Once again, our planning team was faced with the question of where to hold this year’s binder|consulting strategy workshop, and in a brainstorming session the idea of Barcelona was born. One of our Managing Partners, Andreas, lives in Barcelona and constantly raves about his beautiful and vibrant home. Since last year’s workshop in Lisbon was already a great success, there was no hesitation and Barcelona was set as our destination.

The first group to arrive in Barcelona was the planning team, who surprised us all with personalized coffee mugs and some typical Barcelona sweets. Thanks to the team, all the room keys were distributed efficiently, and the seminar room was prepared for the following days. As the preparations were quickly completed, we were able to enjoy our first night in Barcelona at a local bar near the hotel. We ended up in the middle of an ongoing birthday party and were excited to experience the local culture firsthand.

On Friday morning, our strategy workshop began with a review of the last workshop in Lisbon. We found that many of last year’s points had been addressed and dealt with, but we also saw room for improvement and change. Throughout the day, we worked on the solutions offered by binder|consulting as well as internal processes to improve our service to our customers.

After a full day of work, everyone was looking forward to dinner, but the work was not done yet! In the evening, we participated in a Spanish cooking class. After meeting our two teachers at the Boqueria market, we split into two groups to buy all the ingredients we needed. Immediately after our shopping trip, we then prepared a series of delicious tapas. With our bellies full, we then went to the Mirablau bar to finish off this perfect evening with a beautiful view of Barcelona.

The second day started a little later than originally planned for various reasons, but we still finished our work from the previous day with a great Q&A and a feedback session. We determined what we need to do in the future to be better consultants for our clients and to attract new clients.

After the work was done, it was time for a competition in the afternoon. Thanks to our local guide and expert, Andreas, we were able to go sailing. But we didn’t just sail – we were divided into three groups and held our first binder|consulting sailing regatta. The competition was tough, but Catherine, Simone, Reinhard, Wesly, Sankalp and Rico showed the rest of us how it’s done and sailed to victory. To end this great day, we enjoyed dinner at the Catalan restaurant Monvinic, where we were introduced to some of the best wines in the region.

Although we all knew it was coming, Sunday was here to celebrate our departure and farewell to Barcelona. Although it was time to leave, we still wanted to see one of Barcelona’s most beautiful sights: the Sagrada Família! Thanks to Andreas, we were able to get a guided tour of the Sagrada Família. We were all amazed at the incredible architecture and all the amazing details Gaudí had in mind. Speechless and satisfied, it was now time to go home and start working on all the goals we had set for the future!

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