Create focused, productive executive retreats with IdeaGuides. Our experienced facilitators design and lead customized sessions for strategic planning, decision-making, team alignment, innovation, and conflict resolution. Through interviews, surveys, collaborative exercises, and engaging retreat formats, we help leadership teams turn important conversations into clear priorities, stronger relationships, and actionable outcomes—on-site, off-site, or remotely.
Customized retreat experiences combine strategic planning, facilitation, team development, innovation, and practical decision-making support.
Customized retreats help executive and department teams address strategic planning, decision-making, problem-solving, team building, training, visioning, feedback, role determination, and conflict resolution through engaging indoor or outdoor formats.
Facilitators guide leadership teams through reflection, mission and values, present-state analysis, future visioning, goals, and tactics to create a clear, actionable strategic plan with shared commitment.
Tailored workshops strengthen trust, communication, problem-solving, risk-taking, role clarity, conflict management, team missions, and values for teams working together in person or virtually.
Experienced facilitators guide groups through collaborative processes using tools such as CPS, SPRINT, and the Aha! Problem Solving Process to develop viable solutions and decisions.
Interactive brainstorming sessions use brainstorming, brainwriting, force-field analysis, and storyboarding to generate ideas, focus discussion, and translate creative thinking into action planning.
Teams establish unified corporate, customer, product, and media messages through collaborative discussion, consensus building, and documented recommendations delivered on-site, off-site, or remotely.
IdeaGuides designs executive and department retreats around the outcomes your organization needs most. Interviews and surveys help shape a productive experience focused on strategy, alignment, creativity, decision-making, or team development. From Open Space Technology and Appreciative Inquiry to indoor and outdoor activities, each retreat is designed to engage participants, encourage every voice, and create memorable progress for leadership teams.
IdeaGuides has guided more than 150 clients and completed more than 250 projects through collaborative facilitation and training.
Experienced guides help leadership teams turn complex conversations into productive, inclusive outcomes.
More than 25 years of facilitation, training, team development, and retreat experience since 1999.
The team has served more than 150 clients and completed more than 250 projects across varied organizations.
Highly interactive sessions encourage participation, collaboration, and meaningful contributions from every participant.
Retreats help teams create clear decisions, actionable plans, stronger alignment, and more productive collaboration.
Experienced facilitators, trainers, and coaches guide productive organizational conversations.
Chief Executive Facilitator & Master Trainer
Bruce E. Honig is the founder and Chief Executive Facilitator & Master Trainer at IdeaGuides, bringing over 30+ years of professional facilitation and training experience to organizations across California and nationwide. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Bruce leads the IdeaGuides team with a deep commitment to collaborative idea generation and productive decision-making. He has guided more than 150 clients through strategic planning, team alignment, and innovation sessions. Bruce is also a prolific author, having written over five books on innovation, team building, and meetings, making him a recognized thought leader in the facilitation industry.
Master Facilitator & Trainer
Adam Shames serves as a Master Facilitator & Trainer at IdeaGuides, bringing deep expertise in team development, innovation, and collaborative group processes to clients across California and the nation. With a strong foundation in experiential learning and creative facilitation, Adam designs and leads highly engaging sessions that inspire teams to think differently and work more effectively together. He is the author of Teambreakers, a book focused on innovation and team building, reflecting his passion for helping organizations break through barriers and unlock their collective potential. Adam's facilitation style emphasizes participation, creativity, and practical outcomes that teams can immediately apply in the workplace.
Facilitator
Michael Wong is a Facilitator at IdeaGuides with a specialized focus on supporting non-profit organizations through facilitated meetings, strategic planning sessions, and collaborative decision-making processes. His understanding of the unique dynamics, missions, and challenges that non-profits face allows him to design sessions that are both deeply relevant and highly productive for these organizations. Michael brings professional rigor and genuine dedication to every engagement, helping non-profit teams build alignment, clarify goals, and move forward with confidence. As part of the experienced IdeaGuides team, Michael upholds the firm's core values of collaboration, involvement, and creativity in every session he leads.
Senior Facilitator & Trainer
Jeanne-Marie Grumet is a Senior Facilitator & Trainer at IdeaGuides, contributing her extensive experience and professional expertise to help teams and organizations achieve greater alignment, engagement, and productivity. As a senior member of the IdeaGuides facilitation team, she brings a polished, skilled approach to strategic planning sessions, offsites, retreats, and team building workshops. Jeanne-Marie is committed to creating inclusive, participatory environments where every voice is heard and every participant contributes meaningfully to outcomes. Her work reflects IdeaGuides' mission of guiding clients toward collaborative and productive idea generation and decision-making across a wide variety of industries and organizational contexts.
Expert Facilitator & Trainer
Alice Cochran is an Expert Facilitator & Trainer at IdeaGuides with a distinguished background in meeting facilitation and group process design. A published author of more than two books on meetings, Alice brings authoritative knowledge and practical wisdom to every session she facilitates. Her expertise helps organizations transform how they run meetings — making them more focused, efficient, and results-oriented. Alice's facilitation approach is grounded in best practices and years of hands-on experience guiding executive teams, senior leadership groups, and cross-functional teams toward clearer decisions and stronger collaboration. She is a trusted resource for organizations seeking to dramatically improve the quality and productivity of their group interactions.
Facilitator & Trainer
Ken Homer is a Facilitator & Trainer at IdeaGuides with specialized expertise in large group facilitation methodologies, including Open Space Technology and World Café. His deep knowledge of these powerful participatory approaches makes him an invaluable resource for organizations looking to engage large numbers of stakeholders in meaningful, self-organizing conversations that generate real insights and actionable outcomes. Ken's facilitation style is adaptive, inclusive, and highly effective at bringing out the collective intelligence of groups of all sizes. He works across a variety of sectors to help teams and communities explore complex challenges, build shared understanding, and move forward with clarity and commitment.
Master Facilitator, Trainer & Coach
Ray Madaghiele is a Master Facilitator, Trainer & Coach at IdeaGuides with deep expertise in strategic planning facilitation and organizational development. As the author of a book on strategic planning, Ray brings both scholarly depth and practical experience to his work with leadership teams, helping organizations clarify their vision, align around priorities, and build actionable roadmaps for the future. His coaching background adds an additional dimension to his facilitation, enabling him to support both group processes and individual leadership development simultaneously. Ray is known for his ability to guide organizations through complex strategic conversations with clarity, structure, and lasting impact.
Treasure Hunt Maven & Team Building Facilitator
Dave Blum is IdeaGuides' Treasure Hunt Maven & Team Building Facilitator, bringing a uniquely creative and energizing approach to team engagement and collaboration. As the author of Dr. Clue Build-A-Treasure-Hunt, Dave is a recognized expert in using experiential treasure hunt activities to build team cohesion, communication, and camaraderie in a fun and memorable way. His programs are designed to break down silos, strengthen relationships, and foster the kind of trust and teamwork that translates directly back to the workplace. Dave's innovative facilitation style makes him a go-to resource for organizations looking for dynamic, out-of-the-ordinary team building experiences that deliver real results.
Master Facilitator
Lee Gimpel is a Master Facilitator at IdeaGuides, bringing a high level of skill and professionalism to every meeting, workshop, and retreat he facilitates. With a command of advanced facilitation techniques, Lee helps teams and organizations move through complex discussions with focus and efficiency, ensuring that every session produces meaningful outcomes and that participants feel heard and engaged throughout the process. His work spans a wide range of industries and organizational contexts, from strategic planning and alignment sessions to innovation workshops and leadership offsites. Lee embodies IdeaGuides' commitment to guiding groups toward their best ideas and most important decisions with expertise and care.
An executive retreat planner helps clarify objectives, design the agenda and experience, select appropriate activities, and facilitate productive conversations. IdeaGuides can shape retreats around strategic planning, decision-making, problem-solving, team building, innovation, conflict resolution, or training. The process may include interviews and surveys so the retreat reflects the organization’s priorities and creates meaningful outcomes for participants.
Talk with IdeaGuides about your team’s goals, challenges, and desired retreat outcomes.
IdeaGuides supports organizations across California, nationwide, and the listed cities through on-site, off-site, and remote engagements.
California & Nationwide
Service Area
On-Site, Off-Site, Remote
Engagement Options
San Francisco Bay Area
Headquarters
Connect with IdeaGuides to discuss your location, format, and retreat objectives.
Tell us about your team, goals, preferred format, and retreat challenges. IdeaGuides will help you explore a customized facilitation experience.
For immediate assistance, feel free to give us a direct call at 1.415.479.2028. You can also send us a quick email at bruce@IdeaGuides.com.
For immediate assistance, feel free to give us a direct call at 1.415.479.2028. You can also send us a quick email at bruce@IdeaGuides.com.