How To Plan A Retreat | Coffee With An Expert Retreat Planner

Sit down and have a cup of coffee with me, will you?

Before we meet for a consultation, I have a pre-meeting questionnaire that all potential clients fill out. This information helps me before our initial conversation so I can learn more about you and what you’re looking for during your retreat experience. 

You might wonder what I look for when I sift through the responses, and how I begin crafting an itinerary that’s perfect for each individual client. 

Let’s dig into this a little further with an example. 

Emily recently reached out to me to plan a retreat for her. Here is how she answered her pre-consult questionnaire: 

Is your retreat personal or for business?

Personal/business (I am a life coach, and this is for a group of my clients)  

Have you previously hosted a retreat?

No 

How do you want your guests to feel when they leave your retreat?

Like they felt some kind of shift in their thinking or mindset. I want them to feel excited about something in their future. 

What are your ideal retreat dates?

A Friday-Sunday in March 

What is your ideal budget range?

$750-900 per person 

When you think of a location for your retreat, what words come to mind?

Nature, relaxing, water. 

What does your ideal Saturday look like?

Good coffee, a hike, going to a brewery with some friends, getting a massage, and enjoying delicious dinner and wine 

In a few words, please describe any details you know about your retreat.

My target audience is women in their 30s who might feel stuck with the mundane day-to-day of life. Most of them have children and don’t often get a chance to step away. I hope this retreat can provide them with a sense of community and relaxation. 

Approximately how many people are you hoping to host?

10 - 15



As a retreat planner, what do I see when I look at this? How do I go about coming up with ideas and crafting an experience that will fit my client’s needs? Let me give you a peek inside my brain. 

SHIFT IN THINKING

In order to create a real shift in thinking, usually you need someone who is skilled and trained to help get you out of a rut and make a true change. When I see this I know I need to include a business/life coach within the itinerary so they’re able to guide guests through workshops designed to implement shifts. 

$750 - $900

This allows me enough room to create a more luxurious experience. It’ll likely include accommodation with an option for a private room, and perhaps a live-in chef for the weekend creating elevated dining experiences. 

Nature, water

I’ll look for venues/accommodations that are on or near a lake, river, or some other body of water.

Ideal Saturday

This helps me understand what YOU love to do, and therefore a few elements you might like to see happen at your retreat. 

Provide them with a sense of community and relaxation

It’s likely that this group of women won’t all know each other, which means I need to create shared experiences for them that allow them to connect in a comfortable setting. I’ll take this into consideration at every touchpoint along the way. 

After having a conversation with Emily, she decides to pay me $149 to put together a full proposal and detailed budget for her. I take two weeks of time, and get to work! 


Here is a high-level example of the itinerary I could put together for Emily: 

FRIDAY 

5:00 p.m. | Guests arrive 

6:00 p.m. | Apps & drinks 

7:00 p.m. | Official welcome 

7:15 p.m. | Get to know you activity led by life coach 

8:30 p.m. | Free time 

SATURDAY 

8:00 a.m. | Coffee & light breakfast 

9:00 a.m. | Yoga & meditation 

10:30 a.m. | Brunch 

11:00 a.m. | Free time 

12:00 p.m. | Floral arranging workshop 

1:30 p.m. | Afternoon charcuterie & wine 

2:00 p.m. | Life coaching 

3:30 p.m. | Massages or free time to explore outside 

5:00 p.m. | Candlelight yoga 

6:00 p.m. | Happy hour / get ready 

7:15 p.m. | Seated tablescape dinner experience with paired wines 

9:00 p.m. | End day 

SUNDAY 

8:00 a.m. | Coffee 

9:00 a.m. | Yoga & meditation 

10:00 a.m. | Breakfast 

10:30 a.m. | Closing circle with life coach 

11:30 a.m. | Pack & depart 

After I finish crafting this and source a venue and vendors, I also put together a detailed budget along with a per-person retreat cost. When everything is ready to go, I get the opportunity to meet with my client and take them through all of the goodness!

I truly love crafting beautiful experiences allowing people to connect with each other. I love planning each little detail and watching it come to life. If you’re thinking about hosting a retreat, but don’t want to do the planning send me a message so we can connect! 




Xo, 

Katie  

Katherine Quade