Our third annual Fluency Fest concluded last week—and what a week it was!
In between our quarterly business updates, a Hackathon, and volunteer efforts, our team refreshed and recharged with local favorite activities, including cold plunging, yoga, bocce, and great food—because when you’re with your entire company across 22 states only once a year, you have to leave time for a little play and a lot of connection.
A common question we get about our annual Fluency Fest is how we maximize the value of bringing our entire company together for just one week. Here’s a closer look at our “secret sauce” for creating our people-first culture and the themes and key takeaways from each day.
Day 1 recap: State of Fluency and creating connections
At a time when many remote-centric teams are evaluating the benefits of in-person gatherings, our annual Fluency Fest showcases the remarkable outcomes when our team convenes in one room. We launched our third annual Fluency Fest by uniting our entire company from across 22 states to connect, inspire, and envision the future. During this event, we:
- Transparently discussed the state of the company
- Reflected on our departmental progress towards goals
- Aligned on priorities and gained inspiration for a tremendous second half
- Brainstormed and developed innovative ways to help our customers grow
Does a lot of time and energy go into planning our in-person event? Absolutely. But, the undeniable energy that’s cultivated at our annual event is felt not only in the moment but continues to resonate for weeks—and arguably months—afterward making it worth every aspect of our investment.
Day 2 recap: Hackathon
Our third annual Hackathon focused on creating practical solutions to help our clients succeed. We divided our teams into cross-functional groups spanning every discipline to engage in collaborative problem-solving.
One of the most exciting aspects of the Hackathon is witnessing the diversity of ideas and approaches each team brings to the table. Here are some of the key takeaways from the event:
- Improving critical processes that impact client relationships and overall sentiment
- Growing our culture as our company continues to expand
- Exploring new technologies and trends that could enhance our services and offerings
The Hackathon isn't just about innovating on behalf of our clients. It's also about teamwork and connectedness. We can’t wait to apply some of the ideas we developed together.
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Day 3 recap: giving back to the community
Here at Fluency, we believe that giving back to our community is more than just a responsibility—it’s a core pillar of our company culture. Following a heavy rainfall that inundated Vermont in the midst of our event week, we were grateful for the opportunity to join many other volunteers in helping the Intervale Food Hub protect our local farm crops from total devastation.
Volunteering will not only remain a core part of our annual Fluency Fest event but also a collective effort we participate in throughout the year with additional volunteer hours in order to create meaningful change in our local communities.
Fluency Fest 2024: a week to remember
We asked our team to share their thoughts on the event, whether it was their third time attending or their first experience, and here are a few of their responses:
- “A lot of hackathons are development-focused, but this one involved the whole organization. Beyond great technical innovation, it gave us a wide range of ideas and solutions we can implement right away.”
- “This week, I experienced my first plunge, my first yoga class, my first hackathon, and my first karaoke. What a blast. It was an absolute pleasure getting to know all of you in person.”
- “I was able to work closely with incredible people from across the organization who I rarely get the chance to work with. Everyone brought 110% of fun, intelligence, and respect to every interaction.”
The bottom line? Collaborating not only strengthens team connections and sustains a thriving culture, but also benefits your partners as it provides a barrier-free environment for our team to develop real solutions that help them continue to thrive.
We can’t wait to see what next year will bring as we continue to grow our team!
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