Looking for a company outing near Los Angeles or Orange County that employees will actually be excited about? Catalina Island turns a corporate event into an island escape without requiring a flight or passport.
Your team came back from summer vacation. That doesn’t mean summer has to be over.
September and fall are a great time to get employees out of the office, celebrate a strong quarter, reconnect a hybrid team or simply give everyone something better than another company lunch.
Just 22 miles off the Southern California coast is an island that feels considerably farther away.
Welcome to Catalina.
The Company Outing People Actually Want to Attend
Think about the last company outing you attended.
Now replace the hotel ballroom with an ocean crossing. Replace the banquet lunch with a beach club. And replace an afternoon of forced team building with kayaking, zip lining, exploring the island or simply putting your feet in the sand.
That’s the advantage of hosting a corporate outing on Catalina Island.
The experience starts before the event does. The trip across the channel creates a natural transition from workday to getaway. When your group arrives in Avalon, you’ve traded Southern California traffic and office buildings for a walkable waterfront town surrounded by the Pacific.
It feels like a destination trip without requiring your team to fly anywhere.
PLANNING A FALL COMPANY OUTING? Catalina Island Company can help create a day trip or overnight experience around your group size, goals and budget. Start Planning Your Company Outing
One Day Can Feel Like a Real Getaway
Not every corporate event needs hotel rooms, two days of meetings and an elaborate agenda.
For companies in Los Angeles, Orange County and across Southern California, Catalina works particularly well as a corporate day-trip destination for employee appreciation events, team celebrations and client outings.
Bring the group across in the morning. Gather for lunch overlooking the Pacific. Spend the afternoon at the beach or exploring the island. Head home that evening.
A Catalina corporate day trip can include:
- A private lunch or reception at Descanso Beach Club
- Cabanas and chaise lounges by the water
- Kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding
- Zip Line Eco Tour adventures
- Guided tours into Catalina’s interior
- Catalina Casino experiences
- Waterfront dining and cocktails
- Free time to explore Avalon
Instead of asking employees to give up several days for a corporate retreat, you’re giving them a memorable experience in a single day.
Want More Time? Turn the Outing Into an Offsite
Sometimes one day isn’t enough.
For teams that need to combine business with connection, Catalina can become a one- or two-night corporate offsite.
Meet in the morning, break for lunch, then get everyone outside.
A leadership team might spend the day working through annual strategy before continuing the conversation over dinner. A department can combine a planning session with an island adventure. A sales team can celebrate a milestone with a private dinner and a day at Descanso Beach Club.
Hotel Atwater offers dedicated meeting space in the heart of Avalon, while Catalina Island Company venues range from intimate meeting rooms to the historic Catalina Country Club, oceanfront Catherine’s Terrace at Descanso Beach Club and the iconic Catalina Casino.
The difference is what happens between the meetings.
On Catalina, your meeting, hotel, restaurants, waterfront and activities can all become part of the same experience.
BRINGING THE TEAM OVERNIGHT? Combine accommodations, meeting space, dining and island experiences into a Catalina corporate offsite. Plan a Corporate Retreat
Avalon or Two Harbors? Two Very Different Ways to Get Away
There isn’t just one Catalina corporate experience.
Avalon: Easy, Social and Full of Options
Avalon works well for groups that want a combination of meetings, dining, activities and beach time.
Its compact layout makes it easy to move between hotels, restaurants, event venues and activities without spending the day coordinating complicated ground transportation.
Avalon is particularly well suited for:
- Employee appreciation events
- Department offsites
- Executive and leadership retreats
- Client entertainment
- Sales celebrations
- Incentive trips
- Company milestone events
Two Harbors: Get Farther Away Without Going Farther Away
For something completely different, head to Catalina’s West End.
Two Harbors trades Avalon’s resort-town energy for open water, rugged coastline and a much more remote island atmosphere.
Groups can gather at Harbor Sands, reserve palapas and chaise lounges, add food and drinks, and spend the day kayaking, paddleboarding or simply enjoying one of Southern California’s most unusual coastal settings.
It’s a particularly strong option when the objective is less “corporate meeting” and more get everyone away together.
For employee celebrations, team outings, yacht clubs and groups that want an outdoor experience rather than a traditional meeting venue, Two Harbors can feel remarkably removed from mainland Southern California.
The Best Team Building May Not Look Like Team Building
Nobody needs another awkward icebreaker.
The advantage of taking people somewhere different is that the destination does some of the work for you.
Explore Catalina’s interior together. Kayak along the coastline. Zip line above Descanso Canyon. Share drinks after a day at the beach. Explore Avalon between scheduled events.
Shared experiences create natural conversation between people who may normally interact only through meetings, email or Teams.
For hybrid and distributed organizations, that can be more valuable than adding another hour to the meeting agenda.
Sometimes the Objective Is Simply: Thank You
Not every company gathering needs a strategic objective.
Sometimes you’ve had a great quarter. Hit a sales goal. Finished a difficult project. Reached a company milestone. Or you simply want employees to know their work matters.
Catalina works particularly well for employee appreciation days, sales recognition trips, client entertainment, company anniversaries and milestone celebrations because the destination itself feels like part of the reward.
A waterfront lunch followed by an afternoon at the beach feels different from a catered lunch back at the office.
And that’s the point.
Close Enough for a Day. Different Enough to Matter.
Southern California companies have no shortage of hotels, restaurants and event venues.
What Catalina offers is harder to find.
- An ocean crossing.
- An island arrival.
- Historic venues.
- Beaches and waterfront dining.
- Outdoor adventures.
- And the feeling that everyone actually went somewhere together.
Whether you’re bringing 10 executives together for a strategy retreat, taking 25 colleagues away for an overnight offsite or rewarding 75+ employees with a day on the island, Catalina Island Company can help build the experience around your group.
Summer doesn’t have to end just because everyone went back to work.
Start Planning Your Catalina Company Outing
Planning a fall company outing, employee appreciation event, corporate retreat or team offsite from Los Angeles, Orange County or elsewhere in Southern California?
Catalina Island Company Group Sales can help coordinate Company-operated accommodations, meeting and event venues, dining, tours and island activities based on your group size, objectives and budget.
Start Planning Your Catalina Event
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Group Sales: 888-510-3300
Email: groupsales@scico.com
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Catalina Island a good destination for a corporate retreat near Los Angeles?
Yes. Catalina Island is just 22 miles off the Southern California coast and accessible by ferry from mainland Southern California. It offers the feeling of a destination retreat without requiring attendees to fly, making it well suited for executive retreats, company offsites, employee appreciation events and incentive trips.
Can companies take a day trip to Catalina Island?
Yes. Corporate groups can visit Catalina for the day and combine dining, beach time, tours and activities before returning to the mainland. Day trips can work particularly well for employee appreciation events, client outings, team celebrations and company milestones that don’t require an overnight stay.
What corporate team-building activities are available on Catalina Island?
Depending on group size, season and availability, corporate groups can incorporate experiences such as zip lining, kayaking, paddleboarding, guided island tours, beach activities, golf, glass bottom boats, and Catalina Casino experiences.
Where can corporate groups meet on Catalina Island?
Catalina Island Company offers venues ranging from the Hotel Atwater Boardroom for smaller meetings to Catalina Country Club, Catherine’s Terrace at Descanso Beach Club and the historic Catalina Casino for larger gatherings and events.
Is Catalina Island suitable for executive and leadership retreats?
Yes. Smaller leadership teams can combine accommodations, dedicated meeting space, dining and activities in Avalon. The island setting creates physical separation from the office while remaining accessible from Southern California.
What’s the difference between a corporate event in Avalon and Two Harbors?
Avalon offers hotels, restaurants, meeting venues and a broad range of activities in a compact waterfront town, making it well suited for meetings, retreats and multi-day corporate events. Two Harbors is more remote and outdoor-focused, making it particularly well suited for beach outings, celebrations and team experiences centered on getting away together.
Can Catalina Island Company help plan multiple parts of our corporate event?
Yes. Catalina Island Company Group Sales can help coordinate Company-operated accommodations, meeting and event venues, dining, catering, tours and activities to create an itinerary based on your group’s size, objectives and budget.