The team at the beach after our tour of the Island
In the first week of June 2018, the entire company hopped on a plane and met up in Antigua and Barbuda, for our annual company workshop. This year’s location was selected by our Workshop Committee and President. They chose Antigua and Barbuda so that we could get to know the partners we work with there, visit the properties we sell, and get to know this beautiful country. It’s always easier to promote something you have seen yourself in person, so what other choice did they have? Antigua and Barbuda was the perfect place for us to work, relax, and get some good quality team bonding (and tanning) in.
Here I will give you a recount of our trip, people we met, things we ate, places we visited and beaches we swam at.
Throughout the trip we spent 3 days working and the rest relaxing and bonding. It was an incredible experience and was a great way to welcome our newest team member Maxime (it was only his second week!).
The Food
Oh the food! We ate a meal with every single one of our partners, be it The Antigua-and-Barbuda Citizenship by Investment Unit, Verandah Resorts, South Point Antigua, or Nonsuch Bay Resort. Every meal we had was absolutely incredible. We were stunned by the food available at each and every one of our real estate partners.
Nonsuch Bay Resort, where we stayed, had a different menu every night for dinner so we were never eating the same thing. Their buffets were also incredible. South Point served us an amazing lunch at their overwater restaurant. We dined looking out at English Harbour, with an incredible view that is normally filled with gorgeous yachts. Since it is the slow season, we didn’t get to see many large boats, but we did get to see more of the view. Verandah Resorts awed us all with the variety of food at their many different restaurants. Our lunch plans were derailed a bit that day – but the staff and our partners at Verendah were quick to adapt and we stuffed our faces with their delicious buffet.
We also had the opportunity to eat at some very special restaurants across the country – like The Pillars Restaurant at Admirals in. We ate here on our first night together, and the restaurant had prepared a special 30th Anniversary Menu for us – and even decorated with TIMC Balloons! The night was organized by Izak and was complete with history, a steel drum band, and delicious food. It was a great way to start the trip.
Special Moments Together
One of the very special experiences we were lucky enough to experience was meeting with Prime Minister Gaston Browne at his office. Meeting with the Prime Minister reaffirmed our connection to the wonderful country and its people. It was a great honour for us to meet him!
Another very special moment for us (in a completely different way) was the surprise ski-dooing we got to do on Wednesday afternoon. We had just done a tour of the island, and were spending some time at the beach. Amre spotted two ski-doos that were being pulled in for the night, and asked if we could rent them. We all got the chance to ride them, and sent quite a few people flying! It was an amazing surprise that ended the afternoon on an awesome note.
On the Thursday of the trip, we spent the entire day outside together. We sailed in the morning – and then of course raced (who actually won, is still to be cleared up), and then spent the afternoon on the beautiful and deserted Green Island doing a scavenger photo hunt before relaxing in the water and heading back for dinner. On that night, the Nonsuch Bay Resort staff treated us to an incredible surprise, with 30th Anniversary Balloons at our table, a gorgeous card, photos of us sailing, and a custom cake baked just for us with our logo!
On the last day of the trip that we were all together, we had a wonderful buffet breakfast at the resort and then met up in Amre’s villa to hear from world renowned speaker Dr. Kenford Nedd. Listening to Dr. Nedd speak was one of the best possible ways to end the trip. All gathered around him in a small social setting, Dr. Nedd was one of the most capturing speakers any of us have ever heard. He gave us great tips to make the most out of who we are – and we all left wanting to buy his book. As a native Antiguan, Dr. Nedd actually lives in Canada now, and travels the world to speak.
An Overall Incredible Trip
The warm welcome that we received from everyone in Antigua was incredible. Everyone from our partners to random people in the street had the most welcoming attitude we had ever seen and made our trip worth every bit from start to end. We had many amazing and smiley encounters every day.
The trip was an astounding success. We got to know our partners and the Island of Antigua on another level, in addition to learning so much more about each other and solidifying our bond as a team. We were happy to welcome Maxime, Karl, and Phil to the team as our most recent additions, and to take Alicia and Max on their first trips with the company.
We are hiring! Come with us on our next trip in 2019.
