Meeting as a company in 2024

Up: § 2023 Shareholder Letter Index

We couldn’t be more excited to meet in person in Cancún, Mexico as a whole company in early 2024. It’s hard to believe that our last company retreat was in 2019. We had one planned in early 2020, but of course had to cancel it due to the pandemic. Once the world was in a place where travel made sense again, we prioritized smaller team meetups over a whole company retreat. With that said, we are definitely feeling some connection debt as a team, and we will benefit immensely from being together as a group.

I’ve always found that retreat is the one time where we are able to truly comprehend what the whole team looks like as a collective group of humans. There’s nothing quite like working remotely and then walking into a room and seeing the whole team in one place. There’s an immediate sense of gratitude that comes from seeing everyone together in one place, and realizing the variety of roles and skillsets it takes to make Buffer a success. The level of diligence we place on the alignment of company and personal values also means that something pretty special happens at retreat; you can talk to anyone and have a wonderful, meaningful conversation. Retreat really highlights that you’ve found your people.

We’ve been a remote company since our earliest days, however we’ve always valued in person time as a vital part of what makes the business work. Company retreats come at a significant cost (around $400-500k), however we have found again and again that the level of alignment and deeper connection we are able to achieve in the week we are together, pays dividends for many months beyond the retreat itself. When you’ve met someone in person and had the opportunity for casual and serendipitous conversations across the spectrum of work and life topics, as well as get to know their mannerisms and quirks, you have a higher level of trust and collaboration improves.