Helen, Georgia - September 2012
I was in the US on September 8 - 15 to attend our department's all-team meeting. The venue for the meeting was Helen, Georgia, less than 2 hrs away from the Atlanta office. We stayed 2 nights at a hotel then took the shuttle with everyone from the office on Monday, Sept. 10.
We were billeted at the Black Bear Lodge, surrounded by trees and wildlife. During one of the meetings, my boss who was presenting suddenly paused and said "there's a bear." True enough, there was a juvenile black bear outside the meeting hall. It sat on a rock for a few seconds then walked away. So cool! The place is aptly named, after all.
We were billeted at the Black Bear Lodge, surrounded by trees and wildlife. During one of the meetings, my boss who was presenting suddenly paused and said "there's a bear." True enough, there was a juvenile black bear outside the meeting hall. It sat on a rock for a few seconds then walked away. So cool! The place is aptly named, after all.
Like how these meetings typically go, everyday we have a mix of working sessions (presentations, brainstorming) and fun teambuilding activities. Everyday is packed but there was a good balance of serious and non-work tasks. Here's a run-down of the more interesting stuff, mostly non-work. =)
On Monday afternoon, we had a cooking competition between teams. We were given recipes to interpret and real chefs judged our food. For better or for worse, we also ate what we cooked!
On Tuesday morning, we had presentations on what each of the teams do, using skits. Everyone got really creative! We did a The Matrix (The Metrics?) skit re-enacting the scene where Morpheus asked Neo to choose between the red or blue pill. The boss played Morpehus, of course. I was Trinity. Sorry, no pictures. =)
In the afternoon, we went to the Unicoi State Park for a 'giving back' activity. We cleaned and painted park benches and barbecue grills. It was really nice being out there in the afternoon, again surrounded by greenery. Being in nature is good for one's soul.
For dinner, we had an outdoor cookout with bonfire and smores. Very American. =)
On Wednesday afternoon, we had a teambuilding exercise where we were grouped into small teams and given the goal to "destroy underwater alien communications towers." We were given cards that represented supplies and each mission needed a certain number of supplies. I typically would not write about these things but the game turned out really intense, in a good way. We all needed a break after the debriefing, which came in the form of dinner. We were again in groups of five and assigned to different restaurants in downtown Helen. Our waiter got 2 orders wrong (including mine) so we were the last to leave the restaurant and just had enough time to grab dessert before we had to board the shuttle and head back to the lodge.
There were two main activities on Thursday. Weeks before the meeting, we were asked to fill up a survey if we wanted to do ziplining, horseback riding or walking to Anna Ruby Falls. I chose zipline (at Sunburst Stables)! We went on 7 and I did a couple upside-down. So much fun!
After the outdoor activities, we headed back to the lodge to freshen up before being shuttled to the Montaluce Winery for the Awards Dinner.
On Friday, we just had a short wrap-up session before the meeting officially ended.
For dinner, we had an outdoor cookout with bonfire and smores. Very American. =)
On Wednesday afternoon, we had a teambuilding exercise where we were grouped into small teams and given the goal to "destroy underwater alien communications towers." We were given cards that represented supplies and each mission needed a certain number of supplies. I typically would not write about these things but the game turned out really intense, in a good way. We all needed a break after the debriefing, which came in the form of dinner. We were again in groups of five and assigned to different restaurants in downtown Helen. Our waiter got 2 orders wrong (including mine) so we were the last to leave the restaurant and just had enough time to grab dessert before we had to board the shuttle and head back to the lodge.
There were two main activities on Thursday. Weeks before the meeting, we were asked to fill up a survey if we wanted to do ziplining, horseback riding or walking to Anna Ruby Falls. I chose zipline (at Sunburst Stables)! We went on 7 and I did a couple upside-down. So much fun!
I did not expect this award - Show We Care.
Revenue Optimization
On Friday, we just had a short wrap-up session before the meeting officially ended.
Good one!
Photo credits in this post: My officemates Mel/April, and some official ones from the event organizer.
Photo credits in this post: My officemates Mel/April, and some official ones from the event organizer.
Fun At! Park looks really beautiful. I think other people have pictures of you during the skit :-D
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