Our Christmas get-together at Tyrells Wood Golf Course, near Epsom, proved to be another resounding success, bringing the team together for a mix of fun, collaboration, and festive cheer.
Putting iShare Mobile through its paces
Andy Bailey, Darren and Ali organised a successful ‘Secret Squirrels’ iShare Mobile with QField project session. This involved zigzagging around the stunning course to find and photograph different features. It was fantastic to see everyone engaging with the app and confirming how simple and effective it is to use. The session also highlighted the smooth data flow from our inputs, through the SDW, and into iShare, proving the integration capabilities with QFieldCloud, iShare Spotlight, Maps, and GIS. We were particularly pleased to showcase the newly rebuilt iShare Desktop with QGIS, a vital component of our pre-sales offering that enables us to compete with rivals like Cadcorp and Esri.
Topical presentations
After refuelling with excellent sandwiches, warming drinks and a few too many Quality Street chocolates, we moved on to a thought-provoking presentation from Monireh on AWS Cost Automation. This offered valuable insight into how automating AWS cost reporting can help us better meet our clients’ needs and potentially save significant time on support and general housekeeping. Proactive system monitoring is definitely a key focus for the future.
Having recovered from being recovered from the hard shoulder of the M25, Jill gave an update on ESG and its benefits. These include helping customers reduce the risk of data loss and reputational damage. She also thanked colleagues for helping to secure our third consecutive EcoVadis silver medal – a great achievement for an SME.
A productive afternoon by hook or by slice
The heart of the afternoon was a planning session focused on our goals for the coming year. Using newly released Confluence whiteboards, we dived straight in. Despite a few initial hiccups, the collaborative spirit shone through as everyone added sticky notes detailing ideas to help fulfil our company’s objectives. It was a lot of fun and highlighted the team’s collective commitment to our future. Pairs of employees will triage the sticky notes before a management review at the end of January.
The afternoon also included lively group sessions in the golf studio, which were a huge hit! Participants practised swinging a 7-iron in front of the Eiffel Tower and on a course in California. Everyone enjoyed themselves, bar Mike Smith. He vowed to avoid taking up golf during his imminent retirement (due to begin one hour later). Simon was especially pleased to think he’d finally cured his long-standing slice.
A celebration tinged with sadness
Later, we enjoyed a fantastic meal at Sicily in Epsom. This was a welcome return to a venue we haven’t visited for a few years. As always, the portions were generous, and the atmosphere was relaxed and fun. Unfortunately, it was also tinged with sadness as we said goodbye to Mike Smith, wishing him the very best for the future. Our MD, also Mike, became a smidgen emotional talking about how he had joined Astun as employee number six and helped drive us forward over the years. ‘T’other Mike’ responded in kind whilst talking about the support he’d received during this period. You can read more about Mike’s retirement in this blog.
Feedback about the day was overwhelmingly positive, confirming that collaboration was the star of the show. Boss Mike comments, “One sticky note highlighted a desire to meet face-to-face more often, a sentiment I heartily endorse. I left the event feeling upbeat. We have a clear plan, a fantastic team, and a shared vision. Even with challenges like local government reform on the horizon, our strategy and shared sense of purpose ensure we’ll continue to be a successful business in the years to come.”
Our thanks go to the team for making the day such a positive and great experience, with special thanks to Tracy who’ll be handing over the event management baton to her successor, Diana.
