4 reasons we love offsite meetings

Every year, Lighthouse Independent Media’s editors from across the region converge for a few days of brain storming, strategy planning and team building.

Simply called the Editors’ Conference, the event allows us to not only catch up with each other in person, but to travel as a team to various countries in the region.

This year, editors across Human Resources and Marketing met up in Hong Kong for a three-day conference. In honour of our last day here, here are four reasons we advocate off site meetings.

1. It’s an excuse to get out of the officeThere are few things that bring us as much joy as being able to work out away from our desks. Over the past three days, the team has had serious business-led meetings by the beach (yes, it was freezing), in a waffle café and on a ferry ride.

While no one expects you to fly your team out for off-site brainstorming sessions, holding a meeting in a restaurant or venue away from the office can do wonders for productivity and creativity.

2. You’re out of your comfort zoneOne of the hallmarks of being a good journalist is to be able to work effectively under any circumstances. Every year, editors are split into small teams and tasked with various challenges that force us to collaborate in a way we may never have before.

These exercises keep us on our toes, and are a great way to get back to basics – something we constantly need in a fast-paced business environment.

3. It’s intense team buildingBeing in a country where we may not be able to speak the native language, have little or few contacts, an often no access to the internet when we’re out of the office or hotel, forces us to work with and trust one another even more so than we already do on a daily basis.

4. You rely less on technologyNot having constant access to data or the internet means no more conversations over Skype or email. It has been refreshing to speak to team members we are most familiar with over an IM service in person, and re-establish (or build new) relationships with them.