Sun, Sea & Strategy - How Regular Offsites Help IFT Thrive

Location

Attendees

170

Format

Leadership meetup + all-hands retreat + team breakouts

Activities

Local coffee and rakija tastings, a boat trip to Omiš, beachside BBQ, sunset cocktails, DJsets, and late-night snooker anddarts in the hotel pub.

Duration

4 days for the centerpiece event, 2.5 weeks in total programming

" These are a huge money saver. They seem like they cost a lot up front, but in the end, based on the amount of time you save, from people making good decisions and not bad ones, you end up moving faster and saving a lot of money because it doesn’t take as long to do it. "

Corey Petty

Head of IFT Insights

The Backdrop

IFT—the Institute of Free Technology—is a web3 organization supporting open-source projects with legal, technical, HR, and branding services. They’re remote- first, async by default, and deeply mission-driven. But even for a forward-thinking distributed organization, some things are just better done face-to-face.

After a successful 2024 All Hands in Athens, IFT came back to OnsiteHub for something bigger: a 170-person, multi-team, organizational retreat that would help them reset, realign, and reinvigorate their shared mission.

The Challenge

As IFT grew, something started to fray. Communication got clunky. Context got lost in threads. And while day-to-day work continued, the deeper “why” behind the work wasn’t always clear.

In trying to reconnect with that purpose, IFT zoomed out—not just looking inward at its team, but outward at its entire ecosystem. They realized that the wider community of contributors, collaborators, and project partners was just as
essential to the mission as the internal organization.

So this organizational offsite wasn’t just about relaxation—it was about clarity and human connection. IFT needed a space where their people could:

Reconnect as humans.
Think big without digital distractions.
Walk away with a shared understanding of where the organization is headed—and how they each fit into that future.

" I always struggle when we collaborate completely online… for me, real collaboration only happens in person, at the whiteboard. "

Vaclav Pavlin,

Team Lead

The OnsiteHub Approach

Having partnered with IFT before, we hit the ground running—embedding seamlessly into their team to design a multi-layered retreat that fostered both strategic momentum and deep connection. We built the experience around five intimate mini meetups before and after the main event, anchored it at a sea-facing venue just outside Split, and handled every detail along the way—from room blocks to boat rides to post-session cocktails.

“Y’all feel like part of the crew… You hang out with us, get what we’re about, and figure out how to make it happen. That gives us so much confidence.”

Corey Petty,

Head of IFT Insights

Our Biggest Meetup Yet

This was the largest and most complex event OnsiteHub has ever produced including 170 attendees, 5 hotels and two and a half weeks of full programming.

The 4-day All Hands gathering was the centerpiece—but we also orchestrated pre-offsite leadership sessions and extended team meetups on both sides. The logistics were ambitious, but the result was seamless. Everyone arrived grounded, supported, and ready to contribute.

What Happened in Split

IFT’s 2025 All Hands unfolded over 2.5 weeks with fourpacked, sunny days for the centerpiece all hands event—and every moment was designed to blend intentionwith collaboration.

Welcome Dinner at Gooshter Beach Club

The retreat opened with great food, Dalmatian sunset views, and long-overdue face time between contributors.

Morning Coffee Tastings

Instead of rushing into meetings, teams started each day with international coffee tastings—slowing down, savoring the moment, and leaning into deep conversation.

Strategy & Breakouts

From whiteboard sessions to project deep-dives, the venue’s breakout spaces helped cross-functional teams problem-solve faster and more clearly than Slack ever could.

Adriatic Boat Trip to Omiš

Midweek, the team set sail for a private beach BBQ—with epic views, spontaneous swims, and even some DJ sets from IFT’s own contributors.

“Being there in person… having real-time conversations over coffee or after meetings—that’s when the magic happens.”

Melanie Davis,

People Partner

" We saw a monumental shift in how people collaborated. Everyone came back aligned on our mission. "

Melanie Davis

The Ripple Effect

When the laptops reopened and teams returned to remote life, leadership noticed something had shifted. Communication got clearer. Decision-making moved faster. Contributors felt reconnected to IFT’s values— and to each other

“After the all-hands, there was a renewed sense of energy and focus. It left a lasting impression.”

Terry Mitchell Tobin,

People Partner

Why It Worked

The location mattered. Split gave the team beauty and calm—being just outsite the city meant no big-city distractions. It naturally created intimacy and focus.

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The design was intentional. This wasn’t a junket. It was a sequence of meaningful conversations, relationship-building, and strategic clarity.

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We made it effortless. Every logistical detail was
handled, so IFT’s leadership could show up fully—and their people could stay present.

“I didn’t see a single hiccup. The organization was amazing.”

Vaclav Pavlin

What’s Next

Retreat number three is already in the works—and IFT is doubling down on what works: real conversations, in-person clarity, and a mission that lives beyond the screen.

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Building on the theme of human connection that shaped the 2025 All Hands, IFT is now planning something even bigger: a two-day interactive festival—co-designed with OnsiteHub. This next gathering won’t just be for internal contributors. It will bring together IFT’s wider ecosystem—partners, collaborators, and community members—to deepen alignment around their movement’s purpose.

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Sun, Sea & Shared Mission: How IFT Aligned Strategy and Culture in Split