What You Can Learn from Bringing Together 600 Employees From 100+ Businesses
In this guest post, Vicky Abihsira, Senior Content Marketing Manager at Trapeze Group, shares her experience at Volaris Quadrants – a leadership development summit hosted by Volaris Group.
“What I’ve learned from Quadrants is that the leaders at Volaris are individuals that want their employees to feel like family.”
— Vicky Abihsira, Senior Content Marketing Manager, Trapeze Group
January 2016, Toronto
When I accepted the role of content manager at Trapeze in 2015, I knew I was giving up a job in the heart of downtown Toronto for a role in the “suburbs.” I knew right away that Trapeze was worth the commute; what I didn’t know at first was the value of being part of Volaris Group.
I didn’t know there was a thing such as Volaris corporate summits. I didn’t know there was a robust community of other Volaris marketers, who were more than willing to help each other out with anything and everything.
September 2019, London
As I prepare to enter my fourth year with Volaris, I do so as a participant at the first-ever Volaris Quadrants conference – a 4-day feat of imagination dreamed up by CEO Mark Miller and CMO Kim Emmerson. The dream? To bring together 600 leaders and up-and-comers from all over the world, host a total of 1,200+ sessions, and set the stage for learning, growth, and discovery.
Anyone who’s planned an event of this caliber knows how expensive, time-consuming, and logistically complex it is to bring together this many people in one place. But when you’re a company that truly believes that great people make a great company, then you invest in your people.
Welcome to the Family
What I’ve learned from the 2019 Quadrants conference is that the leaders at Volaris are individuals that want their employees to feel like family. They’re leaders who send 600 people all over the world even though it isn’t easy – because it will help them learn and grow. A combination of networking events and small-group sessions led to thousands of conversations and revelations that would have never occurred otherwise. Established bonds were strengthened, and new relationships were formed.
Over the course of the conference, I met lots of people from recent acquisitions. The first thing I would say to them is “welcome to the family,” not “welcome to the company”– because Volaris isn’t just a company.
Putting Myself in the Shoes of a Software Business Owner
I’ve never owned a software business, but now through Volaris, I’ve met many people that have. I can understand that as a business owner, you’ve poured your heart and soul, sweat and tears, long nights, and lots of caffeine into your company. And perhaps you’re ready to think about the next step in your journey. You might feel like giving away your company is giving away a part of yourself, your family. You might feel like you’ll go from being a business owner to “just an employee.” You might be worried about what will happen to your staff, your shareholders, and your products.
Choosing an Acquirer
I invite you to take the first step in figuring out which kind of family you want to join. What do you want your company to stand for in 20 years? Do you want it to be a place where employees can learn from talented leaders? Do you want your employees to have the opportunity to take their careers wherever their dreams take them? Do you want to have more time to spend with your family and friends, while still contributing at work? Do you want to be assured that your company will still be around for years to come, and you can still be a major part of it?
See what your prospective acquirers say when you ask questions about the future, then decide which family is right for you. It just might be ours, and if so, I hope I can one day meet you at a Volaris event and welcome you to the family.