Every year in September the Ecomatters team takes a short break from consulting and spends a few days away together. The key purpose of the trip is to allow time for the team to connect outside of work. Additionally, it is an opportunity to share company updates and present and discuss our personal and team strengths. We also always include a fun activity and opportunity to learn more about one of the sectors we work with.
Organised by a small number of the team, the location and agenda are kept secret until a few weeks before the trip when it is slowly revealed in the form of cryptic clues! Previous locations have included staying in a castle in Belgium, a farmhouse on Texel, and on a boat in Rotterdam. This year’s trip took us to Leeuwarden in Friesland, where we stayed in a manor house hotel.
Day 1
The first day of our trip began with company presentations and updates. An important part of this is the presentation of our strengths. Each team member has the opportunity to present their strengths and explain how best they apply these in the work environment. Following this, time is made for the team to discuss the presentations and what they have learnt about each other.
In the afternoon, we headed out for our organised activity. This year we went wadlopen (mud-flat walking) where, alongside four local guides, we explored the tidal flats of North Friesland. In previous years, activities have included archery, canoeing, and a boat trip. The team activity is always a lot of fun and provides a great opportunity to spend time with each other in a new environment.
Day 2
On the second and final day, we visited the National Test Centre Circular Plastics (NTCP). Here we had the opportunity to learn about the testing and research they do, as well as tour the test facility. We always try to incorporate the opportunity to learn more about the industries we work with during our yearly trip. For example, last year we visited ENCI-groeve, a now dormant limestone quarry being returned to nature, in Maastricht.
This year was Mo Bei’s first time joining the yearly event. Here is what he had to say about his experience of the wadlopen and the event as a whole:
“Before the yearly event, I was a bit apprehensive about going away and spending so much uninterrupted time with the team but in the end, I found that I enjoyed the experience from start to finish. I loved the wadlopen. As an expat, I don’t often venture outside of the Randstad, so to get the opportunity to go up to Friesland and experience another area of the Netherlands was especially nice. The choice of activity was just perfect! We were all covered in mud, laughing the entire time, until everyone got hungry and tired. We’re already quite a tight-knit team but doing activities like this is a great way to bring us that bit closer.
What I was most impressed with was the organisation and coordination. We had a full agenda of activities over the few days, and everything ran smoothly and perfectly without any fuss. We also had plenty of alone time in between activities so it never felt like too much.”
At Ecomatters, we value the time we get to spend together outside of the office as a team and the yearly event is something we always look forward to. In fact, planning has already begun for next year!
