Tuatara Santarem Team Retreat

Tuatara has been a distributed studio almost since the very beginning. While we have a physical office in Vancouver Canada, our team spans the whole world. From North America and Europe all the way to West and East Asia. Being a distributed studio allows us to be flexible with recruiting, more diverse and inclusive but it also brings it's own set of challenges. One of which is feeling of isolation and distance from each other.

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First Tuatara Team Retreat

The idea of meeting in person has been on our minds for a while. The logistical challenge of orchestrating such a gathering, as a team of over 30, from all over the world was daunting however and made us hesitant. But the desire to meet was stronger! About a year ago we seriously started working towards a studio wide in-person gathering and after a lot of hard work it all came together! Last week of May 2023 we all met in the beautiful Portuguese country side in the vicinity of Santarém.

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Team building, workshops and having fun

We viewed this gathering as an ideal opportunity to not only foster closer relationships among ourselves, but also to share experiences and engage in team-building activities. In addition, we aimed to work collaboratively on identifying any obstacles that may be impeding our progress as an organization. Furthermore, we saw this gathering as an opportunity to celebrate our successes and milestones as a team, and to inspire and motivate each other for the future.

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Of course we also made sure to take plenty of time to unwind and goof around. From playing sports (we're a surprisingly sporty team for a bunch of nerds!) to playing games together on a big screen. We even discovered a lot of musical talent with karaoke and improvised music jams!

Here's a video montage showcasing some of the highlights:

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Takeaways

After spending time together at our team retreat, we walked away feeling renewed and ready to tackle any challenge that comes our way. Our discussions and activities left us with a greater sense of cohesion and a deeper understanding of each other's strengths and perspectives. We left with a renewed commitment to our shared goals and a clear plan of action for achieving them.

The retreat was a valuable opportunity to recharge and reflect, and we are excited to put our newfound energy and motivation into practice. Lastly, we left looking forward to the next time we can all spend time together in person!

Thanks for reading!

Klemen.