IPinfo’s 2022 Team Retreat

In September, our fully remote team met up in Portugal for a five-day retreat. This was the first time we’d been able to meet in person, work together, and share some laughs. From a team-building perspective, this retreat was just what we needed.

I just joined the company and felt like I was working with my teammates for decades. It gave me that sense of belonging. - Charlles Pinon, Product Manager

On Monday and Tuesday, everyone flew into Portugal and got settled at the Royal Óbidos Spa & Golf Resort.

One of the best things was how well everyone got along with each other. It was really great to see deeper friendships form. Team members gained a better understanding of each other and had a lot of fun. - Ben Dowling, Founder and CEO of IPinfo

For many of us, it was the first time meeting our coworkers in person.

I’ve been working at IPinfo for five years, but this was the first time I’ve seen everyone in person. It’s possible to work effectively and feel united with the team without being in person, but finally seeing everyone takes the whole experience to the next level! - Polina Stolpovskaya, Head of Marketing

After communicating for years over Slack or Zoom, it’s interesting to meet team members in person. One team member may be taller than we thought. Another may be shorter. And personal mannerisms may be different than Zoom lets us see.

We enjoyed seeing what our team members' personalities - the people we spend so much time with - are like in real life. William Leung, one of our Data Scientists, said it best:

It was great to meet in person. I feel it adds to the "image" one has when trying to think about what a team member is saying or expressing. It helps to smooth out our virtual interactions.

The focus of our retreat was Vision, Values, and Goals (Horizons). Each workshop emphasized one of these to help us plan and prepare for the next growth phases at IPinfo.

Vision and boat tours

Tuesday morning we worked on IPinfo’s vision statement.

1. What defines IPinfo right now
2. What do we want to do in the future
3. What may be different moving forward

Basically, we looked at where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re headed.

I'm passionate about working remotely, but I miss some moments to meet the team. I loved the fact that IPinfo promoted a retreat at an amazing location with our teammates to build great memories and spend time together. I met people from almost every corner of the world. - Charles Pinon, Product Manager

Then on Tuesday evening, we took a boat tour. Initially, when we booked this tour, we pictured a sunset tour complete with a glass of wine and hours of relaxation. So imagine our surprise when we were welcomed aboard a speedboat.

But in true IPinfo style, we rolled with it and had a blast. Truth be told, the boat was a bit smaller than expected… and so were the life jackets. In addition to the laughs, we also got to see dolphins - the real reason for this excursion.

Values and wineries

On Wednesday, we spent the morning collaborating on IPinfo’s values. We examined other companies’ value statements and compared them with what’s important at IPinfo.

By the end of the morning, we narrowed down our list of important characteristics that should define IPinfo no matter how much we grow. Needless to say, our morning workshops were intense, collaborative, and very productive.

While working remotely has increased efficiency and productivity, I must admit I missed connecting with co-workers face to face. Getting together, celebrating milestones, creating strategy but also cracking jokes, and having fun made me feel a lot more connected to IPinfo as a group. Loved every minute of it - from the intense group work sessions to the late-night partying! - Augustin Ladar, Senior Sales

Then in the evening, we took a trip to a local, family-owned winery. Rather than take an uncomfortable bus, we chose a jeep tour. But we didn’t expect the vehicles to be like military jeeps. Needless to say, before we got to the winery we definitely did some off-roading.

Quinta do Sanguinhal was a relaxing experience. For starters, we walked to the vineyards and enjoyed the 19th-century gardens around the family house. They also had an old distillery that was used until 1970 to produce brandy and grappa.

What was really unique was the pressing room. Dating all the way back to 1871, the stone and wood manual winepress is still in use. We also visited the aging cellar with thirty-six barrels of liquor, wines, and brandies.

Having fun together was a big part of why I wanted to have a team retreat. Since we’re fully remote, we don’t always get a lot of opportunities to do fun things together. And this was really good for us. - Ben Dowling, Founder and CEO of IPinfo and Host.io

The owners gave us a tour of the vineyards. Then we sampled six different wines: two white wines, a rose wine, two red wines, and one fortified wine.

Horizons and celebrations

The next day, we focused on our future goals. Not only did we hone in on our focus for 2023, but we projected other future goals, too. Needless to say, we have some exciting plans for the upcoming years.

Despite all the work we accomplished each morning, Portugal was an ideal place for our retreat. The weather was beautiful. Plus, we were near the ocean and could enjoy the Atlantic coastline in the afternoon.

It felt like we got a lot done and had a lot of fun too. Portugal was great and the resort was somewhere everyone could have something to do or just relax. Plus, they fed us well :). - William Leung, Data Scientist

By the end of Thursday, we were ready for a relaxing meal. Obidos is the oldest medieval city in Portugal. In fact, it’s over 800 years old. But it also has a history as a settlement long before the Roman Empire. The restaurant where we ate, JAMON JAMON, Obidos, is right inside the castle walls.

We celebrated the milestones we’ve recently achieved. And Charlles, our Product Manager, serenaded us on his guitar. Does it get any better than that?

All in all, our first IPinfo retreat was a huge success. Collaborating and communicating in person helped us move forward as a team. And from a team-building perspective, we made a lot of memories and shared many laughs.

Meeting my team in Portugal for the first time invigorated my work and bonded the team in preparation for an amazing adventure ahead! - Uman Shahzad, Head of Backend & Integrations

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