How Eventflare Crafted a Company Retreat for 72 Hours of Pure Wow in Lisbon

The Right Fit: Why Famly Chose Eventflare

Famly partnered with Eventflare because the goal wasn't just logistics. It was the atmosphere. They needed a team who understood how space, pacing, and energy shape behaviour—and how the right sequence of events could leave a team feeling lighter, closer, and more aligned.

Eventflare was the right choice because they're not just another event booking site—they're a global network of local experts plus a scalable platform that guides corporate clients from idea to execution. The platform streamlines venue selection, bookings, and logistics, while local teams bring those choices alive with on-the-ground planning, deep knowledge of the city, and cultural expertise. That combination of scalable structure and local insight was exactly why Famly chose Eventflare.

Eventflare's Lisbon team helped keep the retreat grounded. They sourced unique settings that didn't feel like traditional or expected venues, planned days that didn't feel scheduled, and held everything together behind the scenes so Famly's people could simply show up and take part. The internal ops team—usually the ones juggling vendors and headset mics—finally got to step out of the control room and into the experience.

Tailored by Design: Crafting a Retreat That Reflects Famly's Culture

Nothing about this retreat was off-the-rack. From the choice of locally rooted venues to the carefully paced flow of activities, the experience was built around how Famly actually operates: collaborative, warm, curious, and deeply human. 

The logic was emotional—but also strategic. When you design an experience that reflects how a team actually works—then place it in a city like Lisbon, with its salt air, tiled streets, and after-dark energy—it's not just a feel-good perk. It's smart business.

The structure was simple but deliberate:

• Ease in
• Make space for connection
• Create shared memories
• Leave better than you arrived

There were no jam-packed agendas or forced ice-breakers—just space for team-building that felt natural, with breathing room, designed pauses, and conversations that unfolded on their own.

In fact, the team was so accustomed to how things work in Lisbon that when the city's heat spiked to 32°C, Eventflare quietly rescheduled high-energy activities to the morning and added shade where it mattered. The experience flexed to the moment without missing a beat. Nothing felt improvised, but nothing felt rigid either.

Inside the Retreat: Highlights From Each Day

When teams only see each other through screens, connection tends to flatten. Conversations become task-based, and relationships shrink to function. Famly's retreat was designed to reverse that.

But connection doesn't return on command. It needs space and contrast. So the retreat was structured to follow a simple arc: loosen up, go deeper, have fun, and close on a high. Each day served a different purpose—guiding people from easy introductions to richer conversations, without forcing anything along the way.

Here's how each day played out.

Day 1: Arrival & Beach Bar Welcome

Purpose: Ease into the experience, break down barriers quickly
Outcome: Relaxed energy, cross-team connection right from the start

The retreat began not in a boardroom, but on a beach. Just 30 minutes from the airport, the team touched down and was brought straight to Costa da Caparica—Europe's longest city beach. A driftwood bar served as the first gathering point. No opening remarks, just volleyball nets, trays of salted almonds, and an Atlantic breeze.

With shoes off and sand underfoot, the usual structures faded quickly. Titles didn't matter here. Within an hour, people who had only emailed were deep in conversation, laughing over lagers, and shaking off the formality of the last few months.

Day 2: Explore, Reflect, Celebrate

Purpose: Spark collaborative energy, immerse in local culture
Outcome: New bonds formed through shared challenge and celebration

The second day started with movement. A high-energy scavenger hunt sent small teams racing across Lisbon's tiled alleyways and open squares, piecing together clues and learning the city as they went. More than sightseeing, it was a creative, collaborative challenge that naturally mixed departments and personalities.

Lunch was served in a tasco tucked behind the old river wall with its tilework, arches, and glass-floor medieval rampart providing just enough grandeur to slow the pace. People stayed longer at the table, and as a result, conversations stretched, fuelled by stories and laughter from the morning's scavenger hunt.

That evening, the rooftop came alive. Set above Chiado's terracotta rooftops, the venue was part cocktail party, part open-air reunion. As the skyline turned gold, disco bled into deep house, and the energy turned electric. People didn't just celebrate together—they began to feel like part of the same story.

Day 3: Pause, Play, Close Together

Purpose: Recharge, reconnect in smaller groups, and close the retreat on a high note.

Outcome: Deeper 1:1 connections, energy reset, and a shared sense of arrival

By day three, the energy had shifted—familiarity had settled in, and the need wasn't for more stimulation, but for space. The morning started slow, on purpose. After breakfast at the hotel, small groups peeled off for a guided hike through the hills above Caparica. No tight briefings. Just fresh air, open views, and casual conversations that unfolded without structure.

Lunch back at the hotel offered a pause and a reset—time to refuel and regroup before heading out again.

In the afternoon, the focus turned playful. The group returned to the beach for a series of team-building games, thoughtfully designed to suit every pace—from active challenges to collaborative strategy. It wasn't about winning. It was about engaging with people in a different way, laughing more freely, and showing up without a role to play.

As the sun began to dip, everyone transferred to the final setting: a private boat cruise along Lisbon's coastline. With the city glowing behind them, dinner was served on board. There were no speeches. No slides. Just conversations that lingered, reflections that landed, and a quiet understanding that something had shifted.

By the time the boat pulled back into port, it didn't feel like the end. It felt like a marker of connection, of rhythm, of what the team had rebuilt together.

Day 4: Departures

Purpose: Let goodbyes feel organic
Outcome: No grand finale—just a sense of “see you soon”

There was no send-off ceremony or final round of applause. People left in clusters—some early, some lingering—swapping stories, playlists, and plans for the next meet-up.

The real takeaway? No one wanted to leave a Slack message to follow up. They already knew how to reach each other, with new inside jokes and shared experiences to carry forward.

The Impact: What Changed After the Retreat?

The feedback spoke for itself: 89% of attendees rated the experience as “beyond expectations.” More than a number, it confirmed that the retreat hit its mark.

It wasn't about the setting or the schedule. It was about giving people the time and space to reconnect, not just socially, but in how they work together. Conversations felt easier. Feedback landed better. The pace of collaboration picked up, without anyone forcing it.

Ready to Design a Retreat That Reflects Your Team? Let's Plan Yours

Budgets may tighten in 2025, but what's harder to secure is genuine engagement. A well-designed retreat isn't indulgence—it's alignment in action. It restores focus, builds trust, and sparks the kind of shared momentum that no tool or dashboard can manufacture. Choose a city that keeps curiosity alive. Design moments that reflect your culture. And let the experience do what Slack threads can't: turn colleagues into collaborators who carry that fun and bonding back with them.

Famly didn't need a showstopper. They needed something that felt like them. And that's exactly what they got: a retreat that ran smoothly, felt right, and stayed with people long after the inbox refilled.

If that's what your team needs next, bring Eventflare the brief. We'll handle the rhythm, the structure, and everything in between.