Kite Hill PR Summit 2024
Last week, the Kite Hill team had the opportunity to reunite in person for a company summit in New York City. While we delight in the flexibility that remote work allows, it was a welcome change of pace to close the laptops for a minute and connect in person. Collaboration was the overarching theme of this summit, and it wove into each of our activities throughout the week. We held in-person client meetings, strategized for the coming year the “old-school” way (whiteboards are wildly underrated), and participated in impromptu brainstorming sessions and conversations.
In a remote work environment, we often overlook the significance of small day-to-day interactions that help us build stronger relationships as a team. From casual water cooler conversations to coffee runs and mid-day lunch breaks, this summit offered us the opportunity to connect and collaborate with team members whom we may not interact with frequently. That kind of collaboration is so valuable and is hard to replicate through a screen.
Check out our team’s key takeaways from the summit below.
Our latest Kite Hill summit was a great opportunity to connect IRL with team members who I don’t always get the chance to work with on a regular basis. There was this great nook in our community floor kitchen where I sat and had so many great conversations with colleagues. Not all conversations were work-related, but all were productive. Those conversations gave us an opportunity to better understand each other, to connect in new ways, and through those newly formed connections, to then be able to collectively look at work challenges with fresh perspectives.
- Mackenzie Sikora, Senior Account Director
Over the past few years, we have become accustomed to working remotely which is great and creates so much flexibility. Working remotely also means that we don’t have as much face time together. While Zoom is a sufficient tool for connecting virtually, it doesn’t replicate the same level of connection and collaboration. It was a great opportunity to spend time with team members and clients in person. I walked away from the week with excitement and optimism for the rest of this quarter and the new year. Face time is invaluable and this summit was a great reminder of how much collaboration and connection can happen in person.
- Kyle Murray, Senior Account Supervisor
I really appreciated the in-person time during Kite Hill’s summit. While I do very much love the flexibility and convenience of remote work, it felt really nice to get some face-to-face interaction with my teammates – and with coworkers, I don’t normally get the chance to chat with! One thing that really stuck out to me during last week’s summit was the benefit of in-person brainstorming and collaboration. It felt easier to jump into a conversation and contribute an idea than it would have over Zoom. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again soon!
- Michael Kocher, Account Executive
One important lesson I learned during our 3-day in-office summit was the value of real-time brainstorming. When working remotely, it can be difficult to bring teams together to openly discuss ideas and roadblocks because everyone is on their own timeline. However, having the team accessible in real-time allowed us to address needs more immediately and efficiently. This reminder was incredibly valuable, and I believe it will help our team maintain open communication in a remote setting.
- Holly Rust, Account Executive
Energy is the word that comes to mind when I reflect on this month’s IRL Summit. Though we are all fantastic at working together in a remote environment, we made huge strides in collaborating in person in just three short days together.
It’s always great to shake up our daily routines and have in-person meetings and brainstorming sessions. We were able to make eye contact and feed off of each other’s energy – connecting in a meaningful and productive way. It reinvigorated my passion for Q4 (and beyond)!
- Maggie Stasko, Senior Account Manager
The energy level was amazing!! After working from home for more than 20 years, I have learned how to effectively complete tasks from a home office. It was amazing to be in a space where creative ideas were taking place on the fly, in some regards. Being able to grab someone and work through thought leadership abstracts was enlightening and very productive.
In regards to the collaborative nature of the meeting, it was incredible. I shared a few ideas with a team for an account I had not worked on previously, and I had two mentoring sessions during the summit that had been pushed off due to scheduling issues. Because we were in person, we found the time to sit and talk.
And learning more about everyone will give me a deeper level of empathy and understanding that I believe is important in the workplace.
- Charlyne H. McWilliams, Senior Vice President
Since we’ve transitioned to work from anywhere (WFA), the thing I miss the most is small talk. Water cooler conversations can be sporadic and many of them lead to opportunities for collaboration and creativity that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. The opportunity to overhear things on other accounts allows everyone the chance to more readily collaborate in real-time. The efficiency of in-person collaboration is incredible!
- Rachel Hadley, Chief Operating Officer
I loved having the opportunity to connect with people I didn't get to connect with in our remote environment. It’s so valuable to get a different perspective, but getting a fresh set of eyes on something isn’t always what we think about when we’re working remotely and not physically looking at our other team members. That was my biggest takeaway – to be more conscious in this remote work environment that there are people outside of me, and my usual teams, who are there to help me and be a resource.
- Kerriann Becker, Senior Account Executive
The retreat was a fantastic opportunity to work together IRL. The ability to collaborate in this way brought us closer together, strengthened working relationships between ourselves and clients, and helped our team build added confidence to raise ideas and speak up more proactively. I believe we took the novelty of working together in person to create a wonderful energy among our team that will carry us forward to the next time we all get together.
- Kerriann Becker, Senior Account Executive
Gathering together at the Kite Hill office IRL was nothing short of empowering. From the very first day, I immediately realized how effective the little things are that I may not notice as much in a remote workplace, from eye contact to nonverbal communication. I felt invigorated by connecting, brainstorming, and getting to know my colleagues in person, especially ones that I don’t get a chance to work with normally. It was an invaluable experience, and I walked away with incredible momentum to kickstart a successful Q4!
- Antonia Donato, Senior Account Executive
As much as I appreciate Kite Hill's hybrid work environment – the flexibility! the balance! – when it comes to teamwork and collaboration, there really is nothing that can beat in-person time with the full team. Our Summit in NYC was a testament to that. I watched teammates collaborate whenever the opportunity arose – whether it was a full-on brainstorm or a one-off question, ideas and solutions were flowing.
- Emma Wolfe, VP
The KH Summit was a wonderful reminder of how beneficial IRL collaboration can be. While we’re all used to working together remotely, it’s very refreshing to connect in person, spark great conversations and learn fresh perspectives from each other. This time together definitely took our team’s brainstorming and collaboration to the next level, and I’m excited to take what we’ve learned into the rest of this year and the next.
- Alexandra Morrison, Account Manager
The Kite Hill Summit was an amazing opportunity to connect in real time with one another! Looking back, I can truly say that the 3-days spent together in the office showed how agile everyone is. Whether it was catching up through small talk, brainstorming new ideas, or asking questions as items came up, everyone demonstrated agility and collaboration.
Having the chance to be in the same room allowed us to connect on deeper levels, and I look forward to seeing how this energy is carried forward!
- Julia Worthington, Account Executive
