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Introduction
More and more firms are holding annual retreats because they recognize the critical role that they play in driving the firm forward and increasing the potential of their people.  In this article, we present ideas to further increase the value of retreats by using them to generate positive publicity, build client relations and support recruiting efforts. In order to maximize these potential benefits, it is essential that your firm’s marketing people are involved in the planning and logistics of the retreat.

Positive Publicity
A Good Cause
Linking the retreat to a charitable cause is an excellent way to encourage staff to attend and to provide additional meaning to the event.  It also offers an opportunity for positive public relations.  Some possibilities include:

• A friendly competition where the winning teams direct firm money to the charity of their choice
• A team building activity where retreat participants provide a fresh coat of paint for the visitors' room of a community hospital

Keeping it Green
Planning a retreat with the environment in mind promotes the firm as an environmentally conscious citizen.  Some considerations include:

• Encouraging ride sharing or renting a bus to transport people to and from the site
• Dispensing water from pitchers instead of individual bottles
• Keeping printed handouts to a minimum

For more ideas on making your retreat green, visit the following links:
http://www.epa.gov/oppt/greenmeetings/index.htm
www.bluegreenmeetings.org/

Client Relations
Retreats offer an excellent way to honor valued clients.  Respected CEO’s can be invited to deliver a keynote on how they  led their companies to success and overcame the  obstacles they faced.  This helps maximize the retreat ROI in several ways:

• It serves as a business development tool by showcasing the firm’s  talent pool to a client and helping to cement a relationship with an important contact
• It provides a level of business insight and relevance that goes beyond what many academics can provide
• Through questions and answers, lawyers can learn to serve clients better by gaining greater insight into the challenges they face

Finally, depending on the profile of the client and his or her organization, this guest may also serve as an excellent draw for participants and create an opportunity for a press release.

Support Recruiting Efforts
Potential recruits will do their best to obtain a sense of your firm’s culture before scheduling an interview or deciding where to go.  In their quest for information on the internet, they are likely to be met with a feast or famine situation.  Larger firms will have many postings on blogs and bulletin boards but the coverage tends to come from people with a particular complaint or agenda.  Smaller firms will probably have little or no coverage at all.
Posting pictures and video of your firm’s retreat on your web site is an excellent way to provide potential candidates with a behind the scenes look at your firm and its people.   A video montage that combines shots of programs in session with one-on-one interviews will give potential recruits a glimpse of your firm’s culture and its commitment to learning. 

Conclusion
Law firm retreats provide a unique opportunity to foster cohesiveness among a firm's professionals and focus on shared goals.  While a successful retreat will typically further your firm's objectives and motivate its people, it can also serve to create positive publicity, reinforce client relations and contribute to recruiting efforts. A well-conceived retreat can have a tremendous impact on many aspects of your firm's operation.

Spire Professional Development Inc. (Spire) is a training firm that specializes in providing learning programs to law firms.  For more information visit www.spirepd.com.

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