 15:00 with an optional walking tour in the morning |
| Low baseline for cross-team connection | Mixed seating at every meal and cross-team pairs for the activity |
Common pre-offsite survey mistakes
- Asking about things you can't change. If the destination is booked, don't ask where people want to go.
- Mixing anonymous and named questions. Dietary and room needs require names; agenda opinions are more honest anonymously. Use two forms.
- Too long. Twelve questions is plenty. Every extra question lowers the quality of the answers.
- Ignoring the results. If the agenda doesn't change at all, people won't fill the next one in.
- Activity choices only the loudest enjoy. Ask what people want to avoid, not only what they like.
Choosing the activity? Browse team building activities for work retreats and the icebreaker generator.
Want it planned for you?
Survey answers turn into a plan faster when someone else does the booking. Offsiteio plans team offsites and company retreats end to end. We book lodging, meeting space, food, activities, transfers and even swag in 35+ destinations. Trips start from about $999 per person depending on destination, with flights quoted separately. Every trip comes with 24/7 remote support, and you can add an optional on-site coordinator.
“They have facilitated my company’s offsites for the last 2 years.” Amira A., Google review
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Related
- Team building agenda template
- Leadership offsite agenda topics
- Offsite agenda templates
- What is an offsite?
- Remote team offsites
FAQ
What should I ask in a pre-retreat survey?
What the offsite must achieve, which topics matter most, what is being avoided, baseline scores for clarity and connection, activity preferences and dislikes, the right balance of sessions and free time, and anything that could make it hard to take part.
When should a pre-offsite survey be sent?
Four to eight weeks before the offsite: late enough that dates and venue are fixed, early enough that the agenda and activities can still change.
Should the pre-retreat survey be anonymous?
Yes for opinions about topics, leaders and the company. Collect anything that needs a name, such as dietary needs, rooms and flights, in a separate registration form.
How many questions should a pre-offsite survey have?
Around ten to twelve, taking under five minutes. Add the leadership extras only for leadership offsites.
How do pre and post offsite surveys work together?
Ask the same baseline questions (such as clarity on priorities and connection with colleagues) before and after. The difference is one of the clearest signs of whether the offsite worked.
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