Originally
Published MX March/April 2002

BUSINESS PLANNING
& TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT

Advancing by
Retreat

A successful
executive retreat can be a powerful tool for addressing changing business conditions
and gaining stakeholder buy-in.

Teri Louden

*The
complete text of this article
is also available.*

Every year, medtech
companies spend significant financial and human resources to conduct executive
retreats—off-site gatherings of high-level stakeholders, usually with a
narrowly defined agenda or set of goals. Large companies are especially enamored
with retreats, often holding a number of events each year for specialized constituencies
such as the corporate board of directors, senior management, division management,
middle management, medical advisory boards, and so on. In order to respond quickly
to the rapid market and economic changes that have taken place over the past
year, however, even small companies are putting a high priority on holding such
retreats.

Golf photo courtesy Carefree Conference Resort

Executive retreats
vary widely in purpose, scope, and type of attendee. They offer companies valuable