I just got home from the 13th Buffer retreat in Barcelona, and what an incredible week it was.

We've been working remotely for most of our 15+ year journey, and we've found that our company retreats are an essential part of the recipe for working effectively together and forming bonds that lead to a strong culture and results.

This year getting together in person felt particularly well-timed, as we've had 15 new folks start at Buffer in the past year and 6 start just in the past month, and almost all of them were able to attend retreat. A couple of people even attended the retreat prior to their official start date!

This year was also a reminder of how powerful it can be to be intentional about the format. The choices we make on how we structure the week can impact everyone's energy levels and what we get out of the week collectively.

We have some important annual events: a Monday morning keynote I give to set up the week and get us all inspired about the year ahead, small-group dinners on Monday and Tuesday evenings where we each share our personal story, a Wednesday team dinner which leads to partying and karaoke, Thursday day off to recharge, and a Friday afternoon gratitude session to round out the week.

This year we shaped the rest of the time to be more team-driven: an unconference format for our afternoons where anyone could submit a session and folks chose which sessions to attend, and AI Lightning Talks on Wednesday morning where anyone could give a 5-10 minute presentation. I also made time for office hours and made a point of having meaningful 1:1 moments with as much of the team as I could.

All in all, this was my favorite retreat yet. Our annual time in person is where we can all feel the more subtle aspects of our connection with each other. I can generally sense tension and friction that exists in the team, and this year the culture feels the strongest it's been in a long time. Just a couple of days in, it felt like the new folks had been part of our weird and wonderful group for years. And we're all leaving feeling a strong bond, clarity on our strategy, and excitement for the opportunity ahead for the company.