Budget per head, then multiply
Finance sign-off is the long pole, so start there. A day offsite lands around the cost of a decent dinner per person; an overnight one is a short vacation per person and should be argued for as one. State the per-head figure in the approval request — a total invites haggling, a per-head invites a yes.
The hidden line items are travel and the bar. Decide the drinks policy before the venue, not at the venue.
The place has to be reachable, not impressive
The best venue your whole team can reach beats a better one that costs half of them a night away. Count the journey from the furthest person, not the office. If the team is remote, the offsite IS the travel — pick a city with an airport people can actually fly into cheaply, and put the money into the time together rather than the building.
Feed it like an event, not a meeting
Sandwiches at desks is not an offsite. Ask for dietary needs when you announce the date — ask everyone, not just the loud ones — and plan one meal that is the point of the day rather than a pause in it. A long table does more for a team than any facilitated exercise.
An agenda with air in it
One working block in the morning while the energy is real. One thing after lunch that nobody has to perform enthusiasm for — a walk, a game, a genuinely optional activity. Hard stop stated in advance and honored. The conversations that justify the whole budget happen in the gaps you did not schedule.
