Is this the kind of impact your past retreats delivered? As a forum moderator, you are in the perfect position to lead a retreat that has a lasting effect on your forum. Best practice is for forums to hold one retreat and one mini-retreat per year to ensure optimal forum health.

No matter how close to or far from home you hold your retreats, the foundation of successful retreats is the same — a blend of physical, mental and emotional work. At the core, they allow forum members to renew their commitment to forum and create deeper exploration and bonding than can typically occur in a four-hour meeting.

This is your moment to bring more value to your forum by delivering the best a retreat can offer.

Here are some tips to help make that happen:

1. Learn from others’ experiences. Review past results of forum retreat competition entries. Learn more
2. Launch a Forum Health Survey prior to your retreat to identify norms that warrant closer examination. Keep in mind any parking lot issues or subjects that were not covered in a regular meeting during the past year.
3. Use an outside resource. Even if you’re an experienced moderator, your forum can go even deeper with the guidance of a YPO certified forum facilitator at least once every two years. They will work with you to identify the agenda, and then lead the session on site. Inviting a CFF to your retreat also gives you the opportunity to relax and fully engage with the group.
4. Build your retreat around a specific topic and get away from the every day. By choosing a specific topic, you can explore specific challenges more deeply, leading to true change. Though travel is not necessary to have an exceptional retreat, getting out of your everyday locations is. Try finding a neutral location other than one of your forum members’ homes or offices to hold your retreat. The new Forum Retreats Portal (see below) is a wonderful resource for identifying vetted retreat locations, certified forum facilitators and retreat topics.
5. Establish a budget that works for all members. If your forum’s dues will not cover expenses, establish an agreed-upon retreat budget and ensure that all members commit to the amount, date and location.
6. Involve everyone in the retreat planning process. You don’t have to do this alone. Delegate responsibilities to members of the forum to engage others and strengthen commitment to the retreat.
7. Consult the Forum eGuidebook. See the "Renewal and Retreats" sections on pages 42 and 48.

Are you planning your forum retreat?
Start your journey with the new Forum Retreats Portal — your gateway to planning and executing a meaningful, engaging and transformative forum retreat experience.

What is the Forum Retreats Portal?
The Forum Retreats Portal is an interactive site of curated retreat resources, packages and locations for YPO members and spouses/partners to utilize in your forum retreat design and planning process.

In the portal, you will find:

• Certified forum facilitator profiles by region, including specialties, ratings and fees
• Retreat themes and content that can be customized for your forum’s specific needs, and
• Retreat locations and venues supplied by members and trusted YPO vendors and partners.

What type of retreat is right for your forum — adventurous or reflective; low-key or highly active; close to home or a world away? On the Forum Retreats Portal, you’ll find a multitude of options and experiences only a click away. 

Save the Date!
Business Powered by Forum Global Conference Call
Have you thought about bringing forum practices into business but aren’t quite sure how to go about it? Join Tony Aykroyd (YPO Gold Adelaide) and Leslie Routhier (spouse, YPO Ontario Gold) on 8 May 18:00 New York/23:00 London/06:00 Hong Kong (+1 day) for a global conference call on the results of the Forum in Business 60-Day Challenge, where members used the Business Powered by Forum Toolkit to apply forum practices to business to positively impact team trust and performance. 

Switch it up! Try a new Forum Meeting Location and Agenda
During Innovation Week, an affiliate partner and YPO member company, WeWork, is offering complementary meeting space for YPO members. WeWork is a global community of shared workspaces with 126 locations in more than 35 cities across 10 countries.

Here’s an idea: Book your WeWork location, watch a livestream or digital Innovation Week event and follow up with a confidential discussion about the topic. See the 2017 Innovation Week livestream and digital events. Learn more about YPO Innovation Week events.

To book a WeWork location for Innovation Week, 8-12 May, send the date, time, WeWork location and number of attendees to Jenelle Perinotti.