Twice a year we organize a 2-day conference with the whole company. To unite and invigorate our team, fortifying the bonds and plotting world domination together. For the first time we ventured abroad, to the idyllic Italian village of Bonassola. Let’s dive into the highlights of our Italian adventure!
Tl;dr here is the whole conference in a photo story:
Day 1: Building Unbreakable Teams
Our recent spring conference was about bringing together our rapidly growing team, working hand-in-hand on our strategy, and solidifying our core values and company culture. A team that was only 15 members a year ago, has now doubled in size!
Team Building with Aleksandra, Our Game Master
We ignited the conference with an entertaining round of team-building activities. From insightful question cards that fueled open and meaningful conversations to adrenaline-inducing reaction games and a spirited rock-paper-scissors tournament.
The lively atmosphere became a brainstorming haven as we transformed the area into a massive Miro board (an interactive online whiteboard). The result? A clear collective vision of our conference goals in less than 30 minutes!
Business Updates & Culture Book Release
After a delicious Italian lunch and a refreshing dive in the sea, we followed with a round of business updates. Being a cooperative, all members of ‘All Your BI’ are co-owners, sharing updates on financials, sales, marketing, community, and OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) progress.
The highlight was the unveiling of our Culture Book! A comprehensive guide outlining our mission, values, and modus operandi – a testament to our thriving work environment.
Lightning Talks: Igniting Ideas
The first day concluded with the debut of our Lightning Talks – a quick-paced, energizing session where any team member can pitch an idea in just 5 minutes. And they were on fire!
- Jeffrey pitched his venture DEWI to revolutionize the way we build data warehouses.
- Patrick had a brilliant idea for a self-service dashboard synthesizing tool.
- Roland showed us how we can use daily meditation to 10X our mind space and enhance our creativity and productivity.
- Ronald wants to build a Digital Twin POC for a container terminal as he believes this is not just a trend.
Memorable evening: The roast of Allard
Work and play go hand-in-hand for us. Dressed in our finest and basking in the warm Italian sun, we savored the country’s famed cuisine and prepared for a much-awaited tradition – Allard’s roast!
What started as a spontaneous joke during our 2021 conference, has now become a fixed part or any conference program. Once again he delivered a hilarious roast, cracking one joke after the other and teaching us local Italian gestures. Apparently, when you order antipasti it doesn’t mean you are against pasta. Crazy.
Day 2: Cultivating Growth
The second day was dedicated to the growth and the future of All Your BI.
Hiking to Salto della Lepre
Day two started with an invigorating hike to Salto della Lepre. This challenging uphill trek was rewarded with an awe-inspiring view of Bonassola and its surroundings, extending as far as the eye could see over the sea and the beautiful Cinque Terre. This journey, punctuated by friendly banter (and some complaining about the heat), was a nice symbol of our collective journey – striving to reach new heights.
Anchoring Core Values
After yet another refreshing sea-dip, we set about the task of anchoring our core values. We split into four teams, with each tasked with dissecting the meaning of a core value.
- Let’s Amaze Clients
- Let’s Deliver Value Over Perfection
- Let’s Own It Together
- Let’s Have Serious Fun
In animated discussions and creative sessions, we built a common understanding of what each value meant and what we expected from each other. The vibrant energy in the room was tangible as teams presented their findings and engaged in enriching debates. To us, core values are more than just words on a wall – they are the pillars of our shared company culture and a guide for our actions and decisions.
New OKRs: The Blueprint for Growth
Every quarter, we collectively brainstorm and define Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) to tackle crucial business challenges. By involving everyone in this process, we foster a shared understanding and ownership of our strategy. This alignment ignites inspiration and keeps us all on the same growth trajectory.
The Final Plunge and a Slice of Italy
The conference wrapped up with a final refreshing dip into the sea and a taste of authentic Italian pizza. While some team members (the dads) bid farewell to Bonassola, others stayed behind for a couple of days, exploring the scenic beauty of Italy.
Special thanks to Aleksandra and Allard!
A big shoutout to Aleksandra, our community manager, for flawlessly organizing this conference and designing a program that fostered unity, inspired growth, and created lasting memories.
And to our Italian colleague Allard, for ensuring our tight Dutch program fitted seamlessly into the local ‘ritmo Italiano’ and being an exceptional host in his childhood town of Bonassola.
