How BRYTER became united after 5 days in sunny Ericeira

"It’s hard to describe what it feels like to meet most of the people you work with, at once, for the first time; and discover that you not only have a virtual connection but a real one too.."
‍- Michael Grupp, CEO of BRYTER‍

BRYTER is a no-code service automation platform that enables business experts to create professional digital applications. Their success has led to rapid expansion, forcing them to grow their team to meet the increasing workload.

With over 150 employees now working remotely across the globe, they faced a growing problem: How could their team chemistry and company culture remain intact while expanding so quickly?

After all, this is a difficult enough problem for brick-and-mortar offices, let alone remote-first companies like BRYTER.
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Finding the solution

When they reached out to us, we enlisted the help of Teresa, our in-house retreat planner, to help strengthen their team. With her experience organising company retreats, Teresa would coordinate the entire process from beginning to end, even appearing on-site to ensure everything ran flawlessly.

After calling and messaging with multiple members of their team, they settled on a company retreat to Ericeira, an endearing Portuguese fishing town located just one hour from Lisbon.

To drive home their objectives for this retreat, we coordinated an action-packed schedule filled with numerous activities, workshops, sports and celebrations, specifically designed to build trust between their employees.

The retreat took place at the end of September, the ideal time to host a group of over 150+ employees. We knew the majority of seasonal tourists return home during this period, allowing BRYTER to explore Ericeira without the crowds and bask in Portugal’s fair autumn climate.

Planning, coordinating and delivering

With our exclusive network of vendors and local partners, we arranged several team-bonding activities to kick off each morning with a bang. They could choose to take part in an individual surf session, an exclusive yoga class or a relaxing group meditation. Each activity was hand-picked to nurture new and existing relationships within the group.

To keep things fresh, we reached out to one of our favourite local connections to arrange a chartered fishing trip. This is an essential experience in a town where restaurants are filled with delicious varieties of fish and shellfish including octopus, percebes, bacalhau, sargo and more. Here, the group could bond over new skills while discovering the vibrant Atlantic marine life.

After enjoying lunch and whiling away the afternoon on one of the nearby beaches, the team rendezvoused for dinner and celebrations, with one evening featuring a lively karaoke session. The atmosphere in the room was electric, and by this time it was clear that the day’s activities had been a resounding success.

One afternoon, we presented the group with a choice of activities that would allow them to further improve their new friendships and enjoy the variety of local activities on offer.

• A surf lesson with a certified instructor to further develop their wave-riding skills
• A relaxing session at the mini-golf course
• A hike around the area led by an experienced local guide
• A competitive game of volleyball on a local beach
• A Spikeball tournament or game of Frisbee
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With so much happening in such a short timeframe, it was essential to capture as many moments from the retreat as possible. Therefore, we arranged a local production team to document the retreat with professional videos, drone footage and portrait photography.
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A pirate-themed celebration upon the waters of Lisbon

A highlight of the trip was the excursion to Lisbon, Portugal’s historical capital city, located just one hour from Ericeira. It was here that the pirate theme truly materialised. Upon arriving at Lisbon, they embarked on an immersive treasure hunt through the city, uncovering a series of clues before arriving at the final destination: a traditional Portuguese ‘pirate’ ship docked in the harbour. 

The ship was ordained with various BRYTER decorations such as pirate-themed flags and banners. As they funnelled onto the boat, they were all wearing the pirate hats — a hilarious detail in keeping with the theme of the retreat. Once everybody had made their way onto the ship, a party ensued, and they relished an unforgettable occasion upon Lisbon’s waterways.
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Converting ideas into reality

Coordinating a retreat such as this is an enormous undertaking for any company. From liaising with vendors to arranging accommodation, organising such an action-packed schedule with over 150+ attendees can descend rapidly into chaos. But with our help, the BRYTER team were able to turn 5 days in Portugal into an engaging and memorable team-building retreat and we look forward to planning more events together in the future.

During these few days, the team went from a group of disconnected individuals to a united team of friends, and they returned home with a newfound sense of community, emboldened trust between colleagues, and a tonne of cherished memories. The results of the retreat were nothing short of formidable, and the benefits were transformative during such a critical time for them.