Two Days Together Did What Seven Years on Zoom Couldn’t: When 170 Zyte Teammates Finally Met in Person

Black clock icon with clockwise arrow around it on a yellow brushstroke background.
Duration

4 days

Team Size

170 people

Location

Antalya, Turkey

The Big Outcomes

Reunited After 7 Years
170
Teammates from 29 countries reconnected in person after seven years apart.
Global Reach
29
Countries represented in one room — in-person collaboration delivered what months of remote work had not.
Effortless Experience
0
Friction points participants had to deal with — a complex global gathering engineered to feel seamless.
Organisers Freed
100%
Internal organisers were lifted out of operational stress and able to fully participate themselves.
Stronger Culture
1
Remote-first company that left with stronger trust, faster collaboration, and renewed shared culture.
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This was our third workshop that we’ve delivered together. At this point, it had the comfort - and the benefits - of a routine.

You know how it can go with new clients though. It’s professional, measured, and maybe even cautionary. Speaking to a third-time? That is different. It feels like walking into a conversation already in progress. Like calling an old friend.

Zyte

Zyte is a globally distributed technology company built around a remote-first culture. Their team spans continents, time zones, and cultures — collaboration usually happens through screens, Slack threads, and video calls.

“As a fully remote company… we have staff in about 29 different countries… from Brazil, Uruguay, Peru… all the way to the Philippines.” — Suzanne Hassett - COO at Zyte 

After seven years without bringing the entire company together physically, the leadership team knew it was time.

Zyte came to OnsiteHub to help design a gathering that would feel natural rather than staged — an experience where colleagues could reconnect, rebuild relationships, and rediscover what it feels like to work side by side.

From the start, our role wasn’t just to plan logistics. It was to act as a trusted extension of their team, translating their culture into a physical environment that would support real connection.

The Brief

The ask sounded simple on paper: bring 170 people together for a company retreat.

The reality was more complex.

Participants were travelling from across the world, meaning visa requirements, flight coordination, and arrival logistics had to work seamlessly for a highly international group. Any friction in travel would immediately impact the experience.

But logistics weren’t the real challenge.

Zyte didn’t want just another offsite — the retreat needed to balance strategic work sessions with space for people to reconnect socially, without pressure or forced interaction.

Success would look subtle: barriers dissolving - teammates naturally choosing to spend time together.

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The Retreat

Arrival & First Impressions

Guests arrived along Antalya’s Mediterranean coastline, where winter still feels warm enough for outdoor breakfasts and evening walks by the sea. 

Transfers ran quietly in the background, allowing arrivals to feel effortless from the start.

“This time I was able to step back, enjoy the process more… it was a bit of fun for me instead of wanting everything to be over.” — Elspeth Cameron, Personal Assistant to the CEO and management team

Instead of navigating a busy city, the team stepped into a self-contained resort environment — gardens, open walkways, sports areas, and shared spaces designed for easy encounters.

That first afternoon was charmingly (and intentionally) unstructured. People wandered and recognised familiar faces from video calls. Slack avatars became real people.

“The team loved it… it was great for so many people just to be able to come in. We had India, Pakistan, Brazil, Texas, Ireland… all over the world basically.” - Elspeth Cameron, Personal Assistant to the CEO and management team

Team Moments & Programming

The retreat followed a deliberate rhythm.

Mornings brought everyone together: a welcome message from leadership, shared strategy sessions, and a shared sense of purpose after years of distributed work.

Afternoons shifted toward collaboration and connection.

Workshops and team sessions gave departments space to work side by side, while a mandatory team-building activity became an unexpected turning point. 

Participants arrived cautiously at first, unsure what to expect. Within minutes, it was all laughter, and one of the most talked-about moments of the retreat.

“You cannot beat the power of face-to-face communication… people saying they got as much done in these two days as they’ve been able to get done with certain teams over the last two months.” — Suzanne Hassett - COO at Zyte

By day two, everything had already changed. The barriers were gone. Colleagues were now becoming friends. 

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Local Flavor & Shared Experiences

Antalya in February offered the perfect backdrop: mild sea air, long shared meals outdoors, and enough sunshine to keep people lingering for the hell of it.

Food became its own connector. The resort’s wide range of cuisines was a rave.

And speaking of food… One evening, colleagues began exchanging snacks they had brought from their home countries — culinary lives were changed!

Sports facilities also played a surprising role. Paddle matches, casual games (some not so casual!), and optional workouts created low-pressure ways for people to connect outside formal sessions

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What Worked

By the end of the retreat, success wasn’t measured in presentations delivered or sessions completed. It showed up in behaviour.

Teams lingered after meetings. Conversations continued over dinner. People who had never met in person spoke as if they were long-time collaborators.

“It breaks down borders, you know, and boundaries between people and it creates a real deep personal relationship that people can build on.” — Suzanne Hassett - COO at Zyte

One particularly emotional moment came when a colleague who initially thought they couldn’t attend made a dramatic entrance.

The retreat achieved what Zyte hoped for: stronger relationships, easier communication, and a renewed sense of shared culture.

Most importantly, it felt effortless to participants — even though coordinating a global gathering of this scale is anything but.

Behind the Scenes

From the planning side, success came down to removing friction before it appeared.

“You thought about things we didn’t think about… you filled in all the gaps.” — Suzanne Hassett - COO at Zyte

We managed accommodation, meeting room design, transfers, team-building coordination, swag, and dozens of small operational details that rarely make it into photos but define the experience.

“The transfers were so great, and it just took the stress out of things.” — Elspeth Cameron, Personal Assistant to the CEO and management team
“Honestly, there’s absolutely no way we could have done it without OnsiteHub… you were really in the detail, making sure everything was looked after.” — Suzanne Hassett - COO at Zyte

Choosing the right environment proved critical. A resort setting allowed transitions between moments to happen gently — without the stress of buses, schedules, logistical interruptions, or the associated waiting.

When logistics disappear, people focus on each other. That was the goal from day one.

Client Reflection

“Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Help is always welcome. And we’re so glad we found you guys.” — Elspeth Cameron, Personal Assistant to the CEO and management team
Let’s Plan What Comes Next

Bringing people together after years apart is never just about location — it’s about creating the conditions where connection can happen naturally. If you’re thinking about your next team retreat, we’d love to help you design it.

Let’s plan it together.