The Hidden Cost of Unstrategic Team Gatherings (And How to Fix It)

CPOHQ Chief People Officer Meagan Soszynski has spent around 15 years planning team gatherings. And in that time, she's seen companies blow serious cash on events that might be fun, but don't move the needle for business.

Here's the thing: the problem isn't that team gatherings cost money. It's that most companies plan them completely backwards. 

They start with "Wouldn't it be nice if everyone got together?" instead of "What specific business problem are we trying to solve?"

If you can't explain why your event exists in business terms, good luck getting the budget approved next year.

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4 Steps to Strategic Event Planning That Actually Works

Here's Soszynski's step-by-step approach to flip the script from “fun” to “business” — making gatherings that actually drive ROI while optimizing every dollar spent.

Step 1: Match your event schedules to business priorities (and teams with their budgets)

Build your calendar around revenue cycles and milestones, not arbitrary "team bonding" schedules. Soszynski suggests a three-tier system: revenue generators like product, sales, and GTM teams should meet up the most, and get the largest budget because of that; executive teams should check in quarterly for strategic alignment; support teams should get together at least once a year.

Why this works: Your biggest collaboration dollars go to the teams that have the highest impact on your revenue. That makes the ROI case pretty obvious when you’re pitching that flight to Paris (or Houston). 

Step 2: Make sure each event solves a specific problem

Sure, you want people to have fun, chat, maybe even hit the pool. But keep your “focusing” hat on: Every event needs to tackle a real business challenge or hit a truly measurable goal. When you lead with strategy, you can justify the spend — and the happy hour afterward.

Ask yourself: What specific problem do you have that would be helped by people working together face-to-face? What’s going to be different about your business after they solve it? The clearer your objectives are, the easier it’ll get to optimize costs around achieving them.

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Step 3: Use data to optimize location and impact

Run the numbers on where people actually live before picking a location. Sometimes the "obvious" choice — looking at you, expensive coastal cities — costs way more and doesn't deliver better outcomes. Other times, the obvious choice actually is the best move you can make.

Now it’s time to make smart, thoughtful decisions about who really needs to attend (not just who’s a fun hang!), what kind of venue you actually need (not just your first choice), and where to allocate resources (not just on picking up an entire team and bringing them somewhere else).

Step 4: Measure business impact, not just vibes

Don't ask, "Did everyone have a good time?" You can, but that’s not the point. Ask, "Did we achieve our strategic objectives?" Track productivity metrics, goal completion, and the long-term impact of decisions made or strategies that came out during the event.

Soszynski's pro tip: schedule follow-up presentations where teams share what they learned and created. That sort of accountability makes sure that the magic keeps on moving.

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What Happens When You Get Strategic

The results of strategy-based event planning speak for themselves. 

Refined resources: Instead of giving every team an equal budget, you’ll dole out money based on the business impact they (and their meetings) have. Revenue-driving teams get more resources because their collaboration directly affects the company’s bottom line.

Clear-cut costs: Specific objectives help you spend smarter. When you can justify every single team member who makes it onto the event list, pick the most cost-effective spots for gatherings that serve your goals, and cut expenses that don't support your objectives, it’s a win for everyone.

Better business alignment: When gatherings have clear goals and accountability measures, they generate measurable ROI, not just fuzzy feelings. 

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The shift from "let's bring everyone together" to "let's solve this specific business challenge together" transforms team gatherings from expensive perks (like a fancy party) into strategic business tools (like heads-down problem-solving sessions). And with this change, your leadership will see the value of events: not a cost to minimize, but an investment in collaboration and growth.

Having distributed or remote teams doesn't mean you can't collaborate — it means you need to be intentional about when, how, and why your teams get together. Start with strategy, optimize for impact, and watch those "nice-to-have" expenses become "must-have" business investments. That’s how you can make sure you plan the best team gathering possible.

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