Twice a year, the Witivio team meets for a special rendez-vous. Even though, we do not have a physical office we get to see each other during the offsites.
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September 2021: Meursault vineyards – Bourgogne
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April 2022: Hackathon at the Microsoft France HQ - Paris
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September 2022: 5th Anniversary at Witivio’s legal HQ - Colmar
Thursday 22nd: Celebrating Witivio’s 5th anniversary
The team arrived at Colmar. We realized it was sunnier than expected. Everybody was anticipating the north European common cloudy and rainy weather. Surprisingly, Colmar has a sunny microclimate, it is one of the driest cities in France. This microclimate is what makes Alsace wine among the best white wines in the world.
The morning started with a 👨🏭 Corporate presentation: 5 years of Witivio in pictures. From the first clients to the newest team members.
The afternoon followed with a traditional French Apero, and a special barbeque to celebrate Witivio’s 5th anniversary.
Friday 23th: A real office experience
On Friday, we experimented. We brought a full-remote team (aka, us) to an office for the first time. Here’s what happened (read using your documentary voice)
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The development team was confused. Out of their natural habitat. With the number of screens per head severely reduced, they started interacting with each other. React VS Angular, which framework is better? They immediately took a room and isolated themselves from the others.
A member of the marketing team dared to enter the space dominated by development. “Hey, guys, I’ve just updated the website. The code is there but it doesn’t show on production”. The team swiftly turned their heads to the commoner asking for such a mundane request. They felt dishonored… The Chief of the developers immediately appointed the weakling. “Here: this is the best you will get”.
Meanwhile, the Sales lions were hunting. They often hunt from 9 am to 6 pm but can adapt to their prospect to change their schedule. They communicate using Teams, email, phone calls. The sales are known for their fierce sales pitch but may also growl, meow, snarl, and purr (when closing a deal).
Everybody was silently wondering, “Why are sales so loud? Do they ever stop talking…?”
We brew coffee, discussed the pros and cons of working at an office, and had fun.
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During the afternoon, we had a private tour through the Colmar. And, we finished the day with a traditional Alsatian meal: choucroute.
Saturday 24th: Hiking and wine tasting
We like to think about ourselves like sportive company. More than 50% of the team regularly go to the gym or practice sports occasionally.
After so many months bragging about going to the gym or hiking every weekend, it was the time to test the team’s endurance in the wild.
Nobody got hurt. We completed a total of 4km. We ate roasted chicken in the middle of the Vosges, like authentic barbarians. And, we elegantly picked up all the trash we generated (plus some other we found while walking).
After the high-level hiking session, Nicolas brought us to a little secret charming town on the outskirts of Colmar. We won’t mention the name to keep tourists away. Tractors along the roads, unloading tons of grapes. La vendange session was almost over.
Sunday 25th: some missed the plane, others the train….
No good group trip goes without someone missing a plane, or a train. A certain person missed the plane, someone else jumped in the wrong train… what can we say: Witivio Life! Or, like our Sales Director, Raphael Frontera, would say: “The world is not ready for Witivio’s get-together”
See you at the next offsite.