Layston Badham
One of the most common challenges I hear from leaders—whether at large enterprises or mid-sized companies—is that bringing their entire team together in person feels nearly impossible. For some, it hasn’t happened in years.
In a world where teams are more geographically dispersed than ever, the logistics of gathering for corporate offsites and workshops have become increasingly complex. Since the pandemic forced the business world to go fully virtual, video calls have taken over as the default way to meet—even for larger strategy sessions and team-building events. Virtual meetings are convenient, they save on travel costs, and they fit into packed schedules. But are they truly as effective as the in-person experience?
The data suggests that leaders still highly value face-to-face collaboration. According to the 2024 U.S. Internal Meetings Impact Report, a survey conducted by Cvent and The Harris Poll, 78% of business leaders say in-person meetings are “absolutely necessary” or “very important” to their companies. Additionally, 95% agree that impactful internal meetings drive culture, engagement, and productivity.
But here’s the catch: “impactful” doesn’t have to mean exclusively in-person. The reality is that many teams operate in a hybrid model, with some employees in a physical office and others working remotely, or a mix. Budget constraints and company-wide travel restrictions only add to the challenge of bringing teams together. So, the question becomes:
How do you run a seamless, productive workshop when your team is scattered across locations, time zones, and work environments?
If the Team is Hybrid, Why Aren’t the Workshops Hybrid?
When leaders need to bring their geographically spread teams together for strategic alignment, planning, or problem-solving, they typically default to one of two extremes:
Option A: The No Holds Barred Offsite (Like it’s the 1990s)
Some teams still operate as if the only way to collaborate effectively is to gather everyone in a single room, no matter the cost. While there’s undeniable value in in-person connection, this approach is becoming increasingly impractical from financial constraints with rising costs and corporate travel restrictions, logistical nightmares (think about all the coordinating flights, accommodations, visas and as schedules to a sole location), and jetlag and productivity issues brought on by long-haul travel across time zones.
Option B: The Over-Reliance on Virtual Meetings (Zoom Zombies)
On the other hand, some teams assume that since they’ve adapted to remote work, all collaboration can happen through video calls. While virtual meetings can be efficient, they come with their own challenges to impactful productivity due to Zoom Fatigue from long virtual workshops and participants’ lack of focus from multi-tasking and distractions.
A Smarter Solution: Hybrid Alternatives
Instead of thinking in extremes, either fully in-person or fully remote, it’s time to embrace a middle ground: hybrid workshops – a more flexible, efficient, and inclusive way to collaborate.
A hybrid workshop blends the best parts of in-person and virtual participation, allows teams to engage regardless of location. Here are two versions of how we adapted a hybrid workshop to our clients’ needs:
Hub-and-Spoke Model
Our client came to us because they needed to bring a global team together for a problem-solving offsite. Their large team was spread across the US and Europe which would have been too expensive and complicated to get everyone to the US remote offsite.
Instead of forcing a costly, all-in-one-location event, we designed a hub-and-spoke hybrid workshop—a model that allowed teams to collaborate seamlessly across locations while preserving the benefits of in-person engagement.
We did it by setting up two primary hubs:
- One in New York, where we were physically present to lead the session.
- One in Germany, where a Deliberate Innovation-trained facilitator ensured the same high-quality experience.
Both teams were connected synchronously via Zoom and using virtual facilitation tools which allowed for real-time collaboration, shared discussions, and collective problem-solving. Each hub had qualified Deliberate Facilitators, breakout sessions, hands-on activities, and digital collaboration tools to ensure both groups remained fully engaged over the 2.5 days.
Ultimately the choice resulted in significant cost savings by reducing long-haul flights and travel fatigue, all while successfully achieving the workshop’s goals with the whole team.
Leadership Team Offsite with Remote Team Facilitation
One of our clients needed to run a strategic alignment offsite for their leadership team, with most participants already based in Boston, MA. However, six key leaders from different regions couldn’t travel due to scheduling conflicts and an urgent deadline—but their input was critical to the strategic planning discussions.
Our solution—Include a Facilitated Virtual Team. By leveraging video conferencing and incorporating digital facilitation tools, we ensured full participation and engagement to feel as though there was no geographic divide.
We created a seamless hybrid experience between:
- Boston Headquarters: We led the in-person session, guiding discussions, exercises, and strategy development.
- Remote Leadership Group: A Deliberate Innovation-trained breakout facilitator guided and engaged the virtual team.
Having a designated virtual Deliberate facilitator ensured the remote leadership team was included, had structured breakout discussions, contributed meaningfully to the group discussions, and weren’t sidelined in the process.
With this model, the client avoided paying last minute flights and travel expenses while not sacrificing the valuable leadership input from their abroad key decision makers. It also allowed for seamless collaboration as the virtual team weren’t just spectators but active contributors just as they would be in the room with the rest.
The Future of Collaboration is Hybrid—Are You Ready?
Why settle for the benefits of only one option when a hybrid workshop model gives you the best of both worlds?
Think about it — Our clients had incredible results from 300+ ideas resulting from the Hub-and-Spoke model of the corporate offsite and a nearly completed strategic plan from the strategic alignment offsite with a virtual satellite team.
The impact didn’t end there. Ultimately a hybrid design did the following:
- Lowered Travel Expenses and Costs
- Minimized Jetlag and Travel Fatigue
- Included More Participants with Less Hassle
- Democratized Input Despite Distance
- Delivered Successful Results Without Compromises…
…All without sacrificing the power of real human connection.
Hybrid workshops are the new standard for high-impact collaboration. The reality is, today’s teams are spread across time zones, balancing remote and in-person work, and facing increasing budget constraints. Sticking to outdated, all-or-nothing approaches—whether fully in-person or fully virtual—leaves too much value on the table.
The real question isn’t whether hybrid meetings work—it’s whether leaders are ready to evolve their approach. Those who adapt will create stronger, more agile teams that can collaborate seamlessly, no matter where they are.
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