Corporate Retreat

A couple weeks ago I had the amazing fortune to tag along as Ryan (and business partner Kevin) took the company to Mexico for a much-deserved, much-needed corporate retreat.

It’s no secret that I’m in love with Mexico. I dream about it all the time. I’m constantly bombarding Ryan with texts about the weather there, as not-so-helpful reminders that we could be living a glorious expat lifestyle on the beaches of Playa del Carmen. (Tech jobs lend themselves to living in tropical locations!) I digress.

There were eleven of us on the trip in total, and the majority had never been out of the country before – it was even someone’s first plane ride. So around Thanksgiving or so, the staff was informed to get passports – that was it. Then, around Christmastime, they were told about the impending adventure. They spent a few weeks informing clients, closed the office (except for a recent hire and an intern), and off we went.

Since the trip was brief, with only three full days, the guys chose a resort in Cancun proper, which is only about 15 minutes from the airport. It was beautiful! The food was delicious, the pools and beach were clear and warm, and everyone had a great time. There are a lot of adventures to be had in and around the city, but everyone was content to soak up the sunshine at the beach or pool and enjoy each other’s company.

So as not to be “all play and no work” everyone was given a book on customer service to read as homework during the trip – which I have to say, everyone read dutifully. I was impressed, as the book helped facilitate some discussions right there at the resort. (Particularly because the level of service we received was quite great.)

The highlight of the trip was watching the staff, which I’ve come to love, really enjoy their first trip to Mexico. Every one of them works so hard, it was something special to see Ryan and Kevin provide this opportunity to them.