A global collective of mental health leaders. Four days on a corporate retreat in Portugal to build the connections that actually move an industry forward. Read below what went into organising a corporate retreat for 100+ people.
A global collective of mental health leaders. Four days on a corporate retreat in Portugal to build the connections that actually move an industry forward. Read below what went into organising a corporate retreat for 100+ people.
Some retreats are about getting work done. Others are about something bigger.
This one was both.
Our client brought together nearly 100 people for a corporate retreat – investors, founders, and senior executives – all working at the forefront of mental health innovation. What united them was a shared belief: that mental health funding and care can, and must, move faster.
The goal was to build something harder to manufacture: genuine trust, bold conversations, and the kind of connections that actually move an industry forward.
They chose Cascais, Portugal, for a four-day company retreat. And they asked Lá Fora to help make it smooth and unforgettable.
What goes into a corporate retreat for 100 People? We started off with our favourite part – an in-depth experience design session with our specialist Tiago, where we set the scene and discovered the true objective. Over the course of a year, we always referred back to this. Here’s how it turned out:
The retreat opened with a movement session by Sanctum. Not the typical networking coffee, or an icebreaker quiz, but a guided experience that brought 100 people into their bodies and out of their heads. The perfect way to leave things behind and settle into the week.
Day 1 was all about getting familiar with each other and breaking some barriers. Focused workshops around important topics topped with a proper Portuguese seafood dinner. We finished the day with a special event that changed the energy of the whole retreat – a private candle-light concert with renowned artist Facesoul.
A special artist requires a special setting!
We rented an empty space and transformed it completely. Furniture, candlelight, specialist lighting. A glitter bar and a neon bar that greeted guests on arrival, welcome drink in hand.
By the end of the night, people who had arrived as strangers were leaving as a community.
By this point in the retreat, the group had landed. The first day had done its job and the concert the night before had shifted the energy from “getting to know you” to something warmer.
We split everyone across three options: transformational breathwork, Portuguese tile painting, and a coastal bike ride.
Everyone came back with a different story, and suddenly the group had more to talk about than work.
On the final night, we brought everyone into the centre of Cascais and spread them across 4 local restaurants in smaller groups. Good food, a few people at the table, and the kind of conversation that only happen when you aren’t competing for airtime with 40 other voices.
When chaos hits, having an on-site team is just the best for everyone’s nerves.
Just hours before the final dinner, we got word that heavy storms had caused serious flooding in parts of Cascais town centre. Our team got straight on the phones, calling the restaurants, checking in with the municipality to understand how bad it really was. A tense hour later, everything was confirmed and back on track. The team fixed the issue, without any retreat participant even needing to know. The guests arrived, sat down to a lovely meal across four local restaurants, and closed out the retreat happily and peacefully.
This client had a strong purpose and needed a strong focus on experience design to make it right. Together with them, we created a carefully designed safe space for some of the world’s most driven mental health advocates to slow down, connect, and leave feeling more inspired than when they arrived. We built every element with that intention in mind, from the opening movement session to the final dinner in a Cascais side street.
As the client put it:
“Lisa and Tiago approached every request, even some of our more ambitious and unusual ideas, with enthusiasm and a solutions-oriented mindset. Nothing ever felt like too much trouble. Instead of ‘that’s not possible,’ their response was always, ‘yes, let’s figure it out.'”
“We have organised retreats before without their support, and I can honestly say there is no going back.”
Thinking about bringing a big group together and actually making it mean something? We specialise in corporate event planning across Portugal and Europe. We’d love to help.
Want more inspiration? Find out about the best corporate retreat locations in Portugal here
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