After last years teambuilding event in beautiful Ohrid (Macedonia) we decided to go for a bit more beach instead of lake. Therefore this year we decided to take the Sample Solutions Team Building event in September to the vibrant and Mediterranean island of Malta. This archipelago offered a pleasant atmosphere for the team to connect and get to know each other on a better professional and collaborative level. The event lasted one week with a work schedule mixed with group activities, presentations and discussions from Monday till Friday, while the weekend was a free time for the team to explore the depths and attractions of Malta. The daily hours were packed with work related activities, while the evenings were reserved for barbecues, walks around the aesthetically pleasing Maltese streets and hangouts.
Evening Team BBQ
The team building sessions were either held during the morning hours while discussing every team’s current projects and activities or during the daytime in coffee places with work environments. The session’s schedule consisted of activities that required the general participation and presence of everyone, while subsequently there were sessions obligatory for every team separately and merged sessions in which teams collaborated to meet their mutual needs and goals. We went through a lot of useful discussions about the survey platform, explained the new features our system provides, gave ideas about the creation of KPIs, demonstrated new data activities, did a knowledge transfer to the newer members, and of course, finally presented a review of our forthcoming plans.
Apart from the usual daytime obligations we visited a lot of places, swept from the everyday worker’s mindset into the typical tourist’s role. One of the most compelling things about Malta would definitely be its architecture. Parts of the cities are ancient and untouched, parts are nicely restored while still keeping the antique look. It’s the perfect getaway from the busy, metropolitan, industrial cities. The pristine and timeworn atmosphere that this place offers comes of course with a colossal, centuries old history that serves places on the island to look untouched by time, as ancient as the times that they were originally built in, which is why a myriad of famous cinematographic pieces took place here. We caught a glimpse of the old capital and the silent city of Mdina and along the way to Mdina we passed Rabat which is lying outside the citadel of Mdina.
Never go easy on the sightseeing!
Furthermore, we walked through the aesthetically pleasing streets of Valletta, tasted the famous flower shaped ice creams at Amorino and enjoyed a jazz night at the Bridge Bar. As an extension to all the buildings with their retro charm is the natural beauty of this island. We experienced that mostly during the whole Saturday which was reserved for a yacht on the Comino’s Blue Lagoon. There we enjoyed the paradisiacal view and the too salty, almost see-through and unimaginably blue sea. It would definitely be the most tiring day in the sun, but the most enjoyable. Additionally, we explored Sliema and its coast splashed with salty and rocky beaches, visited the highly recommended and tourist famous Popeye Village and tasted the nightlife of Paceville. Since Bugibba was the closest to us, we stopped at a few places there, while observing the coast’s calm and divine sunset.
Having a teambuilding event in Malta turned out to be quite an event, from work related meetings and serious discussions in our temporary office in the villa or Maltese coffee places to long sightseeing ferry rides and relaxing sunbathing in the Blue Lagoon. It was beneficial for every individual, for the whole team and for the company and we can’t wait to see what next year will bring!
Carsten Broich
Carsten is the founder of Sample Solutions and Lifepanel with over a decade of sampling and social research experience. A trained aerospace engineer who discovered his love for random phone numbers.
