May is a busy time of the year for us here at Outfield, with the blossom season coming to an end in the northern hemisphere, harvest drawing to an end in the southern hemisphere, and of course the twice-annual team meetup here in Cambridge. In contrast to the last rainy meetup in November 2022, this meetup was full of sun, food, and plenty of gelatos. These meetups are not only a vital part of the social calendar at Outfield but also an excellent opportunity to dive into some of the more collaborative team projects on the development roadmap.
Monday/Tuesday:
The day started off with train cancellations across London, as the local rail network tried their best to prevent some of the team from making it in time for breakfast. Luckily, after slight delays, we all made it safely to the WeWork, ready for a big week ahead. Over the course of Monday, we reflected back on a successful blossom (our largest to date with 234.50 hectares covered and 125 detailed reports), a new management tool we have implemented to help us streamline development planning and project coordination, and we firmed up our plans for the rest of the week. All the thinking got us hungry for the delicious Vietnamese dinner later that day.
Tuesday was another cracking day in Cambridge and the perfect day to ditch the office for some Vitamin D. With the cars locked and loaded with green polos and our operations team eager to show off their toys (drones), we set off for Wisbech in search of Alan Hudson to look at an orchard. Some of the team had not seen the system in action, therefore it made sense for Emil and Dylan to show off just how easy the flight surveys really are! After a practical session in the field, we followed our nose into Peterborough for lunch and an escape room. Escape rooms are an Outfield classic and after a few meetups now, the Cambridge ones have been well and truly clocked by the team. After a successful afternoon as seen by the time graphs shown below we headed back to Cambridge which coincidentally happened to be the start of the annual beer festival of which green polos were again in full force (Aleksandra planned that one well).
Wednesday/Thursday:
After a big couple of days in the sun, we retreated back to the office in search of some shade. (Although having just experienced my first London winter, the sun was a welcome relief!)The next couple of days very much consisted of breaking up into our different teams to tackle some of the bigger projects and to develop a clear roadmap for the remainder of the year. Activities also consisted of Oli dusting off his quizmaster cap and testing our general knowledge, Dylan showing his ten-pin bowling skills and you guessed it… more food!
Friday/Saturday:
Friday saw the team size dwindling as they all began their commute back home, whether that be somewhere in the UK or overseas. The focus on Friday was capturing all of the week’s work and converting that into our Outfield brand. I think we have had a pretty good crack at it, so watch this space on our socials! In the evening partners were welcomed and we had our final and best dinner of the week, Jordanian style!
Saturday was another scorcher and what better way to wrap things up than a punt down the river and a picnic? After a couple of hours on the river and some overtime charges from late boats (some of us really need to work on their punting skills!), we then said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.
The highlight for me had to be the punt, which was a first for many, followed closely by the table tennis tournament! Special mentions also go out to Ammar, our table tennis professional who easily dispatched me straight sets in the final…that hurt! It was a great week catching up with the rest of the team and meeting some new faces in person. We have plenty of exciting projects on the horizon and some flash new features in development so keep an eye out for those!
Outfield’s May meetup in two charts:
