This year we decided that for our annual management gathering, instead of going to a stuffy hotel and sitting in a dull conference room all day, we’d try something different. So we decided to rent the lovely Chattanooga Retreat on Lake Chickamauga where we could walk around in sweatpants, lounge around the fireplace and talk about the upcoming year. This was a huge success, I don’t think we will be going back to the hotel scenario again. We cooked together, ate around the long dinner table, took long walks in the afternoon, and – oh yes – got a lot of work done. The environment was perfect for accomplishing the bonding experience you hope to gain in such a gathering.