What exactly is an ERP base group meeting? And then also “onsite”? At Arineo, we organize ourselves cooperatively in so-called base groups. This means that all employees are assigned to a base group, based on their primary areas of work. In my case, this is the “Enterprise Resource Planning” base group, abbreviated to ERP.
Every month, we exchange information online in this group about current projects, developments, and events. Twice a year, the base group meeting itself becomes an event: namely, when we meet onsite (in person) again. Our last meeting took place in Volpriehausen, a small village in the Solling. Nearly 50 people from the base group made their way to this village, many of whom had never heard of it before. The journey there was therefore already eventful: through forests, on narrow roads, over hills – and promptly past the scene of the action.
But when we finally found the hotel where we were to have our team event, it was so much better:
a reunion with familiar colleagues and getting to know new ones. For me, this onsite encounter was very special, as I had only started at Arineo a good month and a half earlier.
I saw many faces for the first time in real life that I had previously only seen during remote meetings. Some people were much taller than expected, others were very different in their body language, and others seemed more reserved or more present. Meeting all these people and “recognizing” or getting to know most of them in person was a special highlight for me and my fellow new colleagues, especially because we were so warmly welcomed as “newbies”.
This was evident, among other things, by the fact that after the first presentations and a delicious lunch, we were already actively involved in group work and were able to present our results to the entire group: yes, even us, who had only recently joined the company. Our perspectives were not only heard but also highly valued. At every point in the event, we could contribute as if we had been employees for years. After getting to know each other, brainstorming, presenting, and discussing our results, we looked forward to the early evening activity: a bus tour through the picturesque town of Volpriehausen.
All of us were probably thinking more of a leisurely coffee trip than of what awaited us: when we stepped out of the conference room into the open air, there was a double-decker bus adorned with fairy lights, from which we could already hear cheerful music. Upon entering the bus, we were greeted with a delicious cold drink and took our seats on the second floor of the bus – under the open starry night.
Now the tour through the picturesque village began; not at all like a coffee trip. Through the hotel car park and the streets, past the central points of social life in the “Big City Volpriehausen”. The fun was guaranteed on this fast-paced and extremely humorous ride; we all left the bus laughing when we stopped. A very successful dinner in a great atmosphere rounded off this eventful day.
And what were your lasting impressions? In addition to the topics and ideas that we developed and pursued, especially in the group work, it is the memory of the shared experiences, especially the spectacular bus ride. And above all, the feeling of being very welcome as a new colleague at Arineo.
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