Celebrating The Botify Team: Global Summit In Barcelona

This post was written by Johanna Ponte, VP of HR, and Lindsay Hildebrandt, Talent Acquisition Specialist.150 people from 4 major cities + 2 days of fun in Barcelona = Botify's 2019 Global Summit!On October 2nd, 2019, Botifyers from Seattle, New York, London, and Paris packed their bags and traveled to Barcelona, Spain for two days of sun, sand, and smiles. This year's Global Summit included a packed agenda, with inspiring and insightful presentations by Botify's innovative team leaders, exhilarating beach activities, a boat cruise around the port, and a bit of dancing… okay, a lot of dancing.The New York team was the first to land, arriving in Barcelona just before 7AM on Thursday. They eagerly awaited their West Coast and European colleagues while enjoying a breakfast buffet, swimming in the rooftop pool, and exploring Gaudi's architecture scattered throughout the city.As soon as everyone had arrived, we enjoyed lunch together. Many of us met many new faces for the first time (some of which we had only seen via video call)!

A nod to Botify's beginnings, and a look into the years ahead

Just a few espresso shots later, and Botify co-founders Adrien Menard, Thomas Grange, and Stan Chauvin kicked off a series of talks by sharing the story of where it all began… how our three co-founders met, what inspired Botify as a brand, and where we're heading (not only as a company but also as a major innovator in the industry).Whenever we get the chance, we love hearing the inspiring story of Botify's inception, and you can get a glimpse of what it's all about in our blog post celebrating $20 million in series B funding.During the presentations, we also heard from Christophe Frenet, SVP of Product, about our latest product launches within Botify Intelligence and Activation, Rachel Meranus, CMO, on our big-picture brand and marketing initiatives, including a recent study we commissioned Forrester Consulting to do on behalf of Botify investigating how executives prioritize SEO (Catch the webinar on Nov. 7th to hear the results!), and many more Botify leaders.Inspiration filled the room as our team recapped everything we had achieved over the past years and shared our proudest moments, from Paris to Seattle (the newest Botify office!).We also paid special thanks to our long-term Botifyers, who have been with the company from the start and are a huge part of why we're as successful as we are today. The "OG" Botifyers were brought onto the stage, and it was at that moment that we realized how far we've really come! Botify's strength lies in its stellar team, who have been at the forefront of SEO from the start, anticipating what's next and innovating for the future. They're truly the foundation of our success.Speaking of which, our team is growing exponentially (and our recruiters are looking for people like you!). In 2019 alone, we hired and on-boarded almost one hundred new Botifyers.We also made a special shout-out to our "Botifyer of the Quarter." Huge congrats to Juliette Parichet, Office & HR Manager, who was nominated by her peers for her outstanding service and abundance of positivity!To wrap up the presentations, Botify's co-founders returned to the stage for a Q&A session dedicated to answering questions submitted by our team. Since transparency and communication are key at Botify, our leadership team shed insight into the company's future growth and aspirations.We left the presentations feeling invigorated about the future and excited for the next part of the summit!

Making new memories to last a lifetime with the Botify team

After celebrating the past and dreaming of the future, we popped some champagne and enjoyed the view. Cheers!Botifyers clinked glasses and sipped bubbly while buzzing about the bright future ahead of us. The ladies of Botify showed strength in numbers with a wonderful group photo - and Adrien got lucky when we invited him to join at the last moment!After a few sips, it was time to close out the eventful day with a night out on the town.We ended the evening with dinner, drinks, and dancing under the Spanish moon.

Team bonding on the Barcelona beach

After a few winks of sleep, the beach was calling Botifyers to their next challenge – team sports! We split up into teams to play rounds of volleyball, football, Jenga Trivia, Tug of War, and more. Our brave team leaders led their teams to victory, and the bravest took it upon themselves to dive into the chilly ocean. We got our steps in, for sure, plus a week's worth of laughter!Once all of the activities were complete, we had a final winning team (Drumroll, please)... Go, Black Team!Next, we enjoyed a delicious Spanish lunch, followed by an afternoon boat cruise. The flawless weather made the beautiful city of Barcelona that much dreamier!

A bittersweet end to a successful Global Summit

Once we got our land legs back, we made sure to make the most out of our last evening together.Fully fed and ready, our second evening in Barcelona commenced in a night of dancing (again).We ended our short, yet fulfilling stay in Spain with some shimmying and shaking. The next day, we boarded our flights, comforted by the wonderful memories we made with our colleagues from Paris, New York, London, and Seattle. The only draw-back: We wish we had more time together!For now, we'll stay in touch via video, phone call, Slack, and any other means possible! Meanwhile, we'll be patiently awaiting next year's summit, when we'll be reunited again in a mystery destination.Interested in being part of Botify's future? We're hiring for all four of our locations, so be sure to give us a shout!