Table of contents
It is almost impossible not to know that InfoTiles and its closest partners were at the International Water Association World Water Congress last week (to clarify, yes, we were there). It was made even more possible with our hosts Innovasjon Norge, Norsk Vann, and Royal Norwegian Embassy in Copenhagen for the opportunity for hosting InfoTiles at the Norway Pavillion.
It was both an exhilarating and rejuvenating time and to remember as the team came together to learn more, not just about InfoTiles but other digital technologies in the water sector. A lot of fun was also had and quiet and peaceful moments were found to relax in the cabin by the woods.
It is common to come back from an event, open the inbox, and carry on, giving no time to reflect. However, InfoTiles love a good reflection, especially if it helps aid company growth and strengthen team resilience.
As such, below are some reflections and takeaways from an adventurous week in Copenhagen.
Being a distributed team, we tend to miss out on the little things, such as meeting each other randomly at the coffee machine for a catch-up and chatting about anything and everything. So, getting everyone under the same roof was just epic. After a couple of minutes, it was as if we had been in-person all along.
Johnny Gunneng - Chief Executive Officer
I am incredibly grateful for the participation of the InfoTiles team. We are a multinational team and it was amazing to witness everyone uniting to help solve global water challenges. Being in the same room as your colleagues knowing you all understand and have a passion for the same goal is such a special feeling.
Pedja Bihor – Chief Technical Officer
We have become quite good at collaborating virtually, across offices and borders. But nothing quite replaces the time face to face with our colleagues, where we can solve challenges together, be creative together, and - have fun!
Magne Eide - Chief Commercial Officer
The World Water Congress was an amazing opportunity for InfoTiles. I have three reflections from the congress itself:
1. There is much interest in #DigitalWater, but as an industry, we must communicate better to connect with utilities in ways that are meaningful to them.
2. There are many 'digital niches'. We must embrace open standards so our customers can reap the benefits of connected digital products across their operations.
3. Utilities help their digital transformation journey by clearly and publicly expressing their challenges, and what success looks like. This facilitates targeted discussions with Digital Water companies.
The cherry on top was using the congress as a double opportunity to meet up face-to-face with the team and bond both professionally and personally. The highlights for me were sharing company insights and learning new perspectives from across teams, and having pizza nights while bringing out our competitive sides during table football!
Adam Wood - Chief Product Officer
After over two years of collaborating remotely, we finally met in person and it was a big motivation booster for all of us. We had a wonderful time during team-building activities including the in-house hackathon. The developers and business teams have synched even more and we’re all on the same page. We’re looking forward to the next team-building event.
Armin Čomić - Platform and Infrastructure Developer
It was great to see the 3D versions of everyone I worked with and I also enjoyed learning more about how the developer team worked and learning more about the backend of our platform. Also, it was very cool to casually hang out with the people that founded the company and to understand why our company culture is as strong and individual as it is.
Ask Elvevold – Data Scientist
Gathering in person with the InfoTiles team was such a great experience and opportunity to get to know colleagues and partners outside the virtual world. Working with a group of people who challenge and inspire you while having fun is guaranteed success in my opinion!
Emir Pajić - Full Stack Developer
I had a wonderful time in Copenhagen with InfoTiles. It was amazing to finally meet all the people I've worked with over the last nine months in person. Time spent in Copenhagen was well planned, we had time to work together on a Hackathon, visit the city, play games, have morning walks to the beach and go to IWA Conference.
Harisa Obradović, Backend Developer
The first trip with colleagues from InfoTiles left me with a lot of enthusiasm. Going to Denmark for the first time and getting to know a new culture with my colleagues as part of our team building was so much fun and what shone through so much was the incredible sense of gender equity which left a great impression on the team. We spent a lot of time working together and learning about sales and the internal conversations that happen at InfoTiles headquarters which we can consider in our work too.
Ivana - Backend Developer
The team building trip was 100% worth going on. It was refreshing, inspiring,and certainly very educational, in every aspect. I look forward to every next meeting up!
Mia Škoro - Head of Development
I think the trip to Copenhagen was a great success. Thanks to Innovation Norway, Norsk Vann, and the Royal Norwegian Embassy, we were able to get an exhibitor booth at IWA where we could connect with many interesting individuals involved in water tech and we met a lot of start-ups and scale-ups on the social & networking events outside of IWA.
I really enjoyed the international reception at Digital Hub Denmark, which was a great place to meet like-minded entrepreneurs as well as investors in an international environment, while maintaining a relaxed and informal setting. Nordic Edge and CopCap did a terrific job in making these days as enjoyable and informative as possible.
Last but not least, meeting all of the members of the InfoTiles team for the first time in person and spending time with them in a quiet and peaceful setting. It was such a boost for all of us to build bridges between the departments while getting to know each other more personally
Matthias Schirle – Customer Success & BI
Remote working is all fun and games but I'm glad that we all finally had the chance to meet in person and work all together on problem-solving. I’m 100% sure that this was an amazing booster for the whole team and I can’t wait for the next one.
Mirza Krzić - Frontend Developer
I had a really fun time meeting everyone face-to-face and getting to know everyone personally. From the hackathon, I got insights into our solution's technical details while also facilitating better cooperation with my colleagues.
Nils Thomas Midtbø – Data Analyst
One wonderful team building is behind us. I am very glad that I was part of an interesting trip to Copenhagen, where we all had the opportunity to see each other in person and work together. The hackathon was a great thing for the team to connect even more and be even better and more efficient for future challenges. In addition to the business part, we had the chance to participate in various activities such as games, trips to the beach, and walking through beautiful Copenhagen! Let's get to know each other and connect. Everyone in the team is aware that water is an important point in all of this and its smart, sustainable, and fair management, we had the opportunity to have the honour of attending the IWA congress where we got to know the business and needs of many companies that have one common goal, guess what, it is the sustainability of drinking water. I am looking further to the next team building where all of us will be together again in one place, location doesn't matter, to have wonderful moments again.
Sanjin Začinović - Software developer
It was an extraordinary week in Copenhagen at the IWA World Water Congress! I had opportunities to attend different events while enjoying time with lovely colleagues. InfoTiles had the opportunity to present our case and got advice from experts supporting start-ups and scale-ups in Denmark. I was also impressed by tech hubs in Denmark, promoting connection among people, ideas and market fit towards sustainability.
Happening alongside IWA and Market entry in Denmark, team InfoTiles was working and bonding in a peaceful cabin outside Copenhagen. We are a diverse team coming from different countries and cultures yet we value the same spirit of being collaborative, progressive, and inclusive at work.
Thanh Nguyen - Product Analyst