BrightAI team members recently gathered in Tampa, Florida to brainstorm new ideas, explore and reconnect.
At BrightAI, it’s no secret our people are our best assets, and our teamwork produces truly extraordinary innovations.
However, in-person collaborations have been few and far between for several years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
That’s what makes our recent company-wide outing to Tampa, Florida even more special and meaningful. We are confident that there will be a lasting “Tampa influence” on BrightAI’s future.
More than three dozen team members from across the country traveled to Florida for this incredible, multi-day opportunity to meet and connect with each other face to face, experience the local culture, workshop new ideas and much more.
Day 1: Historic Ybor City & Bowling
While January is typically the coldest month of the year in Tampa, temperatures hovered in the 60s and 70s for most of our trip—which is prime shorts weather for a large group of team members who came from shoveling snow in Minnesota the day before!
After checking into our hotel, we made our way to historic Ybor City—a vibrant Latin district known for its boutiques, vintage shops, Cuban restaurants and, yes, cigars!
Caption: My favorite part of the trip was the first night happy hour and the dinner, as it was very unstructured and gave the opportunity to just meet people I’ve only seen on Zoom.
We took in our first sightseeing adventure aboard Tampa’s streetcar system from Whiting Station to Centennial Park Station. Then we had a fantastic team feast at Columbia Restaurant—the oldest Spanish restaurant in the United States, in operation for more than 117 years, and largest in the world with a whopping 15 dining rooms!
From empanadas and crab croquettes to an eclectic cocktail selection and flamenco dancing, our meal was delicious and our time here together was nothing short of spectacular.
Caption: I enjoyed the team building activities as much as the social events!
Afterward, we boarded a private bus and continued our adventure to Pin Chasers in midtown—with 50 lanes, it’s a serious location for bowlers! We shared some unforgettable bonding—and just a little mischief—before calling it a night.
Day 2: Bright Ideas & Escape Rooms
Some of our early birds kicked off our first full day together in the city with breakfast at the hotel before heading to The Tampa Club for some business.
This 42-floor premier private event venue and lounge features breathtaking views of downtown—from City Hall to the Hillsborough River—Tampa Bay, and much more.
We spent the day brainstorming, discussing and goal setting. We couldn’t miss the opportunity for people to win some BrightAI merch—from frisbees to beanies! Bright Bingo got us up and moving around, and the puzzle break was highly competitive. The M&Ms on every table with our co-founders faces on them were definitely a talking point!
Caption: Having 99% of the company in the same room was great. It really brought up the energy for me.
Workshops focused on what we are doing across the business, including operational plans and—importantly—thoughts from our customers.
The corporate yearbook was a highlight of the trip. This snapshot of BrightAI history will be incredible to look back on as the company grows. The book highlighted our team's favorite snacks, sayings and TV shows, plus broke down what we all really do. We featured our families, our pets, spotlighted a few engineers and—of course—there were awards. (Some particularly amusing categories raised a smile!) There is already talk about this becoming an annual Bright tradition.
Caption: Thank you very much for all of the hard work that was put into all the planning. Two thumbs up for the yearbook. So fun to look at all the awards and photos.
The offsite event gave everyone the chance to consider the exciting prospects for the year ahead. This is the point at which the foundation work starts to bear fruit, so commercialization featured strongly in discussions—getting things into the field, out ‘to the world’ and sharing what we do is an exciting prospect for 2023.
By the time 5 p.m. rolled around, we were ready to make our way to Tampa Pizza Company for a very casual family-style meal. Pass the pepperoni pizza!
Afterward, we put our team-building to the test at The Great Escape Room Tampa.
With themes such as “poker night at the president’s bunker” and Houdini-esque seances, these rooms gave us a chance to do what we do best at BrightAI: think critically, work efficiently and shine a light on innovation where there otherwise hadn’t been.
It was also the perfect ending to a brief but enriching time together.
Caption: Successful offsite! Everything was excellent overall. Worth every penny!
Powered by an Unmatched Team
The feedback from our team had one unequivocal conclusion—they want to do it again! More often. And for longer. In particular, with an extra full day to have even more time for functional teams to meet.
Every day, our BrightAI team leads AIoT innovations that revolutionize industries. What made this conference truly special was experiencing this reality alongside other team members, in person.
Our exceptional team fuels every single facet of what we do at BrightAI—helping a wide range of diverse industries revolutionize processes and unlock unimagined potential as never before.
Optimistic, curious, ingenious, passionate and relentless—we imagine new solutions to old problems, uncover dormant efficiencies and create a truly innovative future for our clients, and the world.
BrightAI is a platform powered by experienced minds with unparalleled knowledge of AI and AIoT. To disrupt your industry and unlock unimagined potential, contact us today.
